Hidden Energy Hogs in your Home

With the holiday season in full swing, now is the perfect time to identify and deal with those household electron-guzzlers hiding in plain sight .  Here are a few of the appliances and systems running in your home with the potential to drive up your winter electricity bills.  If you want to save some extra dollars for a better present or a livelier new year’s party, here are some of the classic energy hogs that you may not know are keeping that power bill higher than necessary:

• Christmas Lights – When putting up the lights for this holiday season, whether on the house or in a tree, keep in mind that the old fashioned lights are monster energy users.  A 100-bulb strand of classic lights uses 500 watts, or more than all the CFL bulbs in your house combined!  Putting a string of these lights all the way around your roofline could almost double your typical power usage when they are on.  Mini lights and LED lights are both lower energy and longer lasting than their classic predecessors.  By comparison, a full strand of mini lights or LEDs will use less power than a single CFL bulb in the living room lamp.  Keep the house bright and festive this year, but without getting surprised with a giant electric bill at the end of the month.
• Set Top Boxes/DVRs – Whether satellite or cable, set top boxes use almost as much power in standby mode as they do when turned on.  This is about 40-45 watts of continuous power, which can really add up.  Putting the set top boxes, along with other major electronics, on a power strip is an easy way to make sure they don’t draw “phantom” power.  For each box in your home, this represents about $2-$3 per month in savings potential.
• Game Consoles – Video game consoles are a great source of entertainment, and an even greater source of unnecessary electricity usage.  Depending on your generation of system, these devices can use more electricity than your refrigerator (even when they are “off”!).  A 2007 Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) can use up to $170 per year in electricity when left on or in standby mode.  Especially if you use an older (pre-2010) version of common gaming systems, these devices need to be placed on power strips or have their settings modified to allow for full shutdown when in standby mode.  Newer versions use significantly less power, but still draw sizable electricity loads when not in use.  
• Air Filters – When is the last time you changed out the air filter in your air conditioning system?  Did you know there is a filter in there that needs to be changed regularly?  Residential air filters remove pet hair, allergens, and dust from the air, and keep the HVAC system running efficiency.  Of course, that only happens when the filters are changed regularly.  Filters should be inspected monthly and changed at least once every three months.  Inspecting and changing filters is a simple and quick process, and takes no more than a couple of minutes.  A clogged filter can reduce the efficiency of an HVAC system by 5-15 percent, and worsen the quality of the air you and your family are breathing while indoors.  Innovative programs like those offered by Lowe’s (www.mylowes.com) will remind you when it is time to change the filter, and even provide you recommendations on which filter works best in your home. 
• Thermostat Settings – The thermostat is the single easiest place in the house to save energy.  It requires no new technology, only that you program it to keep the house comfortable when you are home, and to use less power when you are away.  In the winter, consider changing the settings to lower the house temperature while you are sleeping, and while you and your family are away during the day at work or school.  Newer programmable thermostats offer fun ways to maximize your savings by allowing you to control your temperature settings by computer and smart phone, and show you how much money you will save by changing the temperature just a few degrees.