Energy saving tips that will keep money in your wallet

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Most of us have been trying to figure out ways to stretch our dollars as prices have skyrocketed in stores and restaurants. 3NEWS spoke with Ramachandran Narayanamurthy with the U.S. Department of Energy, who offered tips on how to save on your electricity bill. It’s advice all of us can take advantage of. Simple appliances, like your blender, instant pots and even gaming consoles are the biggest offenders. They may not seem like they’re using a lot of energy since they’re shut off, but you may want to think about going ahead and unplugging them. In this economy, those savings can quickly add up and help to keep more money in your wallet. Narayanamurthy says it doesn’t require a lot of effort, just diligence. “The obvious things, if you can unplug them, they’re gonna save a lot over the course of a year,” Narayanamurthy said. “They might save just a little bit every day. But all those things add up.” Narayanamurthy describes a coffeemaker running day in and day out using eight watts of energy, which doesn’t seem like a lot. “It sounds very small,” Narayanamurthy said. “But when you think about it running all day, every day, right? That is the amount of energy that you’re used by running your air conditioner for a whole week, during the hottest parts of the year.” Keeping the thermostat temperature a little bit higher, will save you a lot of energy and money. “I think the estimate is that for every degree that you adjust your air conditioner setting, you save about 6% on your air conditioner, just on the energy use of the air conditioner,” Narayanamurthy said. He says it doesn’t mean you have to sweat, just keep your thermostat at a comfortable temperature. There’s no need to keep you’re A/C running while you’re not in your house. “It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort, just a little bit of diligence, so that you can save a lot of energy,” Narayanamurthy said. “And of course, that translates into saving money during these days.” Remember, not all offenders come in the form of technology. “Check and make sure that you don’t leave your doors open, that you have good weather stripping around your doors and windows because those little leaks will cost you a lot over time,” Narayanamurthy said. The Department of Energy wants residents to be diligent, but they don’t want you overdue it. “It doesn’t mean that you have to just go plug, unplug everything, right, you need some things for keeping your home running, or keeping your business running,” Narayanamurthy said. Inexpensive upgrades like changing incandescent lights to LED’s and placing insulation in your attic for hot weather are Narayanamurthy’s recommendations. “Our goal is to do more energy efficiency so that we can save cost for the customer in the long run,” Narayanamurthy said.