Want to shave valuable dollars off your electric bill every month?
Most solar customers we work with most definitely do. At SolarShoppers by Revolt Electric, we’re not only AV’s #1 rated solar company, we’re also energy efficiency experts. In our many years installing solar, we’ve found that significant energy savings are generally achievable through simple energy efficiency measures. The purpose of this resource page is to share many of the tips and tricks we’ve learned so you can get the most out of your solar panel investment.
Tips & Tricks
The first and most obvious place to begin chopping your electric bill is by changing out your light bulbs. Lighting generally makes up a sizable of a family’s electricity budget. The good news is that it’s the least technical of all energy efficiency measures to perform. If you’re sensitive to light, make sure to buy "soft white" bulbs. Home Depot, Walmart, & Target all have an excellent selection of affordable LED light bulbs and they are getting cheaper all the time.
For locals with a swimming pool, replace your old pool pump with a new variable speed pump. Variable speed pool pumps use up to 70% less electricity than their older induction motor predecessors and can have an ROI of as little as 10 months! Right now, SCE (Southern California Edison) is offering a $200 rebate to Antelope Valley residents who install one of these energy saving devices.
An additional savings can be achieved by eliminating “Vampire Load”. Most locals don’t realize it, but DVRs, home theater systems, computers, and peripherals, etc all draw electricity even when they are off. Any device with a remote control is an ‘energy vampire’.
Depending on the array of devices in your home, your ‘Vampire Load’ could equate to several 40-60-watt light bulbs running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To eliminate these blood suckers, simply place all electronics on power strips and turn them off when not in use. If this isn’t convenient for you, pay a couple extra bucks and purchase a smart power strip. It’ll perform this task for you and will pay for itself in a few months.
Want to save even more?
Here’s a list of no cost and low-cost energy tweaks that’ll multiply your efforts:
- Wash laundry in cold water with cold water detergent (heating water is 90% of a washing machine’s energy consumption).
- Allow your Dishwasher to ‘air dry’ your dishes. Deactivate the ‘heat dry’ feature and reduce electricity consumption by 50%!
- Install ceiling fans in bedrooms and living areas. For every degree you raise your AC above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll save 7-10%. By constantly moving air, fans keep rooms comfortable even when they are a little warmer.
- Close all blinds & shades on south and west facing windows during summer days to reduce the greenhouse effect. Doing this will keep your home cooler for a longer period and result in lower AC use.
- Install a temperature activated fan to vent your attic in the summer. By keeping your attic at or near outside temperatures in the evening, you will greatly reduce or eliminate your need to run AC at night. Combine this step with ceiling fans and give your AC a 1-2 knockout punch!
- Replace your appliances with Energy Star rated machines when their useful lives come to an end.
- Turn your Water Heater down to 120 degrees. Water heating comprises 13% of your home’s energy costs.
- Keep your furnace filter clean. Dirty filters cause the circulating fan in this appliance to work harder and run longer.
- Unplug phone, MP3, and other electronic chargers or put them on a power strip. These draw current even when they’re not charging anything at all.
- On hot days, leave your car in the driveway so the motor can cool down before pulling it in the garage. No need to have that hot motor cooking your garage and all adjacent living spaces.
- Install a Nest or other smart thermostat to further control and reduce your air conditioning load.
At SolarShoppers, we have a saying – "Reduce before you produce.” We know our customers will save the most on a local solar panel installation when they get their home’s energy consumption under control first. Our energy efficiency experts can help you determine which energy efficiency measures will have the biggest impact on your electric bill and not your wallet. SolarShoppers by Revolt Electric, is based in Lancaster, CA and serves all of the Antelope Valley, Palmdale, Quartz Hill, Littlerock, Acton, Rosamond, Leona Valley, Lake Los Angeles, California City, Mojave etc and we are proud to be the Antelope Valley’s #1 rated solar company.