As everyone knows, nowadays, electrical energy is a crucial factor in our daily lives. That’s simply because in today’s digitalized and industrialized world, it is unthinkable not to have electricity, as we all depend on it to carry out a large part of our daily activities as well as to have a better quality of life overall. While electrical energy allows people to have a more comfortable lifestyle within their homes and also allows the progress of companies and multiple industries worldwide, this is still one of the most polluting energy-sources that are currently used at a global scale. Even though “clean energy” (which comes from sources like solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, etc.) is somewhat on the rise, the so-called “dirty energy” (which is mainly generated from coal, oil, and natural gas) is still what produces most of our electricity and fuel. In fact, an article posted by Fortune in 2018 shows that just in 2017 alone, approximately 80% of the electricity produced within the U.S. along with the primary energy produced in Canada was all generated from non-renewable sources. It’s exactly because of the fact that most of the electricity we use comes directly from those non-renewable sources (i.e. coal, oil, and natural gas) that it is extremely important for every country in the world to save on energy.
The Importance of Saving Energy
Now, there are a few of different reasons about why it is so important for all countries worldwide to save on energy.
Environmental – The first and most obvious reason would be to decrease the amount of electricity that’s produced / generated within power-plants via the use of non-renewable sources, which ultimately has a serious negative impact on the environment. By doing so, we can help to lower (or even prevent) the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and of other pollutants, as well as decrease water usage (if we’re specifically talking about hydropower), which can respectively help to reduce air pollution and water pollution. In sum, by saving on energy consumption, we can help to reduce the effects of climate change at a worldwide scale.
Economic – In addition, saving on energy consumption can also help both homeowners as well as companies to lower the costs of their utility bills, which, in the long run, can consequently also help to slowly lower electricity prices as well as help stabilize their current volatility. Moreover, this can also help governments to create new jobs.
Improving Energy Efficiency – Furthermore, using energy in a more efficient manner can also help countries to lower their population’s overall electricity demand, which, in turn, can help those same countries to meet the growing energy demand from nowadays highly-consuming society, and this can be a seriously long-term benefit, not only for each country’s economy, but on a worldwide scale, for the environment, as we already discussed. On top of that, lowering the overall electricity demand can also help countries to reduce the need to invest in new electricity generation methods along with investing in better electricity-transmission infrastructures.
Best Energy-Saving Gadgets to Use
Obviously, the process of reducing and saving on energy consumption has to be a group effort. Nevertheless, there are still a couple of steps that every person out there can individually follow in order to save on their own personal energy consumption.
To be a little more specific, there a couple different energy-saving gadgets that can be easily installed at home on which homeowners can then rely on in order to reduce their energy consumption and ultimately save on energy costs.
LED Light Bulbs – While incandescent and halogen light bulbs should be avoided due to the fact that they consume a lot of energy (as they’re the least energy-efficient type of light bulbs) just to generate a relatively low amount of light, any LED light bulb that has earned the ENERGY STAR label is guaranteed to use up to 90% less energy than incandescent light bulbs, all while still providing the same illumination. In fact, nowadays, there are even smart LED light bulbs available for purchasing today that can be turned ON and OFF via a dedicated Mobile App or via Voice Commands supported by a Digital Voice Assistant.
Smart Thermostats – Another great energy-saving gadget would be a smart thermostat. These Wi-Fi enabled Smart Home devices allow homeowners to more easily control the heating and cooling within their home by cleverly learning each family’s temperature preferences along with the exact schedules within each family member make those temperature adjustments while at home. That same automated intelligent learning process then ultimately allows a smart thermostat unit to automatically adjust the heating and cooling process within a family’s home to more reasonable temperature settings to ultimately ensure families can save on energy, such as when they’re asleep or while they’re away from home (while at work, shopping for groceries, at school, etc.).
Smart Plugs – Smart plugs are some of the most affordable and also easiest to use smart home devices available today. These smart electricity plug allow homeowners to turn almost any wired home appliance with an ON / OFF switch into a smart automated one, which they can then easily control directly from their Smartphones via an App, or potentially, even via Voice Commands. By installing a few smart plugs within your home, you can easily upgrade your house into a Smart Home and ultimately control some of your electric-powered home appliances remotely, which is a great way to help you save on energy costs.
Solar Panels – Solar panels (which are also known as Photovoltaic Systems or PV Systems) are probably the most obvious energy-saving gadget out there, as they use semiconductor technology to convert the energy from sunlight into electricity that can ultimately power your household. As such, installing a couple of solar panels at home is obviously a great way to offset your energy costs, as they allow you to have better energy independence, all while also helping you to reduce the environmental impact of your electricity consumption at home.
Energy Monitors – Finally, you could also opt to install an energy monitor at home. These devices are a must have for those who not only are conscious about their energy consumption, but also want to closely monitor the costs of their energy bills. Essentially, an energy monitor allows homeowners to keep a check on the time, wattage, electrical quantity, energy cost, and a few other things related to their current energy consumption, all of which can ultimately help you to save on the total amount of energy you consume, and consequently, on its energy costs.
