Understanding how energy is used in your home is the first step in managing your energy usage. Figuring out which appliances use the most electricity and what time of day you should be using them is a great start but many people overlook the basics, like doors and windows, which can be key to maintaining heating and cooling levels with minimum energy consumption.
To find out what you can do in your household to reduce your energy bills and your environmental footprint, try these handy tools to help you calculate energy usage and discover which upgrade will benefit your home most.
Energy Efficiency Calculator
This calculator has dozens of presents for different appliances divided into heading by room. It can be used to calculate the cost of a single appliance or room as well as the entire household. While the pricing shown here is for rates in British Columbia, it will provide you with an average total kWh for your home which can be used with local rates to provide a good estimate of your energy bill. You can also use this information to compare numbers and see if the heating or cooling systems are not performing as well as they should, this may be a sign that your windows or doors are leaking or improperly insulated.
Appliance and Lighting Calculator
Similar to the Energy Efficiency Calculator above, this energy calculator allows the user to calculate energy usage by appliance but it also features information for both electric and gas powered appliances.
Cost of Heating& Cooling Worksheets
Featuring information for six different fuel types, this worksheet will enable you to figure out the exact cost of your heating and see if you are wasting money due to old equipment or improperly sealed windows or doors. Similarly, this tool is a great aid is calculating the cost of air conditioning. It does require some knowledge of you air conditioning system as well as your local climate.
Home Energy Savings Calculator
Providing a tailored list of energy-savings recommendations for your home, this calculator from Scotiabank requires some basic information about your home. Based on estimated costs, annual savings, and the number of years until a suggested upgrade has paid for itself; it lists the best investments first allowing you to start with easy and cheap improvements, like changing to energy-efficient light bulbs, and work up to the larger investments like replacement windows.
Home Energy Saving Upgrades
Divided into categories by difficulty and price, this list of recommended home improvements will make it easy to check every aspect of your power consumption, lighting, and home insulation for maximum energy efficiency! It includes useful information on selecting CFL bulbs and a host of other topics.
Remember to check your local energy costs: Some places have tiered pricing which will cost extra past a certain point while others have timed energy prices which can provide extra savings if you are able to reduce your energy usage during peak hours.
