It shouldn’t be surprising; electricity use in your Dayton area home greatly impacts the amount of money you pay on your energy bill. Unfortunately, many homeowners overlook habits and circumstances that keep their energy consumption high. In fact, several misconceptions that homeowners believe as truth actually waste electricity and increase energy costs. Knowing the truth about your electricity use can make your home more energy efficient.
Myth: Turn the thermostat up higher than you need it to warm your house faster.
Your house will warm up at the same rate no matter if the thermostat is set to 74 or 80. By setting it higher than the desired temperature, you risk overshooting your goal and wasting energy in the process. And your home won’t get warm any quicker.
Myth: An appliance that is turned off isn’t using energy.
Most appliances – including your television. printer, computer and other electronics – will continue to draw power 24 hours a day unless you unplug it. As an alternative, plug several devices into a power strip and turn off the power strip when you’re not using them.
Myth: Rinsing clothes in warm or hot water gets them cleaner.
The cleaning process takes place before the rinse cycle so all you’re doing is wasting energy by rinsing your clothes in warm water. Similarly, modern detergents are able to clean most clothes in cold water.
Myth: There’s no benefit in turning the heat down at night or when you’re not at home, since it uses more energy to return temperatures to normal when you awaken or arrive home.
Not true. The simple fact is that you can reduce your energy bill between 5 and 15 percent by simply turning the temperature down 10 degrees for eight hours.
Myth: Changing the air filter on your forced-air HVAC system is all the maintenance it needs.
HVAC systems are complex assortments of equipment that require regular maintenance. While changing the air filter regularly is important for efficiency and improved indoor air quality, it’s not the only action needed for your HVAC system. Signing a planned maintenance agreement with a trusted HVAC company will help ensure your system gets the checkup it needs before each heating and cooling season. A properly maintained unit reduces electricity use and saves you money.
For more information about electricity use and how you can reduce the energy consumption in your Dayton area home, contact the experts at Ace Hardware Home Services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
