Energy Efficiency: A Developing Technology

Making a conscious effort to save on electrical usage can have an impact, both for reasons of conservation and monetary savings when the bill arrives. While researchers say that the US wastes about 61% of the energy it consumes, the statistic covers both public, private, and commercial aspects of society. Only homes and businesses are within the control of the average consumer. Incandescent bulbs, outdated HVACS, and older appliances can all take their toll on electrical use. Also, devices left running when no one is around to enjoy them, or when they’re unnecessary takes a toll.

But electrical costs can be curtailed. Here are a few tips on ways to keep energy usage under control, all of which are within reach of the average homeowner.

Energy Star appliances

Though we presently have a plethora of choices when it comes to buying electrical appliances or equipment, we have to take care to choose the efficiency of a particular product over the aesthetic and less essential qualities. Energy Star has been a gold standard to judge energy-efficient equipment for more than 20 years; hence, it would make immense sense in valuing the applicable product rating. The high initial cost is again an inconvenience here. But the payback time frame from the energy savings because of higher efficiency is just two years, which proves it is hands down a natural choice to make if you can afford the capital outlay.

LED lighting

If you are still using traditional incandescent bulbs for your lighting purposes, now might be the time to switch. The advancements in fluorescent and LED technology have rendered the high energy consuming bulbs a less attractive option. On a broad scale, it appears that LED and other new technologies have a higher cost ratio, which is only because of the slightly elevated initial cost of investment. An incandescent bulb compared to an LED is subjected to six times more watt usage per hour; that means an LED of the same capacity would require just $3 for its working rather than the $18 needed for an incandescent bulb for the same period. The average lifespan of a standard LED lighting system would be close to 25,000 hours compared to the measly 1000 – 1200 hour lifespan of an incandescent bulb. CFL’s are also a viable option with its efficiency close to that of LED bulbs, but due to the continued dramatic decrease of LED costs, they now stand as the go-to product for lighting systems.

Smart savings

The majority of the energy wasted in our homes is due to lack of supervision, i.e., all the times we forget to switch a light or an appliance off. Through cutting-edge development in the field of home automation, this is no longer a problem. Smart home technologies save you thousands of dollars in the long run, even though they cost more to purchase.

Energy efficiency is developing technology. Smart home integration with solar panels and solar heaters reduces the average daily usage of energy for lighting and heating by one-half. Insulating your home with regularly maintained central heating minimizes the temperature-dependent wastes. Taking these steps will not only help you protect our resources and environment, but it also boosts the ambiance of your living conditions.

If you need help with your electrical system, want a Smart appliance installed or have other electrical needs, why not give us a call? We’d be happy to help!

A.B.T. Electric is a licensed residential and commercial electrical contractor in Anthem, Az. We are committed to continuing expertise, safety, and customer satisfaction. Call (623) 521-3939 today!