subject: Types Of Energy Saving Devices For The Home [print this page] The desire to save energy is common among Americans wishing to limit their expenses as much as possible. The easiest and cheapest way to save on energy bills is naturally to turn off and unplug appliances, electronics and lights when not in use. Another way to achieve better energy savings at home is to look into power conserving devices like LED and CFL lights, energy monitors, standby busters and solar battery chargers. Some devices are surprisingly affordable and yield immediate savings, while other bigger investments earn homeowners huge savings over the long run. This article explores some of the best power-saving options available to you.
Since heating and cooling system expenses count for the largest portion of your overall home energy consumption, we'll first look at this realm of home energy saving devices. Programmable thermostats allow homeowners to set specific room temperatures for certain times of the day, without needing to manually adjust the dial. For instance, many people program their thermostats to turn down at night or while they're at work and not using the heat. They can also program the heat to automatically turn back up just before they come home at night.
For the forgetful, there are also remote control heating systems that let you change the temperature even after you leave home. With a quick phone call, you can change the temperature of your home. Centralized heating and cooling also helps households with individual thermostats to maintain better consistency.
Recent attention has been called to a phenomenon called "vampire power." Many Americans are surprised to learn how much their electronics are costing them when they're not in use. For instance, two DVRs use up the same amount of electricity as the average refrigerator, says Mark M. Michalski of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority. Additionally, if every home in American used one digital picture frame (left on day and night), we would need to build five new 250-megawatt power plants, says the Electric Power Institute. Idling computers, DVD players and TV sets account for 10% of a home's energy use. In the average American household, 75% of the electricity used for electronic devices is consumed when the devices are shut off, reports the U.S. Department of Energy, which translates to more than $100 per year spent on essentially nothing. You can save energy by unplugging all devices (chargers, cell phones, televisions, computers, appliances, etc) when you're done using them. You can also use saving devices like advanced power strips, which allows DVRs to stay on, while cutting off power to other devices that don't need to remain on. The Bye Bye Standby Energy Saving Kit (available at Amazon) lets users turn off selected machines that fall into standby mode with a basic remote control.
Solar battery chargers are great devices to save energy using off-grid power. For instance, the "solar egg" can reach over a 90% charge in just four hours of sun, which can be used to power up mobile phones, computers, digital cameras and other electronics. Not only can these save you money on your energy bills at home, but they can also be extremely helpful when you need power outdoors, far from electrical outlets, and they produce no pollutants to boot! The Voltaic Systems Solar Backpack is another amazing invention. One hour of sunlight will charge your phone long enough for you to make a few calls. However, a full 10-hour charge can provide up to 55 hours of stored energy! With several different adapters, you can easily plug in your MP3 player, computer, cell phone or other electronic device. Some of the more expensive $500 bags can even charge laptops, but you can find more basic versions for $75 to $250.
