Shiny, new energy-efficient appliances can make you feel a lot better about your environmental footprint. But even an energy-efficient appliance is more eco-friendly in some situations than others. Discover some ways to reduce the environmental impact of your energy-efficient appliances.
1. Add Smart Home Connectivity
A smart home is not just modern and convenient. In some cases, connecting your devices and appliances can actually help you save energy, which can, in turn, reduce your environmental footprint.
Appliances and devices with smart home connectivity can help you save energy because:
- Connectivity lets you turn unused appliances and devices off remotely from your phone.
- Connectivity lets you use smart plugs or smart power strips to disconnect appliances and devices that have a standby mode.
- Connectivity lets you automate your home lighting and appliances so they’re only on when necessary.
These are just a few of the ways that the convenience of modern smart homes can help reduce energy waste.
2. Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies
Cleaning supplies often include disposable products and materials, harsh chemicals, and other non-ecofriendly features. Although keeping your appliances squeaky-clean inside and out is a great goal, you’ll want to consider some changes to the supplies you buy for this purpose.
Start by looking for low-waste products, such as reusable rags rather than paper towels and detergents that come in cardboard rather than plastic containers. Any cleaning chemicals you use should also fall under scrutiny. This includes both cleaners used when you run your dishwasher or washing machine and those used to clean appliances themselves.
Some of the ingredients in chemical cleaners could also be hazardous to your family’s health. So in that sense, environmentally friendly cleaning products are essential for health and safety as well as for green living. Check online to compare different cleaning products and find some that are better for the environment and your health.
3. