I have been working hard to lower our energy consumption at home too. I usually wear my jeans at least a couple times in between washings to cut back on a load of laundry here and there, it also lessens the amount of detergent I use over time. We keep our heat low during the winter months and just layer up on clothes and cover up in blankets when we are watching TV. I have not tried unplugging appliances yet, but I may give that a try too.
Saving money on the kind of lighting facilities may have a great benefits for the consumers. It is already a month that we have replaced our flourescent and incandescent lights to a LED light bulbs. I have realized that more or less 80$ efficient in energy those lights could give to ligthing our house than other bulbs compared. Another benefit is LED light bulbs are emitting less heat that than of metal casing.
Some things we do here at home to save some money in this situation are: don't leave any unnecessary light on, just turn on the TV when watching something important (by the way, don't turn on more than one TV at a time), and use the washing machine only on specific days. At the end of the month, yields a good economy.
The most effective way of saving electricity is to keep appliances off when not using them. Keep TVs and fridges off when out of home, and even when asleep. For me usually, I even keep the fridge off during sleep as well. Also, keeping the lights out during sleep when out is not a bad idea. Additionally, the use of alternative sources of power like gas and solar will also help. Solar however, is quite expensive but once established, will save you loads of bucks.
We also unplug appliances that aren't in use rather than just leaving them switched off. Lights are turned off when not in use and opening the windows when it's windy instead of using the electric fan. We also use gas stove instead of electric stove and we seldom use our oven (unless needed). We also use LED lights instead of normal lights although they are a bit expensive compared to regular bulbs, at least it can save you money in the long run.
Very good suggestions. Aside of unplugging you save a lot of money by just turning on your heater for a half an hour a day. A half hour a day suffices for 2 of us in the household who showers only. There is a significant savings a month when you turn off your heater most of the time and turn it on for just a half an hour a day for showering. Saving about $20 a month just by turning off your heater is a good idea to remember to turn on your heater for showers a day.
Using energy efficient lights such as CFL or LED is a great way to save money on electricity bills. Another way to save electricity bills is by using solar heater instead of electric heater for your bathroom. Turning off the electrical appliances when not in use also saves you a lot of money. Even thought installing solar panels for the purpose of lighting your home may be costly, it will save your monthly electricity expenses.
