5 Energy Saving Tricks and Treats

Image by D L / Creative Commons

Halloween is traditionally known for tricks and treats. However, individuals looking to save energy, during the holiday season or perhaps throughout the entire year, can try some tricks and get some treats of their own. From shining a light on sources of vampire energy, to hunting down ghost power leaks and more, now is the time to uncover all the energy skeletons lurking in your closets.

1) The trick is to use as much natural light as possible to light your home. During the fall and winter months there are fewer hours in the day when the sun is shining. Take advantage of those hours and let the light shine in. The treat lies not only in the money you will save, but natural light is beneficial to your health as well. It helps reduce eyestrain and the headaches which often result.

2) The trick is to hunt out energy vampires and stab them where it hurts. By now, most people are aware of the fact that energy vampires will bleed you dry. The question is how many people are doing something about it? A couple of simple steps and you’ll find you are not only saving money, but you will probably have more time on your hands as well. Remember, being “connected” 24/7 isn’t all people make it out to be.

3) Rather than paying for an energy audit, the trick is to try a do-it-yourself home energy assessment. You may be surprised at the number of ways energy is being wasted. Simply finding and reducing drafts in your home, can potentially save you between 5-30% on your energy costs. Now that’s quite a treat.

4) The trick is to get your appliances working for you, rather than against you. Appliances are some of the worst culprits when it comes to sending your energy bill through the roof. The amount of energy large appliances use is enough to make even a ghost’s face turn white. Opting for energy efficient appliances will, of course, save you money. The treat comes in the energy-efficiency and savings.

5) The trick is to set your thermostat for comfort and to save energy. While it may be awesome to have a Nest Learning Thermostat in your home, until that time, you can set/adjust your own thermostat to suit your needs. Turning down the temp if you are going to be away from home, or when you go to bed at night, could save 1% per degree. That is a definite treat in my book. (Oh, and don’t forget to close doors and vents into rooms that aren’t in use.)

An added trick, for those of you who use home heating oil during the colder months, is to use a little Green Plus® in order to significantly reduce your home heating costs. It’s green, certified safe, effective and inexpensive. Treats all around.

As with most issues, there are many other tricks you can use to save energy and give yourself a little treat. Hopefully you can use at least one, or all, of these particular tricks. I’m sure you’ll see the treats beginning to surface in very short order when you do.