Posted December 8, 2021 in Uncategorized
Whether or not you are new to Nevada, you may be looking for ways to conserve energy and reduce the electricity bill. You may be worried as the temperature is rising. You’re going to be presented with a huge power bill because of how hard your AC is working just to keep your home at a tolerable temperature. We’ve felt the pain of Southern Nevada Summer bills and have listed several ways you can cut back on energy!
One of the top ways to conserve energy and reduce your electricity bill is by turning things off! If you live with multiple people, this may be hard, but get everyone on board and have times when all the lights are off but the light in your living room (for example). Doing this will enable you all to significantly reduce power usage. You will also want to make sure that your game boxes, computers, and TVs are off while not in use. This small way to conserve energy alone will really help reduce your electricity bill!
Most of your appliances such as your dishwasher and washer only need the water to be 120 degrees. By reducing the temperature on your water heater, you can save over $60 a year! This is such an easy adjustment as all you have to do is make the change on your water heater, and you won’t have to think about it again! Another way to conserve energy along the same lines is to let your fridge get a little warmer. Making sure your fridge’s gaskets are sealed correctly and are clean can also help reduce the electricity bill.
Check the settings on your dishwasher and dishwasher. It takes energy for your water heater to warm up water for appliances. Try to use cold water or choose the “Eco Mode” option if your appliances have one. Your dishwasher’s “dry” cycle can usually be disabled. Since you are living in a desert, crack open your dishwasher after a cycle so your dishes will be able to dry on their own in no time! While we’re talking about your washer, add as many clothes to each load as possible while keeping in mind whether or not your dryer will be able to handle the load (your dryer should always have about 25% empty space)! This tactic will reduce the electricity bill which will increase the money in your pocket each month!
Another one of the ways to conserve energy is to make sure the heat/AC isn’t escaping through poorly sealed doors and windows. You can get cheap caulk to seal the cracks. Expanding foam will also do the trick, depending on what you are sealing. Another place you may want to look is where pipes go through the walls of your home.
If you are having to turn up the air condition because your bedroom isn’t getting cool enough, you may have a closed vent. In addition, you may want to close the vents of rooms that you don’t often use. If you have a guest bedroom, close the vents during the times that the room is unoccupied. This won’t make a huge difference in your energy bill, but it may help a little. Your AC filter also needs to be changed every few months to keep your central air system working at top-notch. You may be losing a little money every month because your dirty filter is clogging up your AC system.
No, we’re not telling you the only way to conserve energy is to go spend thousands of dollars to upgrade all your appliances and electronics. But as you do have to purchase appliances or new electronics, be sure to look at the energy efficiency of each item purchased. Even purchasing energy-efficient light bulbs can help you start to conserve energy each month!
Make sure that the thermostat is not in a spot where it will get hit by sunlight or close to a lamp. This will make the temperature higher near the thermostat than the rest of the house and will increase energy usage making up for the temperature difference that is only affecting the area near the thermostat. Also, you may want to ensure that your thermostat is in good working order if not, they can be as cheap as $25 to replace.
During the summer, use blackout curtains and keep your shades shut. Blocking the sun from entering the home will keep the temperature lower during the sunny times of the day. Another way to block out the sun is by planting trees or plants that will block the sun from coming in the windows.
Microwaves use much less energy than electric ovens. When you can, use smaller appliances, like using a toaster oven instead of an oven. There are many one-pot or pan recipes online. This is one way to conserve energy, cook an easy meal, and only have to wash one pot or pan.
Talk to your local solar company about how much it would be to install solar panels on your home! There are many programs that help with the cost of solar and many companies that require $0 down to get panels installed. As a Nevada Resident, you may actually make money on your solar panels. Net Metering is a device that will be installed with your solar panels that measures how much solar energy that your panels are adding to the grid. NV Energy is required to credit solar panel owners based on how much energy they are receiving from a homeowner’s solar panels. These credits roll over month to month, but at the end of the year, if your solar panels produce more energy than you use, you will be sent a check for the credit you have accumulated throughout the year. The PUCN, or Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, determines how much NV Energy should give you for the amount of energy that you’ve given to them throughout the year.
