Great Lakes Solar & Wind Energies

Conservation Help

General Conservation

History has shown that for every dollar you spend on conserving energy you will probably save $3 to $5 on the cost of your new system. So, if you have an old inefficient refrigerator, for example, now may be a good time to replace it with a new energy efficient model. Anything that heats or cools uses a huge amount of electricity. Therefore things like an electric range or water heater are not a good idea. If you really love your electric range then you should definitely work hard on conserving energy in other places.

Phantom Loads 

Anything that has a remote control has a Phantom Load.   Phantom Loads should be reviewed to see if they can be  unplugged or switched off with a power strip.

From Home Power Magazine Feb/Mar 2007 

The last one to leave a room should turn off the lights, TV and other electrical devices.

 Change as many light bulbs as possible to Compact Fluorescent (CF) bulbs especially the ones that are use most often.

 Individual Rooms     

1.       Kitchen: 

• The kitchen is one of the places where people seem to leave the lights on until they go to bed. Lights are one of the large electrical consumers you must deal with. Therefore it would be a great idea to form new habits and turn them off when you leave the room.

• Another idea for the kitchen is to turn off the coffee pot as soon as the brewing is completed. Put the hot coffee into a thermos type container and save a bundle of energy every year.

2.       Living Room:            

• Your entertainment center is costing you money even you are not using it. Your cable or satellite box draws power even when it is off and so does your TV. It is a good idea to plug everything into a power strip and turn off the strip when finished using the equipment.

These are just a few ideas on how to save energy. When we do a site assessment we do a complete energy audit for you.