Your Guide to Energy Hogs

Feb 01, 2010 | Energy Efficiency

Snapshot

Many products are advertised as "just pennies a day to operate." What these ads don't tell us is that over the life of the product, those pennies can add up to thousands of pennies. To shave your living expenses the easy way, look for the "energy hogs" in your home-those items that could be adding hundreds to your utility bills every year-without you even noticing.

The usual suspects

We've done energy audits in hundreds of Bay Area homes. Here are the common culprits we've seen, and how to reduce their energy use:

TVs: Plasma TVs are emerging as the home equivalent of gas-guzzling SUVs, as they consume double and triple the power of smaller TVs. Some models, even when used only a few hours daily, will suck up as much electricity each year as a refrigerator. If you are buying a new TV, keep in mind that type and size matter. For the same size screen, an LCD TV uses less energy than a plasma TV. Remember: The larger the TV, the more energy it uses.

How long your TV is on can make a difference on your energy bill. Does someone in your home leave a TV on all night for white noise while sleeping? Consider buying a white noise machine, which plays nature sounds or calming music for a few hours, rather than keeping the TV on.

DVRs and entertainment center peripherals: Add a TiVo and DVD recorder, as well as a sound system to your new large flat-screen TV, and you have an entertainment system with an operating cost that might flabbergast you. Each digital video recorder or DVR (TiVo for example) costs between $30 and $50 per year in energy bills. DVRs can record two shows at once, so consider consolidating your collection to save money.

Wine closets: Unlike a wine cooler, a wine closet is built directly into the home, often during a remodel by win aficionados. Alas, sometimes these small cabinets leak the cooled air, causing their inefficient, small air-conditioner to cycle on and off constantly. The result? Energy bills that are hundreds of extra dollars each year. The solution? Either seal and insulate your wine closet, or consider buying a wine refrigerator. These units can be remarkably low in energy use.

Outdoor fountains and landscape lights: Outdoor lights are definitely a hidden energy cost in most homes. There are 3 ways to lower your home's outdoor energy costs:
1. Change to CFLs or LED lights.
2. Take out bulbs and fixtures. (Do you really need them or would you rather buy an espresso every week at your local coffee shop with those power cost savings?)
3. Put your fountains and lights on timers, so they sleep when you do. The savings will really add up!

The second fridge or freezer: That second fridge can cost you a lot. For example, the energy cost of a small dorm refrigerator is typically $40 to $100 per year, and a standard-sized fridge could be costing between $100 to $300 per year just to run. So that small "beer" fridge by the pool could be costing you $1 per bottle per year! There are 2 ways to save:
1. Unplug. Simply stop using the fridge or freezer. Your utility may even pay you to take it away.
2. Plug in only when needed. Just cool the beer before the party or before the weekend. You save all those days the fridge is turned off, and you still have that cold one when you need it.

Aquariums: Typically, we find that aquariums for fish or reptiles have electricity bills between $200 to $400 per year. To save money, consider reducing the heating or lighting hours, or investigating more energy-efficient equipment.

Heated bathroom floors: We love our warm floors! Wow, they feel good in the winter. If you have a special electric heater for the floor, consider putting it on timers. We've seen homes that run the floor warmer all day every day. And that can cost several hundred dollars a year. Set the timer to turn on the floor-warmer 1 hour before you get up and turn it off right after your shower, for comfortable feet-and bills. And consider turning off the floor in the summer for even more savings.

Water heater recirculation pumps: "Recirc pumps" provide hot water quickly to bedrooms or kitchens far away from the water heater. They assure you have instant hot water, without waiting for the cold water to clear the long pipe. But, left on 24 hours, they drive up your energy costs. While they save water (no more waste while waiting for the water to get hot), they use a lot of energy-sometimes up to $500 per year! Eliminate this cost by unplugging it. In some homes we've been in, the wait for hot water wasn't long without the pump. Or, put a timer on it. You'll have hot water when you need it, and no unnecessary energy draw when you don't.

Water coolers: We've seen these add $200 to $500 per year to electricity bills. Consider replacing your water cooler with a pitcher of water in the fridge.

Towel-warming racks: Consider putting your towel-warmer on a timer. A towel warmer can cost you about $5 per week, or $250 per year. Time it to switch on only when you need it and take the savings all the way to the spa!

These luxuries can push your electricity rates into the top price tiers. Get them under management and reap the rewards!

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