From Guest Blogger Brooke Chaplan: Five Energy Drains You Should Get Rid of in Your Home

Here’s another set of tips, exclusively for 2GreenEnergy readers, from Brooke Chaplan (pictured).  

Your very home is a major source of energy consumption. Improving the efficiency of the world’s homes in terms of energy usage could make a big impact on the economies of nations, as well as on the global environment. Today, governments and non-government agencies develop programs to help consumers conserve household energy. While there are many ways to save on energy use, the average homeowner is best served by focusing on these five primary household energy drains.

Cable TV Boxes and Equipment

The U.S. Department of Energy warns consumers about “phantom loads”, energy drains that exist because certain appliances burn gas or electricity even when they’re not being used. Such phantom loads increase an appliance’s energy consumption simply by being convenient to use. One good example of an energy vampire is the cable television DVR. It’s always on and continuously spinning its internal hard drive day and night whether in use or not. By itself, a DVR when left on, can cost a homeowner up eight or more dollars per month to run.

Hot Water Heaters
Water heating is the second largest energy drain in your home. Your hot water storage tank works constantly to keep water hot and ready whenever it is needed. When you are away from home for an extended period of time, this wastes gas and electricity. There are two practical solutions you can employ to remedy this issue. You can learn to stop and restart your hot water heater, and get in the habit of cycling it on and off as needed, or you can invest in an on-demand style of hot water heater unit which only produces hot water when called for.

Coffeemakers
The coffeemaker is another drain that can really cost you. They cost the average homeowner $1.25 more per month to run, even when nobody is making any coffee. The coffeemaker should be on all the time only when entertaining guests. Otherwise learn to brew fresh coffee one pot at a time on the stove.

Obsolete and Discontinued Light Bulbs

According to U.S. law, all screw-in type light bulbs must use 65 percent less energy by the year 2020. It won’t be long before traditional incandescent light bulbs will be a thing of the past. Indeed, they will no longer be manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the country after 2020. There is little to be gained by waiting to convert to newer, more energy efficient bulbs. You can start saving money immediately buy buying and using more modern light bulbs.

The Brilliantly-Lit, Yet Empty Home
If you have ever left a light, a lamp, or some other appliance on at home while away, you know the feeling. Each year, millions of dollars are wasted on idling appliances, superfluous lighting, and the unnecessary operation of heating and cooling systems in empty homes. None of which is strictly necessary. With new smartphone technology available from many different security system providers, you can now remotely control the most energy intensive systems in your home from anywhere on Earth using your mobile device. According to NorthStar alarm reviews, this can help you control many aspects your home including lighting, irrigation, security alarms and kitchen appliances while you are away.

Knowing how much energy we consume and waste can motivate us to change our energy use habits. Slaying our energy vampires is a worthwhile task because energy conservation helps us lower our energy costs and reduce our own carbon footprint. By being energy efficient, we do our part to control global emissions of greenhouse gases, and at the same time make our nation a bit more secure because we rely less on energy imports from foreign nations.