On the Home Front Blog

 

Share This:

How Energy Efficient is My Home

October 5, 2022 National Grid US

Father and Son on couch playing video games

With energy costs on the rise, National Grid is here to help. Starting with these simple tips, you and your family can take steps now to reduce your household energy use and lower the impact on your monthly energy bills.

Are you Feeding Energy Vampires?

A great place to start your efficiency checkup is with a look at the everyday appliances that may be putting a stealthy drain on your power. Televisions, microwaves, and other common home electronics often use “standby” power, even when they’re switched off. Even chargers and charging stations can pull electricity when not in use (if a charger gets hot even when idle, that’s a sign it’s drawing power). In fact, studies have shown that “vampire” use of energy accounts for 5-10% of total electricity use in private homes—and about 1% of global CO2 emissions.*

To vanquish those vampires - and start using less electricity today:

  • Set devices to “energy save” mode
  • Turn your monitor off when you step out
  • Unplug electronics, chargers, and appliances when not in use
  • Get an APS (Advanced Power Strip): it lets you turn all devices off (or on) at once, with specialized sockets that can give the same effect as unplugging each device from the wall.

*Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Get an APS with an Instant Rebate:

National Grid electric customers can shop the online Marketplace for instant rebates - with no clipping or mailing needed - on Advanced Power Strips, as well as LED light bulbs and high-quality energy-saving products for all around your home.

Upstate NY
New York City
Long Island
For more about instant rebates from National Grid, click here

Small Appliances: A Big Difference

Small Appliances-1364431975Today’s small kitchen appliance technology is more efficient—and powerful—than ever before. In fact, many countertop models can do nearly everything an oven or stovetop can do…often at half the wattage. And the difference in power consumption makes intuitive sense: heating a smaller volume of space simply takes less energy.

Here’s why you might consider a smaller appliance instead of your oven, for daily use:

 

  • Your microwave heats up food in minutes—using up to 80 percent less energy than your oven
  • A countertop air fryer gets food hot and crispy in less time than an oven
  • A crock pot draws far less energy than a stovetop—while letting you slow-cook meals for hours

Learn more with a personalized home energy assessment

National Grid offers a brief, no-cost, Home Energy Assessment you can experience right from the convenience of your computer. You get personalized, useful tips to help your household more energy efficient—and help control your energy bill.

Schedule a home energy assessment today:

More home energy-saving tips from National Grid:

For insulation tips, click here
For heating and cooling tips, click here

Winter Customer Saving Initiative

National Grid's Winter Customer Savings Initiative is part of the company's commitment to helping customers handle the impact of higher energy costs. Explore seasonal year-round programs to help you manage your bill, control your energy use, and access assistance if you need it.

 

Share This:

National_Grid_Logo_White

 

twitter-icon-white facebook Instagram_Glyph_White_250 youtube-white

franklin-energy-logo

visa-logo-white mastercard-logo-white amex-logo-white