Ways to reduce Energy Costs

It is often in the little things that you do that can save you big money on your energy bill, says Terry Ballenger, Vice President of Communications for Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative. “There are all kinds of energy efficient appliances now on the market that they could see about if they need to replace a particular appliance like a refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer or dryer. The technology is such that appliances that are being produced today are a good bit more efficient than those of prior years. That is one way they can do it. During this winter season, if they want to lower their thermostat a couple of degrees. Each degree you lower it cuts about 3% off your heating costs. That can be accomplished by something as simple as lowering the thermostat and then maybe putting on a light sweater or something to make sure that you stay warm enough or comfortable enough in your home while you drop the temperature just a little bit. There are compact fluorescent light bulbs that are more efficient than the incandescent ones, but I think the trend today is to go with the LED bulbs that are even more efficient. They’re more expensive but in the long run they will save the customer money because they last such a long time before they need to be replaced and they are quit efficient as far as lightening is concerned. I think it pays our members to have their heating and cooling systems serviced on a regular basis. Maybe twice a year have the technician from the HVAC dealer come in to make sure everything is in proper operating order because a properly operated system is certainly going to be more efficient than one that is on the blink, so to speak.” Other ways to be more energy efficient include weatherproofing your home, replacing old windows with new energy-efficient windows, turning off lights when leaving a room, running the dishwasher and the washing machine only when fully loaded, lowering the water heater temperature, taking shorter showers, unplugging unused appliances and carpooling whenever possible.