Although springtime is typically meant for cleaning, we believe it is also a great time to evaluate your home’s electrical use and maintenance. Doing so can assure your electrical appliances are functioning well and can identify the most costly areas in your bill to combat further. Keep reading to see how you can support your current electronics and save money and energy on your future electric bills.

Protect your Electrical

Considering our homes run on electrical energy, it is essential to ensure all electronics are properly — and safely — used to avoid damage to yourself and your home.

Here are a couple of quick things you can do around your house to secure the safety of your electrical:

Make sure outlets do not have too many cords plugged in. Otherwise, they may become overloaded. If this occurs, the power outlet can overheat and cause a fire. Outlets should be cool to the touch and include a safe plate to protect those handling them.
Check all power cords in your home to see if any are fraying or cracked. Damaged cords are a serious safety risk that can lead to fires and electrocution. If cords are compromised, they should be replaced or fixed with electrical tape, depending on the severity of the damage. Once all cords are examined, secure them safely and keep them out of the way to prevent repeated destruction.

Save Energy to Save Money on your Electric Bill

There are many simple tasks you can do that save you money on your electric bill and benefit the environment by conserving energy. Being more conscious of the factors behind your bill’s high price – heating/cooling and power use – will help save you the most money and promote a positive impact on the environment.

Below are easy ways to preserve energy and money that we hope you incorporate in your own home:

Turn your thermostat down about 10 degrees when asleep or away from home, or invest in a smart thermostat to decrease heating/cooling costs by 10%
Adjust fridge and freezer temperatures to maintain freshness and keep the appliance from overworking (fridge should be between 35-38 degrees and freezer should be between 0-5 degrees)
Replace incandescent lightbulbs with LED bulbs as they last 25 times longer and use around 80% less energy
Use less hot water to save on water heater costs and energy by using cool or warm water for your washing machine and dishwasher and taking shorter cooler showers. Turning the temperature on the water heater down to 120 degrees can also reduce costs by 10%.
Unplug electronic devices when not in use as they will continue to drain power. These are known as “energy vampires” and account for 5-10% of one’s total electric bill.
Invest in a smart power strip to detect when the plugged-in devices are not in use and will cut off the power to preserve energy.

Quality Services From Lion Home Service

At Lion Home Service, we focus on getting you the highest quality services every time. Call Lion Electrical at (970) 632-2281 for all your home’s electrical needs!

*Information for this article was gathered from Constellation, CNet, NerdWallet, and IGS Energy.