Property Energy Saving Advice - Charlotte NC
Minimizing energy usage in your Charlotte NC house is not only helpful to the environment but will also reduce your expenses. There are best practices that you can observe all year long. This article offers property energy saving advice - Charlotte NC.
Temperature Settings
An electronic thermostat saves money on heating and cooling. Instead of leaving your heating or cooling on the entire day, you can program your system to change at different times of day. This also prevents you from forgetting to turn your thermostat down when you leave your house or at night.
Heat
The method used to manage the temperature in a property may depend on the type of heating system. Forced hot air units heat a home very quickly, whereas hot water systems take dramatically longer. If you have a forced hot air unit, reduce the settings significantly and program it to warm back up immediately before your planned arrival time. For hot water systems, allow the system more time to return to the higher temperature.
Air Conditioning Additional Tips
Placement of air conditioners is important. For central systems, the most optimal location for vents is near the ceiling because cold air falls. For portable units, keep them a good distance from doorways that open often and where air can quickly escape.
Appliances
Appliances consume electricity even when they are powered off. For example, an LCD or plasma TV uses roughly 400 watts when powered on and 4 watts when idle. When you consider all of the electronics in a house, this can add up to a lot of unnecessary energy over time. Consider unplugging electronics that are not in use. To make this easier, attach multiple cords to a surge protector that can be powered off.
Water Consumption
Water is probably the most abused resources in Charlotte NC homes. As a simple first step, try not to leave water running while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. Quickly fix plumbing leaks or running toilets. Consider water-saving toilets or place a filled water bottle into the tanks of older toilets to reduce the amount of water held for flushing. Low-flow faucets and shower fixtures will also help. These changes will save on both water and sewer charges.
Addressing Air Escape
Keep doors and windows closed to maintain the heat or cooling in your Charlotte NC residence. If you have entrances with two sets of doors, avoid having both open simultaneously. This will limit the amount of air that escapes your residence.
Light Fixtures
Take advantage of natural sunlight whenever possible to brighten and heat up interior spaces. Use solar powered outside lights. Low energy use light bulbs are readily available and most are brighter and last longer than their traditional counterparts, making the benefits of switching clear.
Property Energy Saving Advice - Charlotte NC
A few of the property energy saving advice - Charlotte NC above are easy to adopt while others require you to be more conscious of your daily habits. Combined, they can result in significant savings on your monthly utility bills. Exercise energy awareness throughout the year in your Charlotte NC residence to realize the most benefit from your efforts.