The fall season has arrived, which means the spooky season is here, too! Before you know it, witches, ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns will decorate neighborhoods, and little goblins will appear looking for candy. While this is all Halloween fun, inviting energy “vampires” into your home is a different situation altogether.
These ghouls can use up energy in your home and cause your utility bills to look like something out of a horror movie! In this article, we’ll talk about some of the main energy “vampires” that are likely sapping your home’s energy right now, and what you can do to get rid of them. Keep reading to learn more!
7 Energy Vampires & What to Do About Them
Wondering if you have energy vampires in your home right now? Here are seven common ones, and what you can do to keep them from using more energy than necessary – and no garlic is required!
- Cellphone Chargers: Leaving your cellphone charger plugged in is convenient, but it can use up energy. When you consider that in most households, there are three or more cellphones or other mobile devices in use, that adds up to a lot of chargers – and a lot of wasted energy if they’re left plugged in!
- Overloaded Electrical Outlets: Overloading electrical outlets is not only highly inefficient, but it’s also simply a bad idea. It can become a hazardous situation and can lead to an electrical fire. If you’re short on outlets in your home, consider investing in a smart power strip that “turns off” plugged-in devices and appliances when not in use. And, never plug more than one large appliance or device into an outlet.
- Incandescent Lightbulbs: Replacing all the old incandescent lightbulbs in your home with LED bulbs might seem like a big investment, but spending the money to replace old bulbs is worth it in the long run. According to the Department of Energy, LED bulbs use at least 75 percent less energy than traditional bulbs – and they last up to 25 times as long.
- Unused Home Entertainment Equipment: Many people keep outdated entertainment equipment like VCRs and DVD players plugged in, even though they might not use it very often. This is easy to forget, but even though the equipment may go unused, if it’s plugged in it will still use energy in your home. If it’s no longer in use, or you very rarely use it, unplug it!
- Outdated Thermostats: Do you have a very old thermostat in your home, such as one of the old dial models? If so, you could be using more energy than you need to be on heating and cooling. Even a simple programmable thermostat can help you save up to 10 percent in annual heating and cooling costs when properly used. Smart thermostats may help homeowners save even more.
- Antiquated Power Strips: Older power strips are not as efficient as their modern counterparts. Many of today’s power strips are made to handle electronic devices more efficiently. Many have built-in technology so that they effectively turn off any items that have gone into standby mode.
- Inefficient HVAC Equipment: If your home’s heating and cooling equipment has not been properly maintained, it is likely that it is using quite a lot of energy. Making sure your equipment receives regular maintenance not only helps it last longer, but it also helps it to maintain the proper efficiency levels – and that can help you save on utility bills.
Learn how Burkhardt can help you save energy in your home this fall and all year long.
At Burkhardt, we like to keep our customers as comfortable as possible, and we like to help them save energy, too. (You might say we’re energy vampire slayers!) We can provide you with the seasonal AC maintenance and heating system tune-ups, install a thermostat for you that can help you save energy, and perform a comprehensive electrical inspection in your home that can identify any trouble spots. Just call us today at 985-626-7741 and we’ll be more than happy to schedule an appointment with you!