In a world where energy efficiency, eco-friendliness and utilization of sustainable resources trumps all else, there are bound to be a few misconceptions. The only thing is that many of these misconceptions quickly turn into myths. Why is this bad? The reason why many of the energy saving myths are important to debunk is because they can get in the way of real efforts to save energy. Moreover, it is important to see through certain marketing gimmicks – so that you don’t wind up wasting more time, money and energy. When it comes down to it, there are multiple myths floating around right now. Here are five home energy saving myths revealed.
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Energy saving products will immediately save you money. This is only partly true. While the marketing campaigns of many of these energy saving products will lead you to believe that they are energy efficient right out of the box – the truth is that it is all about how you install the unit in the first place. There have been many home energy audits that point out the fact that many energy and money saving appliances are installed wrong and are actually wasting more energy than previous appliances.
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Appliances don’t utilize energy when they are turned off. Sure, items that are not plugged in don’t use energy, but the items that are plugged in absolutely use energy. These vampire appliances include anything with a bright red light, cell phones and computers that are charging or any other appliance that is still plugged in and is in sleep mode. When it comes down to it, you could have multiple appliances in your home that are sucking energy in this exact way. So, when people tell you that it doesn’t matter, it certainly does. Just make sure to unplug items that don’t need to be plugged in.
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If you leave your ceiling fans on when you are out of the house you can save money and energy. This is another big myth. Most people believe this because the fans feel welcoming and cool when you stand underneath them. However, all they are really doing is moving the air and circulating the heat, so the room only feels cool, but they certainly won’t keep your home cool. So, leaving them on when you are out of the house will only waste energy.
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Portable HVAC units are more efficient than ductless units. When you are choosing between portable and ductless heaters, it is important to look at your specific energy needs – not what kind of capacity the HVAC unit will provide. When it comes down to it, your specific energy needs will directly correlate with what kind of system you need. For instance, you need to measure your square footage and you need to determine what your seasonal temperature averages are.
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Screen savers save money. This is another big myth that started in the 1990s – when screen savers were becoming popular. However, computers are only totally efficient when they are turned off. Screen savers only save your screen from having image burn. So, the next time you are done with your computer, turn it completely off instead of letting it go into screen saver mode.