While you are honouring Earth Hour and celebrating Earth Day this spring, make plans to do a simple energy use audit of your home to see what you can do to make some changes. The time is now to make a difference and make sure the future will be a good one. Do what you can to reduce energy use.

How to Perform an Energy Use Audit

An energy use audit is when you take a look around your home to see how your family is using energy and make a note of what changes you could make to reduce that energy use. You can use your power company bill to see if your changes are having an effect. Compare the energy usage listed on your bill before you start making changes and 4-6 months after to see if it’s had any effect.

Step One

Take a walk throughout your house and count how many lights are on in a room that NO ONE is currently in. (If that number is not 0, you may want to teach the family to turn off lights when they leave a room or install motion sensor or timer lights.)

Step Two

How many of your appliances are Energy Star certified (US/Canada)? (Energy Star appliances can use up to 50% less energy.) Look for this logo:

Step Three

Evaluate if your appliances are being used efficiently. Is the washing machine run with a full load of clothes or a small or medium load? Is your fridge full of food or almost empty? Do you open the oven door a bunch of times while you are cooking? (Half empty appliances use up more energy than full ones and opening the oven door releases heat which means the stove has to work harder to stay warm and cook the food.)

Step Four

Are your electronics plugged in even when not in use? (Electronics that are turned off but still plugged in still draw power even if they are not being used. Unplugging them or having them plugged into a power bar that you can switch off when not in use will use less power.)

Summary

How did your audit go? Did you identify some changes you could make to reduce energy use? Reducing your energy consumption is good for both your wallet and the environment.