Everyone wants to save energy and lower their utility bills, but are you buying into false energy-saving myths? Here are six myths you probably believe that are downright false.
Myth: Dimming incandescent lights cuts your lighting bills in half.
Dimming the lights 25 percent doesn’t decrease your bills by 25 percent. A better way to save on lighting – and avoid having a dimly lit home – is to switch to CFL or LED bulbs.
Myth: Keeping the thermostat a constant temperature uses less energy than setting it back and resuming a comfortable temperature several hours later.
The logic here is that it takes more energy to cool a home that has heated up several degrees, so the effort to save energy is counteracted. The truth is setting the thermostat back in your absence can generate great energy savings, especially if the setback period lasts eight hours or longer.
Myth: Cranking down the thermostat cools the home faster.
The blower works just as fast to cool your home whether you change the thermostat by 1 degree or 10. Overshooting the target goal only increases the chance of wasting energy.
Myth: Closing vents in unused area of the home saves energy.
The HVAC system relies on balance to function properly. If you close more than 25 percent of the vents in your home, you throw the balance off and cause the system to use more energy, not less.
Myth: Screensavers save energy.
Screensavers once served the practical purpose of preventing burns in old-fashioned monitors left on for hours. Today, a screensaver is just another program running in the background. To save energy, set the computer to fall asleep after 10 or 15 minutes of inactivity.
Myth: Power adapters don’t consume any power if they’re not charging a device.
Cell phone, laptop and camera battery chargers are “energy vampires” because they consume a small amount of energy when plugged in. Prevent energy waste by unplugging chargers when not in use.
To debunk more energy-saving myths and lower your utility bills, contact Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, serving Indianapolis for over 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
