There's an easy way to save money on your electricity bills that doesn't require any new appliances, smart technology or other expensive upgrades. This revolutionary idea is beautiful in its simplicity: Just unplug your devices when you aren't using them. It turns out that “always on” or standby technology is filling up the electricity meters and draining the pocketbooks of consumers across the nation. Read on to find out more and inspire yourself to pull the plug.

A Shocking Waste of Energy

Ready for a shocker? Idle devices are costing Americans a cumulative $19 billion per year, or $165 per household, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The paper, titled “Home Idle Load: Devices Wasting Huge Amounts of Electricity When Not in Active Use,” translates the numbers into something compelling: Each household wastes enough electricity to brew 234 cups of coffee per day. That's a lot of caffeine!

To be more explicit, the excess electricity use is equivalent to the output of 50 large power plants. In addition to spending money unnecessarily, we're creating an enormous amount of pollution just to power electronics that aren't in use. These bits of electricity are called energy vampires or phantom loads, notorious for their scary effect on your wallet and the environment alike.

Devices Gone Digital

Most devices drain small amounts of electricity no matter what, and the proliferation of standby technology that makes it easy to turn things on quickly or via remote control amplifies the waste considerably.

“One reason for such high idle energy levels is that many previously purely mechanical devices have gone digital,” Pierre Delforge, the report’s author and NRDC’s director of high-tech sector energy efficiency, told EnergyEfficientMarkets.com. “Appliances like washers, dryers, and fridges now have displays, electronic controls, and increasingly even Internet connectivity, for example.”

Obviously, you can't unplug your refrigerator or freezer, and some equipment like electric stoves and central air units might be inconvenient or impossible to disconnect on a regular basis. But there's still plenty of savings to be found in your televisions, computers, game consoles, phone chargers and other electronic devices found in the modern household.

What Can I Do?

It’s not realistic to expect every homeowner in America to go around plugging in and unplugging dozens of devices every day. But there are some tips that can help you out:

With just a little bit of extra diligence, you can do your part to reduce our energy consumption in the United States, and save money while you're at it.

Your business operations are probably reliant upon electricity, like most operations in the modern world of today.  Do you have a backup plan in case the power goes out?  Most other businesses will simply shut their doors and deal with the consequences when the power is restored, but you can maintain business as usual thanks to the innovation of backup power systems.

Also known as emergency power generators, these units are delivered to you with a fully-charged battery that can be put to use the moment you need them.  If your business has experienced frequent power surges or outages in the past, hiring a Dallas electrician to install an Indoor GeneratorTM for your business could be incredibly beneficial.  For certification or insurance reasons, you may have an even greater need to remain up and running.  Your valuable computer or medical equipment will thank you when you save them from the devastation of power surges and outages.

Consider these benefits of having backup power systems installed in your business:

If you are ready to have a reputable Dallas or Plano electrician get you set up with the best investment you have ever made for your business, you can explore your options for a backup power system and receive a quote today.  The next power outage that hits can either leave you with regret, or a feeling of immense satisfaction with your decision to plan ahead.

Customers are always inquiring about the cost of solar panels. Here, we’ll break down the answer to that question.

First of all, the panels themselves can cost anywhere between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on your demands and the size of the array. This is easily the most quantifiable part of the equation. This is often somewhere around half of the full cost of a solar installation.

The panels don’t do much good without the power inverter that allows you to connect to the power grid and they can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000.

There are also a variety of related connecting pieces to make the whole thing work properly.

Then we move on to the “soft” goods that are part of the installation. Namely, the installation itself. The cost of installation often hovers somewhere around 25 percent of solar panels cost. Installation isn’t just the act of putting panels on your roof. Preparing the roof to accept the mounting system can take time.

And once the array is installed, you have to pay for permits and inspections for the array to be part of your home. These can run you a few thousand dollars. All in all, solar installation can cost anywhere between $10,000 and $40,000.

And the cost doesn’t stop there. Regular maintenance is recommended to keep your array running at optimal performance.

But you can compare these costs to the greater cost of using traditional power from the municipal grid, which continues to rise every year. Solar power grows cheaper all the time and is an incredible way to reduce your long-term expenses.

If you look at these numbers and wonder how you can make any of this a reality, give us a call so we can discuss financing options. Some customers are eligible for quite generous agreements that let them get started with a solar array almost immediately. That could be you, so don’t hesitate to give us a call.