How to Save Energy and Money: 6 Expert Tips

We all know that there are many hidden costs to owning a home. Property maintenance can put a dent in our budget. One area that can be particularly expensive is energy use. Here are six great tips on how to save energy and potentially save money on your energy bill.

1. Maintain Your HVAC System

Make sure that you have regular maintenance on your heating and air-conditioning system. During routine maintenance, Freon levels are checked. Freon is the coolant that helps run your HVAC system and if the level is too low the system will have to run harder. This will increase your energy bill. That is what is important to make sure the Freon level is correct. The other thing you need to do is change the filters in your system. Old filters block the flow of air, which causes the system to work harder. This will also increase your energy bill.

2. Check Your Freezer

A good approach on how to save energy is to check your freezer and refrigerator. Sometimes we tend to have our freezer temperature and our refrigerator temperature cooler than necessary. A safe rule of thumb is to set your freezer at 5 degrees Fahrenheit and set your refrigerator at 38 degrees Fahrenheit. This will keep all your food fresh and all your frozen items nice and solid. However, these temperatures will not make your refrigerator run harder than necessary to arrive at temperatures that are cooler than you actually need.

3. Avoid Peak Hours

If you are going to be involved in a household project that will use a lot of energy, try to schedule it so that you are not doing it in peak hours. Utility companies may charge higher rates during regular daytime hours. For example, these times would exclude the hours between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., weekends, and holidays. It has been shown that some rates are 40% higher during peak periods, so adjusting your laundry schedule, for example, to work around these times may save you money.

4. Invest in a Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats really are smart! They actually are programmed to work according to your habits, they can show you the amount of energy that you're using in real-time, and can also be self-adjusting. For instance, if the humidity in your home rises, a smart thermostat will adjust automatically. If you have left the house for work and you forgot to turn your air conditioner off, you can use your smart thermostat to lower the temperature. This will definitely save you money and save energy as well.

5. Switch to LED Light Bulbs

As a consumer in today's market, we all have several choices in the types of light bulbs that we select. In prior years, the only option available was an incandescent light bulb. But now technology has addressed the matter of how to save energy by creating energy-saving LED and CFL light bulbs. Switching to these models can add up to savings on your energy bill.

6. Seal Cracks Around Doors and Windows

It's a fact that up to 20% of your energy bill, whether it is heating or cooling related, can be saved by having the proper type of insulation around your doors and windows. This kind of proactive approach will make sure that leaks are eliminated, which will prevent cool or warm air to just drift out into your yard. You will also have the additional benefit of a more comfortable house. If that's not enough, you may even save money, too.

These tips on how to save energy can help with your energy expenses, potentially reduce your electricity costs, and make you part of the population that is involved in energy conservation. They really are easy ways to save energy in your home; plus, your budget can even see the rewards for using less energy!

Biggest Summer Energy Expenses and How to Reduce The​m​

If you're looking for ways to save some money so you can spend it on fun-filled summer activities, you should start by evaluating your energy expenses. Summer tends to cause an increase in energy bills -- fortunately, there are easy ways to reduce these costs.

Biggest Summer Energy Expenses

Like every other time of the year, summer comes with its own unique energy challenges. Let's look at a few of the biggest culprits for increasing energy bills.

Cranking up the air conditioning: When the temperatures start to rise, everyone's first instinct is to turn up the AC. And while it's nice to have a cool, comfortable home, air conditioning can cause your energy bills to increase significantly. So try to remember that the closer the temperature is inside to outside, the lower your energy bills will be. Try other methods to cool down like opening windows for a cross breeze and utilize ceiling and floor fans.

Letting cool air escape: If your home has cracks and leaks around windows or doors, you may be letting your cooled air sneak out of your home. While this may not seem like a big use of energy, sealing air leaks and ensuring your home is properly insulated can save you up to 20% on cooling bills. When there are even small holes or leaks, your cooled air can easily escape, making your cooling costs skyrocket.

Using more hot water: With the kids out of school, your dishwasher and washing machine are probably running more often. And it's important to remember that you'll use the same amount of water whether or not the machine is completely full. So to avoid wasting water and energy, make sure you're always doing a full load of dishes or clothes.

Renewable Energy Options to Consider

Fortunately, if you consider using sustainable sources of energy, you can save significant amounts on your energy bills all year long. There are plenty of sustainable sources of energy to explore to fit your wants and needs.

Solar panels: With solar energy becoming one of the most popular renewable energy sources, solar panel costs continue to decrease. Even if you can only afford one or two, utilizing solar energy is a great way to save money on energy expenses, especially with the hot summer sun beating down.

