There seems to be no end in sight for high electricity bills. The rates are through the roof and seem to just keep going up. Unfortunately, there isn’t much competition so it isn’t like you can switch to another company and save money like you would on car insurance or something similar.
Unless you go for solar and produce your own electricity. That isn’t a bad idea and solar panels are much more efficient than ever. If you live in a cloudy area and you’re wondering “do solar panels work on cloudy days?” then you’re in luck because they do.
If you do make the switch then you have to make some changes so you can squeeze the most out of the solar batteries as possible. In this article, we will go over several ways you can be energy efficient to make it all work.
1 – Have your HVAC system tuned up
Over time if things are not maintained they will lose a lot of their efficiency. Much like a car that isn’t tuned up, your HVAC system needs to have some maintenance done once in a while to make sure it is working at its peak.
A technician will need to come by once a year and give it a total cleaning including replacing all of the filters. Some filters will also need to be changed yourself every month or so depending on the manufacturer’s instructions.
This way, when you set your air conditioner for your ideal temperatures, it will get it right without needing to work harder to get there. This will save a lot of battery time if you run it at night.
2 – Line dry laundry
A clothes dryer is one of the biggest energy hogs in the house for something that can be done for free if you do it passively. Line drying clothes is something that was done for centuries and we should be getting back into the habit.
In the summer, your clothes can be dried in the same time as it would take in the dryer and it doesn’t cost a cent. In the winter it will take longer and you may not be able to line dry outside. But, if you have a sun room or guest room then you can use whatever space is not being used to dry clothes and still save money.
3 – Use high energy demand appliances when the sun is shining
When you don’t have solar the idea is to use your appliances like the washing machine and dishwasher at night when the rates are lower. It’s the opposite when you use solar since at night you will be depleting the battery. This may not be a problem, but if you are running out of battery often then this will help.
Run your high energy demand appliances in the day time when you are getting energy from the sun and it won’t deplete your battery.