Easy Energy Saving Tips - 2023
The sooner, the better!
Read Time: 5 minutes:
Are you concerned about your skyrocketing electricity bills or looking to reduce your monthly budget?
A typical electricity bill in California Bay Area is more than $200/month, which is $20/month more than in other states. But do you know you can lower electricity usage and achieve significant monthly savings by applying simple tips and techniques? So, why pay more for electricity when you can achieve the same quality of living by just managing your lifestyle habits? Keep reading to find the answers.
Energy efficient home and consumer equipment are a key to achieve optimal electricity usage.
Analyzing, planning and forecasting
Your home’s energy efficiency and your lifestyle habits are the main driving factors of your electricity bills. You can analyze which equipment is consuming more electricity and what can be done to optimize its usage. One way to do this is by answering a basic questionnaire about your home equipment and your habits at Home Energy Check-up (PG&E) website. The PG&E analyzes your data and provides personalized suggestions and improvements to make significant savings.
Low electricity consumption also entitles customers to more rebates and low electricity rates. Knowing the tariff rate at different time of the day is also essential and let you manage your electricity consumption. Your electricity provider can provide you with the tariff details; for example, the PG&E tariffs are constantly updated at My tariff (PG&E).
Moreover, many electricity companies provide a bill forecasting service Bill forecast. The forested data let you learn how to adjust your routines to reduce future bills. The customer can set monthly consumption goals, and the system alerts the customer beforehand in case of non-compliance with your goals.
Ten Minor Lifestyle Ideas to reduce electricity bills
Simple lifestyle habits can save a lot of electricity. Read the following top ten ideas to control your electricity consumption,
Most unused equipment remains in the standby state until someone turns it ON. Always turn off and unplug the electric equipment,
Water heaters for showers consume a lot of electricity. One way to regulate it is by timing a shower via music. One can train himself to complete a shower within a few minutes, along with the music playlist.
Dirty air-conditioner filters and refrigerator coils consume more electricity. Keep this equipment clean and place it in a spacious area to achieve optimal efficiency. Do not leave the ice buildup in the freezer, and occasionally defrost the excess ice. The refrigerator operating range should be 38-42F, while the freezer should operate within 0-5F.
Use full load during laundry and use cold water, as water heating takes 90% of total laundry energy. The laundry dryer can be more efficient by placing a clean towel or a tennis ball in it. Also, a clean lint filter and lint trap increase the dryer efficiency.
Don’t let the water run while teeth brushing, shaving, or doing dishes. Instead, use automated taps where possible.
Many consumers often run the self-cleaning oven mode for oven housekeeping and maintenance, which consumes a lot of electricity. It is advisable to limit the oven self-cleaning as once in a while job and always run after regular cooking to utilize the pre-existing heat. Also, use glass dishes as they retain heat and cook much faster than other materials. The oven temperature can be reduced by 25F when cooking with glassware.
Operate the dishwasher in natural air-dryer mode instead of heating mode. After the final rinse cycle, the dishwasher door can be opened for fast drying. Also, always run the dishwasher at full load to save energy.
It is better to watch one TV set for some days a week. This will not only save electricity but also enhance family time and bonding.
Fill the gaps beneath the doors and window frames to prevent the indoor air from escaping, thus retaining the indoor temperature longer.
Curtains, shades, and blinds prevent the sun from heating the indoor environment and enhance air-conditioner efficiency.
Adapting with the changing weather
Local weather also influences electricity usage, so adapting to the current temperature and environmental conditions would compensate for the increased electricity cost.
Oven increases AC usage on hot days, so use a stove burner, microwave, or grill for cooking during summer. Always use Oven dishwashers during the cooler part of the day during summer.
Properly insulate the AC hoses and pipes and install the outdoor AC unit in shades to increase efficiency.
House walls and roof insulation significantly impact the electricity cost. Proper home insulation and setting the AC thermostat at 78F make the AC consume only 50% of electricity during its operation. A ceiling fan can further enhance AC utilization during summer.
Going for a walk or enjoying the afternoon at the pool reduces the electricity cost and increases social activities.
During the hot days, instead of using a laundry dryer, hang the laundry outdoors to save drying energy.
Long summer days are ideal for using natural lights where ever possible. Install modern LED lights instead of old incandescent bulbs. Turn off lights in vacant rooms and use candlelit dinners and dim lights.
Cooling your premises in the morning is recommended by reducing the preset temperature. As the day progresses, raise the thermostat temperature and operate fans to circulate the pre-cooled air. Similarly, when it's cooler at night, open windows to bring in the cold air and circulate via fans. This procedure raises the efficiency of a central cooling system and saves electricity costs.
During the winter, the ideal furnace temperature for the California region is 68F or lower. Never leave the furnace operational when you leave home; instead, lower the temperature to 56F. This may save up to 15% of your heating bill annually.
Often heater and fireplace are operated simultaneously for faster heating in winter. Turning-off heaters after reaching the set temperature for energy saving while leaving the fireplace operational is recommended. Thermostat or timer switches can be used to automate the heater operation.
Scheduled maintenance and service of the central heating and cooling system ensures trouble-free and optimal operation. The average preventive maintenance and service cost is much less than the repair cost if there is a leakage or malfunction in the heating and cooling system.
The article discusses low-cost tips and techniques to reduce electricity consumption. The first step toward reducing electricity consumption is via analyzing personalized electricity consumption data and modern forecasting techniques. Next, minor lifestyle adaptations focused on energy saving can significantly reduce our electricity bills. Finally, simple tips corresponding to the changing weather also help reduce electricity bills.
ALL ABOUT THE NEM 3.0
Introduction
On December 15th 2022, the ‘California Public Utilities Commission’ officially approved the NEM 3.0. The latest version of the Net Energy Metering Policy aims to minimize solar export rates and urges Californians to use solar and batteries together.
Now, if you are wondering how NEM 3.0 will affect Californians - read along!
Minimized Solar Export Rates
Usually, all solar owners set out the surplus electricity they generate to the state’s electricity grid. For this, they are paid or compensated in some way.
According to the previous version of the NEM, the value of each kWh a user puts onto the grid is equal to the retail value of electricity. This cuts down their electricity bill as they use electricity from the grid when the sun sets down, but they also put electricity onto the grid during the day.
However, under NEM 3.0, the export rates are now based on the ‘Avoided cost Calculator’ instead of the retail value. They will vary by each month and each hour, but generally, they are about 75% lower than before.
Removal of Solar Taxes
The Californian Government previously charged ‘Solar Taxes’ from all the users under NEM 2.0, but these were not carried forward in NEM 3.0.
Using Solar and Batteries Together
Based on the demand, the export rates are expected to be highest when the sun sets. Thus, using solar with batteries will allow users to store energy and then push it onto the grid during these peak hours.
However, Californians can still submit an interconnection application till April 13, 2023. Through this, they can register themselves as solar users under the NEM 2.0 for the next 20 years.
Conclusion
The NEM 3.0 minimises solar export rates, potentially reducing the user’s savings. However, it also promotes the use of solar and batteries together. Nonetheless, it must be highlighted that users registered under NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 will not be affected by NEM 3.0.
Energy Independence!
Are you ready to assert our energy independence by going solar and stabilizing your energy costs?
We are all energy consumers but we do have a choice. We can be empowered to choose to do the right thing at the right time by reducing our use, upgrading our home energy efficiency, and by solarizing our homes. If you got sunshine? Why not harness it. We can safely increase our investment with solar, and stabilize our power costs, if we act now. Why not purchase solar panels to control and manage your utility bills for the next twenty to twenty-five years?