If there is a moment of quiet, sitting down or otherwise
free time, I must be sick. Our family is in constant motion. From school to
sports to general life, little things can fall through the cracks. The
occasional light left on, the dryer that runs all night long and even the
iphone charger stuck in the wall can drain energy as well as increase the energy bill. But, the biggest contributor to
the electric bill is the air conditioner.
I remember reading that the family thermostat should
fluctuate throughout the day. Why blast the AC while everyone is out of the
house. It is a waste of money, right?
The downside is that I may not remember to re-set the temperature when
everyone is home at night. The displeasure from my husband complaining that the
bedroom is a nighttime sauna might make me suck up the extra cost of running
the AC all day long.
Luckily many local energy companies are offering programs
and tips to help the busy family reduce their energy bills. For example, Direct Energy is committed to helping our
customers build a smarter home, and thus cut down on their energy usage. The
idea is to save customers time and make lives easier. Right now Direct Energy
is offering the opportunity for anyone to learn more about creating a smarter
home by visiting our Facebook page, or exploring our Comfort & Control
Plans.
Our Comfort & Control
Plans 24 or 36 month plans offer fixed rate price stability, and a Nest
Learning Thermostat (a $249 value) at no cost to you.
For families, Nest Learning
Thermostat learns a family’s patterns and usage to help save money and
reduce energy usage. The Nest learns your habits and makes adjustments based on
your preferences over time. Additionally, the thermostat can be controlled from
the smart phone. Whether heading home from the soccer game or spending the day
at the park, your home will be delightfully temperature controlled
Here are a few tips to help reduce energy costs in your
home.
- Install a smart thermostat, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat. Smart thermostats offer you climate control, the convenience of programming away from home, and more.
- Your living room typically has multiple active light sources available. Make sure your lighting is energy efficient by switching traditional bulbs to CFLs or LEDs.
- Replace your old, inefficient appliances with new, efficient, Energy Star® appliances. Old appliances tend to run inefficiently.
- Installing light dimmers can save cut your electricity use 40% over time and make your lightbulbs last 20 times longer.
- Planting trees in optimal spots on your property will provide shade during the warmer months making your system work less hard to cool your home down.
- Even when your appliances are turned off, they are still using electricity. Use smart power strips to combat energy vampires.
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Direct Energy.
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