Be thriftier in 2018 with these electricity saving ideas

Have you resolved to live more economically this year by not spending money when you don’t have to? Or perhaps your 2018 goal is to reduce your environmental footprint by being smart about your consumption and its impact.

Whether your goal is to save money or save the planet—or both—these electricity-saving ideas will help put you on the right track this year.

Add more control to your lighting

For interior lighting, dimmer switches are easy to install, help you adjust the ambiance in your home, and save electricity just make sure the dimmers are LED compatible. For exterior lighting, look toward adding motion sensors to the front porch, garage, or along walking paths to improve security and safety without having to leave lights on all night. For added features and remote control for both interior and exterior lighting, consider smart lighting solutions that can be controlled by your smartphone and home assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Avoid phantom load from electronics

Many of today’s electronic entertainment devices like TVs and gaming consoles use as much energy in standby mode as they do when they’re actually on. Advanced power strips will come to the rescue to eliminate energy waste and reduce electric costs by as much as $100 annually. They come in two varieties—Tier 1 and Tier 2. With a Tier 1 advanced power strip—when the main device like a TV is powered on or off—peripheral devices like streaming media players, Blu-Ray players and speaker systems will automatically power on or off. Tier 2 power strips feature activity or motion detectors and will automatically power off devices if they’re not in use.

Recycle your old, outdated refrigerator

If you have an older (pre-2000) refrigerator that you use either as your primary fridge or as a secondary fridge in your garage or basement, it’s time to upgrade. A fridge that old can be costing you as much as $200 annually in electricity costs, and if your fridge pre-dates 1990, it could be $350 a year if not more. In addition to upgrading to an ENERGY STAR^® certified model, recycle your old fridge to ensure proper disposal. 98% of a refrigerator’s contents can be recycled and doing so prevents hazardous materials from contaminating the environment. You’ll even get paid to do so.

Make laundry day more energy efficient

As much as 90% of the energy used to wash clothes is a result of heating up water, which is something you don’t even need to do! Washing in cold water is much more economical, and it can help your clothes last longer and retain size, shape, and color. What’s not to love about that? When it comes to drying your clothes, air drying can also improve clothing lifespan, however air drying is not always practical. If your dryer has a sensor drying mode, use that, as it will shut off the dryer once the clothes are dry. This prevents over-drying, which wastes electricity and can damage your clothes. If you don’t have sensor drying, you can upgrade your clothes dryer to an ENERGY STAR^® model to get that and other energy saving features.

Save on two bills with a low flow showerhead

Gone are the days when using a low flow showerhead meant an uncomfortable shower in exchange for water and energy bill savings. Today’s low flow products maintain effective water pressure levels while drastically reducing water usage by several gallons each shower. Thermostatic shutoff valves can also be added on to showerheads for even more savings. These devices sense when the water reaches the desired temperature, slowing the flow to a trickle. When you’re ready to get in the shower, you pull the cord and the water comes back on.

The Sponsors of Mass Save^® are ready to help you make 2018 a year of savings by offering new rebate opportunities on the latest energy saving products, appliances, and services. Get money back on energy efficient refrigerators, lighting, clothes dryers and washers, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, room air conditioners, advanced power strips, and more. Check out the list here.