With electricity bills fluctuating every year in Houston and 3.75 quads of energy wasted annually in the country, residents remain unaware of simple methods that can drastically reduce energy wastage and bills associated with it. Listed below are some of the ways that can be employed to minimize energy wastage and promote green energy consumption as much as possible.
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Swap Out Your Electric to Renewable Energy
Renewable energy or clean energy is any energy source that is continually replenished, such as wind power and solar energy. In contrast, conventional energy refers to those energy sources that are only available in a limited capacity and aren’t replenished at an appreciable rate, such as fossil fuels, petroleum, and coal.
Renewable energy is of the following types
- Solar Energy: Solar energy is obtained from photovoltaic cells that can convert sunlight into electrical energy. Distributed Solar Systems, including rooftop solar panels and community-funded small-scale solar farms, can power entire neighborhoods.
- Wind Energy: Winds of an absolute minimum velocity have appreciable kinetic energy utilized by wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind Energy remains the cheapest source of energy in many parts of the USA.
- Hydroelectric Energy: Often, the most widely used renewable energy source, hydroelectric energy is generated by converting the gravitational potential energy of falling water to electrical energy. Hydroelectric Power Plants can often generate mammoth amounts of energy ranging from 40MW to 22,500MW.
- There are other alternative forms of renewable energy like Biomass Energy, Geothermal Energy, Tidal Energy, etc.
A common misconception that thwarts people from switching to renewable energy is that it is much more expensive. However, with modern technological advancements, green energy has become just as competent an option than conventional energy, with the former often being the more affordable option of the two.
Houston already has a strong foothold in the field of green energy consumption and has the highest potential for rooftop solar power generation. Houston residents can work with a Houston renewable energy company and look for alternatives for their conventional energy solutions to cut down on energy wastage and consumption charges.
Install Low-Flow Toilet
Flow rate measures the volume of water flowing through a circular pipe. Conventional showerheads have a flow rate of five gallons per minute. Low-Flow showerheads drastically reduce water wastage by cutting down the flow rate by almost half to 2.5 gallons per minute. This makes low-flow showerheads a much more efficient solution to your water consumption needs and drastically reduces monthly water consumption charges.
Re-seal Your Windows
Poorly fitted and leaky windows can often lead to significant heat energy loss driving those colder month energy bills off the charts. Sealing any air leaks in your household and fixing poorly sealed windows by applying silicone films or any other impermeable substance can drastically reduce energy wastage.
Opt for Better Light Bulbs
Since the realization that 60W and 40W incandescent bulbs were very energy-efficient and power-hungry, they were slowly phased out. Since then, much better alternatives have been invented viz., Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs and Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) bulbs. LED Bulbs are 75 percent more efficient than incandescent, while CFL bulbs consume 50–80 percent less energy than their incandescent counterparts. In addition to that, both LEDs and CFLs have a longer lifespan than incandescent bulbs. Opting for better bulbs can drastically cut down monthly electricity bills in the long run.
Unplug Unused Devices
Many people don’t realize that even though they switch off their appliances, they pull energy. Plugged chargers or devices which aren’t even in use still consume power, albeit a very negligible amount to the tune of 0.26W. This is called “Vampire Power.”
Now, while this does not seem like an impactful amount, the cumulative power drawn by all the plugged yet unused devices in your household might drive up those monthly electricity bills. Thus, an easy way to avoid energy loss is by unplugging new appliances and chargers. Apart from this, you can also choose energy-efficient appliances that contain the energy star label from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Written by Meghan Hale, a content writer at Plant Sumo and editing machine. You’ll find me yelling at my dog to stop barking, whether it be at the neighbours or on a long afternoon walk