With so many companies promoting energy efficient products, it’s not too hard to make your home environmentally friendly.  Investing in solar power, rain water harvesting, or even moving to energy-saving bulbs are great ways to conserve energy in your home.  

Listed below are a few tips on how you can make your home greener, cleaner and more energy efficient. 

Check the energy rating on each appliance

Goodbye Old Appliances

Old heaters, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators etc., are big electricity guzzlers and are may be responsible for your electricity bill being so high. Work towards replacing older appliances with Energy Star rated appliances. 'Energy Star' is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products followed worldwide. Energy Star rated appliances benefit from advanced technologies that consume between 10 to 50 percent less energy. Not only do they perform better but are durable and last longer. Choose heating appliances that have an automatic temperature cut-off and electronic products with a power saving mode.

Check for leaks regularly

Replace Old Bathroom Fittings

Water is a scarce resource that requires energy to pump it from a treatment plant all the way into your over head tank, and then further energy to treat the sewage that flows out through the drainage system. Old toilets use approximately 13.6 liters of water per flush! To reduce water consumption consider moving to a dual flush toilet, the full flush releases 6 liters of water per flush and the short flush releases 3 liters. Replacing your shower-head with a low-flow model will also reduce water consumption. 

Also, regularly inspect toilet plumbing for leaks, and remember sometimes leaks can be heard but not seen. Any sound heard when your toilet is not in use will indicate that there is leak somewhere and water is being wasted.

Switch to Compact fluorescent light bulbs

Choose Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Replace incandescent bulbs with tube lights and compact fluorescent bulbs as they are almost four times more energy efficient while providing the same intensity of lighting.  

Don’t overload your refrigerator

Refrigerator Rules

You may have invested in the most energy efficient refrigerator but to make it as efficient as possible in actuality you need to follow a few simple rules:

·         Don’t open the refrigerator door frequently or leave the door open for long intervals as the cool air escapes and is replaced by warm air. The refrigerator’s compressor then has the task to drive this warm air out as well as bringing the temperature back to normal.

·         Don’t stuff your refrigerator with food as it requires more energy to keep it cool.

·         Don’t place your refrigerator too close to the wall. Ensure that there is space between the refrigerator and the wall to allow air to circulate.

·         Don’t place any food containers that are warm or hot in the refrigerator, as they consume more energy to cool.

These are just a few recommendations to ensure that your home is not wasting energy. If you walk around your home you may notice other things, small and big, that you can do to conserve energy as well as save money!