Solar oven: If you're looking for more of a DIY source of sustainable energy, you should consider making your own solar oven to cook your meals with. They're easily made out of a few common materials and work by trapping sunlight. This is a great project to get the whole family involved with too.

Hydroelectric power: If you have a source of flowing water nearby, you can make some of the water flow through a turbine to produce energy. While you may need a professional to help install the hydropower generator, it's a great way to utilize natural resources to help power your home.

By exploring some sustainable sources of energy and being smart about how you're using energy at home, you can significantly reduce your energy costs this summer.

Surprising Ways to Save Energy This Summer: Tips For Families

Summertime's soaring temperatures might be a welcome relief from the frigid winter -- but they aren't always good news. Although the sky stays lighter later, our bills tend to spike during the summer months due to air conditioner use. But conserving energy (and lowering your bills) might be easier than you think. Here are some ways to save energy that you might never have considered.

• Fill up the fridge: Every time you open your refrigerator or freezer, the warm air rushes in and quickly replaces the cool air inside. That means your fridge needs to use more power to get those temperatures back down. Of course, this is why you should keep those doors closed (and never stand in front of them, deep in thought!) whenever possible. But it also helps if you don't have a lot of empty space, as that can allow more warm air to find its way in. This isn't to say that you should fill your fridge with food that will only spoil; that's a waste of money and resources, for sure. But it'll help if you can pack your freezer tightly with items you know your family will consume and that you keep extra bottles of water in your fridge to take up space. As long as these items won't go to waste, this can help with your conservation efforts.

• Plant a tree (or several): The landscaping on your property can actually help you save electricity, providing you put some thought into it. By strategically planting trees around your home and even surrounding your air conditioner, you can provide some additional shade and thereby reduce the heat that gets into your home. Plus, the shade from trees can conserve up to 2.4 tons of CO2 emissions every year! You'll need to keep the position of your property in mind to make the most of this. Be sure to consult with a professional landscaper to ensure your chosen trees will block out sunlight during the hottest parts of the day.

• Take a cool, short shower: A short shower is typically better than a long bath in terms of water waste. And a cool shower definitely snags the top spot for saving energy. When it's already hot outside, taking a cool shower can feel like sweet relief. But it can also do wonders for your pocket book and your conservation goals! Your hot water heater won't have to work nearly as hard, which means you'll save money and reduce your energy use. Since the water is cooler, you probably won't want to take a long shower anyway, which will save you more on your water bills.

• Use fans thoughtfully: You might assume that switching on a ceiling fan doesn't allow you to save electricity. But actually, it's much more energy efficient than relying on your central cooling system. In fact, you'll actually be able to raise your thermostat setting by a few degrees and still stay comfortable, since your ceiling fan will help keep you cool. Just remember to turn off those fans once you leave the room you're in. The fan cools you, not the room, which means it's not beneficial to keep it on when no one's home.
• Switch up your cooking routine: Baking can be cozy in winter, but you'll want to avoid it in summer if you want to keep your home cool. Instead, use a microwave, a solar cooker, an outdoor propane grill, or a halogen oven. These methods are generally more efficient and will keep your home a lot cooler. No one wants to slave over a hot stove on a hot day! You may even want to adopt some elements of a raw diet for the summer, which will keep temperatures cooler and can allow your body to absorb even more nutrients. The more bearable you can make your kitchen, the happier you'll be (and the lower bills won't hurt, either).

We hope these tips will help you reach your green goals this summer and will make your family feel much more comfortable when at home. To find out more about reducing your energy use, please contact us today.

5 Energy Conservation Tips For Homeowners

Life can be extremely expensive, and that's especially true for homeowners. Not only do these property owners have to stay on top of their home's maintenance, buy enough groceries for their entire family, and make regular car payments, they have to spend a significant amount of money on energy.

With all of that in mind, here are some excellent energy conservation tips that you should consider if you're a homeowner.

Do laundry using cold water

It might sound simple, but that's because it is! Doing your wash with cold water will actually save you plenty of cash. Washing clothes using only cold water can actually save you about $63 a year.

Clean your HVAC filters regularly

Cleaning your heating and cooling systems on a consistent basis will ensure they are working properly, thus saving you money. A dirty AC filter or furnace will slow down air flow and cause the system to work much harder, subsequently jacking up your energy bills.

Seal all air leaks inside your home

Sealing all your air leaks inside your home by properly insulating the walls and attic can actually save you up to 20% on heating bills. Not only will you be saving a tremendous amount of cash every month by not wasting energy, but your home will also be much warmer and you'll be more comfortable.

