Among your appliances, the two biggest energy users are water heaters and refrigerators, which are nearly always on duty. After that, you might be surprised by another energy hog: consumer electronics.
Think about all the electronic devices plugged into your outlets—many with lights that glow even when the device is not being used—drawing small-but-steady vampire loads of energy and adding to your power bill: coffee maker, toaster, phone charger, printer, TV, cable box, video game console.
A quick walk through the house, unplugging as you go, can save you a few bucks a year on items that only need power when you’re using them. Even better, use power strips to swiftly switch them off.
Water heaters, which keep hot water at the ready for kitchens and bathrooms, are the second-biggest household energy users after air conditioners. Saving money here depends on finding the right unit for your home and climate.
If it’s time to replace your water heater, consider a heat pump version. They can cut your water heating energy costs in half, but they can be pricey up front. There also can be installation challenges to consider. Heat pump water heaters operate most efficiently in conditioned spaces, so garage locations are not ideal, and they tend to be physically larger than traditional units, so they may not fit in your existing water heater’s space.
Another option to replace a high-capacity water heater is to buy two smaller water heaters, perhaps even installing them closer to where they’re needed. The most important consideration is to plan ahead.
Often, when a water heater fails, it’s an emergency. Nobody wants to be without hot water, so they put in whatever is on the truck. If you want to upgrade to something more efficient, decide ahead of time.
Refrigerators are dramatically more efficient than they were two decades ago and probably use half the energy. More than a third of American fridges in use are more than 10 years old, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. Newer models—especially Energy Star-certified units—use less energy and add less to your household power bill.
Don’t forget that old fridge in your hot garage is costing you money and probably not providing much utility. Unplug and recycle it to reduce energy use.
TVs are bigger and fancier these days, but even so, as with fridges, new technology makes them more efficient. The same holds for major appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. Age can be your gauge: for appliances more than 10 years old, a newer model—especially one with the Energy Star logo—will use less energy.
