5 Ways to Save Energy Without Trying

By Steven Castle

Several home technologies are available today to help you save energy and money in your home. And the best thing is, they don’t require you to do anything or change your lifestyle. In fact, they can add to your convenience.

1. Automated Light Dimming—An electronic lighting control system can be set to automatically dim your lights to 85 percent, saving you about 15 percent of the electricity normally used to power them. In a big home, that can add up to huge savings. And the best part: The human eye can hardly tell the difference. Using new LED (light emitting diode) lamps will save you even more.

2. Curb Vampire Power—Vampire power occurs when some electronics continue to use electricity when they are “off” or in “standby” mode. The average house can have 40 or more of these power vampires, sucking up energy unnecessarily. A home control system with power conditioners can cut all power to selected devices, saving you money that would otherwise be wasted.

3. Video Calibration—A properly calibrated TV or projector can save energy, as many displays come in a retail setting that is brighter than required in a home. A trained technician can also properly set the color balance, saving you energy and providing you with a much-improved picture.

4. Motorized Window Treatments—Motorized shades, drapes and other window treatments can be automated to open and close at certain times to help heat a room with sunshine in the winter or block the light to help cool a room and reduce your air conditioning costs in the summer. Motorized shades and drapes also never fail to impress friends and guests.

5. Programmable Thermostats—Use programmable thermostats to set temperatures at various times in different parts of your home. Just turning down a thermostat 1 or 2 degrees can result in 1 percent to 2 percent in energy savings—and those little amounts add up over time.

Steven Castle is the senior editor for Electronic House and cofounder of GreenTechAdvocates.com.