A lot has changed over the last centuries. From using horses back in the day, now we have cars (and airplanes), and from using the sun as a source of light, now we have light bulbs and all sorts of lights. It's hard to imagine going through a day without electricity nowadays. Most households and businesses consume more and more energy each day, but it doesn't come without a cost. We are now seeing the effects of this overconsumption through environmental problems. Lucky for us, there are a few things we can do to contribute to addressing the issue. Do you want to reduce your electricity bill or become a valuable part of the community? If yes, this article is for you. Read on for some quick and simple hacks to save electricity at home.

Easy Hacks To Save Electricity At Home

1. Educate yourself

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Know which appliances consume more energy. An example of this would be understanding energy star ratings (more stars means it’s more efficient) or knowing that heaters and refrigerators use 15-30%, while home entertainment systems take 3%. Educating yourself, even just a little bit, helps a lot in helping you find ways to conserve energy or find more efficient appliances.

2. Insulate your windows

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Both heaters and coolers need to work twice as hard to keep the air in if your windows and doors are not properly insulated. In the summer, it’s more likely that more heat will enter your house, and during winter, more cool air will leave it. Thankfully, there are other ways to insulate the windows by creating your plastic covers or adding sheets to them. Doing these will prevent excess sunlight from entering your house while keeping the room temperature stable.

3. Pack your freezer

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Packing your freezer with goods is an unpopular hack that does a lot of wonders. It’s self-explanatory. Opening your freezer frequently allows the cold air inside to leave the appliance, making it work twice as hard to maintain the required temperature. But when you have lots of items in store, more cool air will be trapped.

4. Run your washing machines and dryers on full capacity

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Running your washing machines and dryers at maximum capacity saves you from doing it frequently and helps reduce your energy consumption. This is because regardless of the number of clothes you put inside the machine, it will run with the same amount of energy. With that, it’s best to create a schedule and organize your laundry days. The same goes for dryers. Additionally, you should try to air dry your clothes to save some more electricity. There is no excuse for using the washing dryer when there is ample sunlight outside.

5. Replace your bulbs with compact, fluorescent bulbs

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Gone are the days when bulbs used to be the bane of your existence (older and less advanced models offer a low star rating and consume a lot of energy). Thanks to modern advancements, the latest LED and fluorescent bulbs can now take up to less than 75% of energy and reduce your electricity bill to a large degree. The best part? It can produce as much light as a traditional lightbulb- sometimes even more. Since they are inexpensive, we suggest replacing all your old bulbs with efficient ones. They’re easy to find.

6. Don’t keep your electronics on standby

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Electronic devices consume energy even when they are on standby. Many are unaware that it can consume up to 10% of the total energy, which is why it’s best to turn it off if you don’t plan to use your “vampire gadgets” (ones that consume a lot of electricity) for a long time.

7. Wear more clothes and use less heat (or vice versa, depending on the season)

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In the summer, it’s best to wear clothes with lighter and thinner fabrics. They can keep you cool and get you by even without using air conditioning units. During the winter, you can wear thicker clothes to keep you warm; this can help you refrain from using the heater. This is a simple, underrated hack you should keep in mind. Heaters consume the most energy in a household (most of it takes 30% of the total energy).

8. Get solar panels so you never have to worry

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All the other hacks we have mentioned help you save only a small amount of energy- at least compared to the amount of energy you can save with a couple of solar panels. With the latest technological advancements, like the development of solar panels (which have taken the world by storm), you can save money, earn money, reduce consumption, and contribute to saving the environment.

Saving electricity may seem like a daunting task, but it is actually quite simple. All you have to do is make a couple of changes around your house, and you are good to go. If you want to go all in, you can always install solar panels- they can be the true game changer in your life.