Your air conditioner and furnace use the most electricity in your home (especially in Texas) at about 40-50% of your bill. It’s hot for most of the year which means your air conditioner is working hard to keep your home cool for the most of the year.
You can reduce the amount of electricity used by your HVAC systems by:
Your water heater consumes the second most amount of energy in your home, accounting for about 18-20% of your electricity bill. Every time you take a warm shower, wash dishes, wash your hands, or run the clothes washing machine, your water heater kicks into gear.
You can decrease the energy consumed by your water heater by:
Turning down the temperature on your water heater
Washing your clothes with cold water and only with a full load of clothing
Switching to a tankless water heater can save you up to $100 per year
3. Appliances and electronics – 20.5%
All of the electronic devices and appliances in your such as televisions, laundry machines, refrigerators, computers, game consoles, and more make up for about 20% of your electricity bill.
Reduce the electricity utilized by your electronics and appliances by:
Spending more time outdoors (or reading) instead of watching television, online shopping, or gaming
Refraining from repeatedly opening your refrigerator just to see what’s inside – plan your trips to the fridge to keep the cool air inside
Pre-rinsing your dishes, turning off the heated dry settings, and only running a full load in the dishwasher
Investing in a clothes drying rack to air dry more clothing instead of using the dryer
4. Lighting – 6.5%
The lights in your home consume about 10-15% of the total electricity used. Depending on how many light bulbs you have in your home, the type of bulb, and how often they are, the energy used by lighting can vary widely.
Follow these tips to decrease the electricity consumption of your lights:
Upgrade to LED lights – these bulbs last significantly longer than incandescent bulbs and use 90% less energy
Always remember to turn the lights off when you leave the room
If it’s not too hot outside, open the blinds and rely on natural light instead of electricity
Replace exterior lights with solar powered lights so they don’t add to your bill
Graham Lumley, Digital Marketing Manager at BKV Energy, leads digital and traditional marketing strategies, focusing on educating Texans about the state's deregulated energy market. With over 8 years of marketing experience, he creates content to help consumers understand and save on their energy bills, bringing a fresh and dynamic approach to the industry.
The holiday season is a time to spread joy and brighten our homes. However, decorating with festive lights can lead to higher energy bills. Christmas lights, while beautiful, can add to electricity costs during an already expensive season. So, how much energy do Christmas lights use? In this quick guide,…
What is a carbon footprint? Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere as a direct or indirect result of your activities. Primarily composed of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gas emissions stem from various sources, including transportation, excess energy use, and…
Get $50 OFF your electric bill!
Use code BKVEJOINUS50
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to give you the best experience possible while visiting our website. By continuing, you agree to our privacy policy and understand our terms of use on our website.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
