Surprisingly Simple Energy Saving Tips for Busy Families

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of IGS Energy. All opinions are 100% mine.

Is anybody else brave enough to admit that they spend their free time googling natural gas and electric supply products to be more energy efficient?  I do. Nerd to the core. I do it for a few different reasons. I do it because I want to be a more responsible human when it comes to using up the earths precious resources. I do it because I don’t want to spend my wife’s hard earned money on utility bills. I want to spend it on ICE CREAM! So today, partnered with IGS Energy, I wanted to tell you about a few of my favorite energy saving tips that we at Lemon Lime HQ implement on the regular.

Surprisingly Simple Energy Saving Tips for Busy Families

At this stage in my life I am 100% the ridiculous dad who goes around the house turning off the lights grumbling about how when I was kid if I had left all the lights on I would have been in some serious dog doo doo. Now let’s be clear I definitely left all the lights on all the time when I was kid. That’s what kids do. But that doesn’t stop me from being Mr. Grumpypants about it. So if my personal mantra is that you can’t control others you can only control you, what is a modern energy saving Dad to do? Get real about your family’s electricity bill.

Top Ten Energy Saving Tips for the Busy Family

  1. Install a Learning Thermostat –  Programmable thermostats are so 1990’s. Because a “learning thermostat” learns how and when to keep you comfortable, it knows how and when to save energy. No human interaction involved.
  2. Turn Lights Off – I know. Mr. Grumpypants again. But guys seriously less money for ice cream makes me grumpy.
  3. Energy Efficient Light Bulbs –If you aren’t going to turn off the lights.. at least install some LED’s. They are expensive, but worth it. They use less energy, they give off less heat, and you don’t need to use any more how many people does it take to change a light bulb jokes anymore – because these bulbs are meant to outlast even the cockroaches.
  4. Wash Your Laundry in Cold Water – I am not a laundry snob. It’s ok. We are not fancy folk. We have basic clothes. I almost exclusively wash our laundry in cold water. Seems just as clean to me (really most humans only care about how laundry smells when it’s done) and it saves a ton of $$ not having to heat up all that water!
  5. Air Dry Your Dishes – At this point, a lot of us have dishwashers. I think at some point my mom told me that she started Air Drying her dishes and that she even preferred it to letting the dishwasher heat dry them. This woman is serious about her dishes being clean, so it made me think if they are less streaky and I’m saving energy. Win-Win. No brainer.

Energy Saving Tips

  1. Use your Curtains/Blinds – Curtains aren’t just for keeping Peeping Tom’s at bay. Keeping the suns warmth out in the Summer and In during the winter can make heating and cooling your home that much easier. This simple task of keeping the blinds closed in the summer heat can help keep your house cooler and letting your AC take a rest.
  2. Use your ceiling fans – Turns out that ceiling fans have more use than just something to stare at when you can’t sleep. Studies show that when a ceiling fan is running A/C can be setup to almost 5 degrees warmer without any noticeable difference in comfort. Just make sure you clean the tops of your blades. Because seriously they can get gross. I feel like Danny Tanner. Just wait till I get my clipboard of fun.
  3. Regularly Change your Air Filters – I set a Gcal (Google Calendar) reminder every 3 months to change my filters. You should do the same. Its inexpensive and an absolute MUST.  They even have services dedicated to sending you the filters you need when you need them. Thank you internet commerce for making this mind-numbingly simple. A clean air filter can make your A/C work less allowing you to save more.
  4. Check for Air Leaks –Caulk is your friend. This is a quick win solution. It’s easy to use, cheap, and is a money saving dream.
  5. Seal your attic hatch – Energy.gov has a great guide to make this happen. A lot of people seal up their windows and doors and forget all about the hatch to their attic. In recent years people have discovered just how much air was being exchanged between the attic and the house. An hour or two of work can net some hefty energy savings in the long run.

The last thing that is worth mentioning but not necessarily a hack is that we live in a great age where no stone is left unsqueezed. Companies like IGS Energy exist to try and get the best possible prices to the consumer. They buy bulk energy from the utilities for a deep discount and then pass the savings on to the consumer. It’s another win-win solution. energy saving tips for families

IGS Energy believes in giving back! In fact, with your help, they have been able to plant 950 trees! For every ‘like’ their Facebook page received by Earth Day, they donated to plant a tree via the Arbor Day Foundation! How awesome is that? You are actually part of IGS Companies community support by simply being a part of their community on Facebook! 

 Energy Choices

Energy choice and deregulation is a program approved in certain states where customers are able to purchase electricity and natural gas from an independent energy supplier – these are considered “deregulated states.” Traditionally electric and natural gas consumers did not have a choice as to who supplied their energy; the local utility served all the residents within that territory. Today, however, Energy Choice programs allow eligible customers to shop around and choose an electric/natural gas supplier that best suits their needs. That supplier may be the utility, or one of the many suppliers licensed to market in the consumer’s area.

IGS Energy believes in a more sustainable energy future and honestly who can argue with that? They offer tons of green energy options in addition to their tradition energy supply and offer different rate and product options resulting a product custom tailored to your needs. The result is an energy choice  with predictable budgeting. Can I get an AMEN?  

What are your favorite energy saving tips? Maybe going the hippy route and not washing clothes or bathing? Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! I’m all ears.  I’d love to hear what you guys are doing to keep costs down in your home.

Energy Savings Tips for Families

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1 thought on “Surprisingly Simple Energy Saving Tips for Busy Families”

  1. Thanks for sharing these tips. Sometimes there’s a simple, easy fix for an energy issue in your home. The hard part is figuring out which solution is the right one, but this list definitely helps quite a bit.

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