Consult with an energy company

A great tip for conserving energy that homeowners rarely think about is to actually call an energy company and see what they have to say.  It's important that you're actually working with a credible, experienced, and helpful organization.  If the company is experienced, they will likely offer energy options to try and reduce your energy usage and potentially your costs.  Rather than doing everything by yourself, stay in contact with your trusted energy company.

Turn on bathroom fans

It might sound like it won't make much of a difference, but it really will. Leaving your home's bathroom fans on for a few hours at a time can help improve comfort and save a few bucks. Bathroom fans actually suck out humidity and heat from your home, leading to a more comfortable home.

Saving energy can help lead to saving money -- so you should do all you can to make your home more energy efficient. To learn more, contact Starion Energy today.

Looking to Shrink your Energy Bill this Season? Here’s some ideas.

It can be the center-piece to your living room and all, yet all things considered, your fireplace is not efficient —and quite frankly— it’s wasteful. As indicated by the Department of Energy, a lit fireplace sucks around 24,000 cubic feet of heater warmed air up the smokestack every hour. On top of it: It's replaced by frosty air that comes the other way through the same opening, making your furnace work overtime to keep your home toasty. Still, we love assembling round the hearth as much as anyone else. Remember to turn the thermostat down a little when you utilize it. Also, open a window in the room a little where the fireplace is and shut the doors to the room so it doesn't suck any excessive amount of warm air from whatever is left in the house. Also, make sure to close your damper when it's not being used.

Regular maintenance on your heating system will pay you back (with efficiency). Sediment builds up, dusty or ineffectively greased up fans, glimmering pilot lights, and free fan belts can add hundreds to your warming costs every year. Getting your heater tuned up consistently by a HVAC technician can do wonders for both your wallet and your general solace. Natural gas–powered frameworks ought to be tuned-up roughly every 2-3 years, while oil-lit units require a tune-up each year, since they burn differently. To make your furnace work more effectively, keep warmed air from spilling into your attics or closets via fixing ventilation work with mastic pipe sealant—a nontoxic, paint-on material—or foil-backed tape. Doing so will lessen your home's air leaks and could save you money on heat bills.

Speaking of attic space, adding insulation does a lot more than just make you itchy. The Department of Energy says you can lessen your heating and cooling needs by 30 percent just by including a couple of hundred bucks of new insulation. This is particularly true if your home is over 25 years of age, from the time before construction regulations turned out to be more aware of energy efficiency. We tend to concentrate on the attic, but at the same time it's smart to assess how much you have in crawl spaces, roofs, walls, and around recessed lighting installations (simply ensure those fixtures are intended for direct insulation contact). Look to see the R-Value is ideal for the cold weather. For the most part, R-values ought to be running between R-22 and R-49 in the attic, less in different areas.

Have any tips or tricks you use to keep your home warm? Share your comments below.

6 Easy Tips to Lower Your Electric Bill

As a homeowner or renter, it is always a good idea to look for ways to cut bills. Not only will it save you money, but it will prevent the waste of power. Becoming energy efficient is a trend, so following these tips can help you cut your electric bill. 

Choke Your Chimney 

If you don't use your fireplace then why don't you seal your chimney? This way you will not be paying for heat or air conditioning to be wasted by going up into the sky. Plus, you will get an immediate payback from this investment. 

Put All Your Electronics On Stand By 

Sometimes your appliances use energy when they are not even in use. Make sure to get rid of these power-sucking vampires by ensuring all of your electronics are on stand by when not in use. Or better yet, just unplug them after you are done using them. 

Get New Light Bulbs 

This may be the easiest solution yet. Many energy suppliers offer energy efficient light bulbs that you can put in your house to save money and limit waste. This alternative electricity for your home is a great step towards making your home 'green'. Just make sure you get the soft white light bulbs as they look more natural.

Maintain Your Heating and Cooling System 

In theory, you should maintain your HVAC system twice a year. This way you can ensure it is clean and working efficiently. Also, during the inspection the power suppliers will be able to locate any leaks that could be running your bill sky high. If you are need of a new HVAC system, contact alternative electric companies in order to talk about different methods of being energy efficient. 

Use The Sun To Your Advantage 

Don't want to turn the heat on during that off-season cold day? Then open all your windows and blinds and let the sun shine in! The sun will warm up your home and it won't cost you a single penny! 

Check Your Electric Bills 

Check and compare your electric bill regularly. There is a possibility you are living in one of the nation's deregulated energy markets, which means that you can choose different energy suppliers if you are unhappy with your service. It never hurts to check!