3 Biggest Energy & Water Guzzlers in Your Home

Reader Contribution by Alison Stanton
Published on June 11, 2015
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Image courtesy shutterstock.

From the dishwasher that keeps your coffee cups clean to your HVAC system that heats and cools your home, you spend a pretty penny each month on these appliances. To lower your energy use, as well as your monthly bill, it’s important to identify which devices are guzzling the most juice. Once you know where most of your power goes, you can start taking steps to reduce it and your carbon footprint. Consider the following:

Refrigerators: Cool but Power-Hungry

Your fridge is the biggest energy-sucker in the kitchen, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Because some refrigerators are decades old, the energy usage varies from about 30 to 200 kilowatt-hour (kWh) per month. Regardless of how old your refrigerator is, you can take steps to reduce the power it uses.

First, check your unit to see if it has a power-saver switch; if you find one, turn it off. Second, see what temperature the thermostat is set to; a fridge doesn’t have to be any cooler than 36 to 38 degrees to keep your food and drinks cold. If you notice that some of your food is frozen in spots, it’s time to raise the thermostat. If your unit has a lot of frost on it, defrost it; more than a quarter-inch of buildup will make it use even more power. Be sure to keep your food and drinks organized so you can get in and out fast without letting too much cool air escape.

Air Conditioning: Energy-Guzzler Extraordinaire

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