by Lauren Vickerman

Created on: January 17, 2009

We are all looking for ways to save money in these difficult economic times. Gone are the days when we would put the heat on 70 degrees day and night, or leave the computer running all day and night. Cutting back on our home electricity use is not only smart on a personal finance level, but it is also greatly important on a global level. Reducing electric use at home, even a little bit, is a step in the right direction towards all of our tomorrows.

Perhaps most obviously is to turn off lights and appliances when you are not in the room. There are even products on the market today called occupancy sensor switches that will automatically turn off lights in a room when no motion is detected. Some are even so sensitive that they can pick up typing at a keyboard. Major manufacturers such as Lutron and Leviton have full lines of occupancy sensor switches. If you are leaving an area for more than a few minutes, turn the lights off.

In the same vein, plugging your entertainment bundles or computer bundles into a power strip can save lots of electricity each year. "Phantom" loads, or the electricity used by appliances that are just plugged in and not operating is considerable. In a typical home, up to 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Using a power strip can make accessing some of the turn-off's easier, and therefore more likely to get shut off.

Switching bulbs in your home from incandescent to compact fluorescent is another way to save a great deal of electricity over the life of the bulb. The compact fluorescent has a warm, pleasing light and the bulbs will last up to 15 times longer than an incandescent bulb, and will use between one fifth and one third of the power that an incandescent bulb does. Making this change alone will have an immediate impact on your electricity bill, and a lasting effect on the environment. CFL's contain trace amounts of mercury, so be sure to dispose of them properly and use care when handling.

Another option to consider is a heavy duty appliance timer on your hot water heater if you heat with electricity. If you own a newer home, you may have an up-to-date and efficient on-demand coil heat, but if you are one of the millions that still house and heat water in a tank, consider the cost of approximately $40 to purchase and $100 to install by a licensed electrical contractor. These timers come with two on and off cycle options, and when combined with a thermal insulating blanket

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