Summer is coming to an end, hopefully soon. And with it new opportunities to save on those energy bills!
- Turn off lights- you’ve probably heard your parents, or spouse request this or you’ve been the one requesting. Leaving on excess lights uses up unneeded energy that YOU are paying for. So turn them off! Another way to help save energy with lights is to opt for LED and CFL bulbs, yes they cost more but they use considerably LESS energy. So, I don’t fret when I do leave one on by accident. (oops)
- Unplug before bed- this is a simple way to save energy just unplug it. Not using your computer at night? Unplug it. Not using the TV at night. Unplug it. It’s not that much more work to plug it back in and your cats won’t accidentally turn them on at 3 am. (True Story)
Huey 2, 2014 - Wash clothes/Run dishwasher after 9pm- I habitually run the dishwasher at night, it’s part of my routine. I unload each morning and spend the day loading it up with dirty dishes. Just before bed, I add soap & turn it on. You can easily opt to wash your clothes at night too, the new fancy washers have timers so you can set it to run in the morning and then be ready to line dry during the day! While the weather is still warm!
- As the weather cools, opt to open windows instead of running your unit (should air quality & weather allow)- I add the air quality disclaimer just because the air here in the central valley of California is notoriously bad. We had our windows open for a week after moving here and I began waking up with horrible migraines. Travis checked the air quality report and it was peaking at 2 am. We typically leave our windows closed at night now, I check the AQ each morning and will open windows for a few hours in the morning while it’s cool out for air circulation, plus the cats love to ‘pretend’ they are outside.
- Use black out shades to repel heat & UV- Yes it looks like I live in a cave but it keeps my apartment considerably cooler even if we don’t run have the AC until 3 pm.
What are some ways you save energy as the weather changes? Do you leave the lights off longer? Perhaps you can leave the windows open all the time and not run the AC. I’d love to hear your energy saving tips!
Stylishly Shelby 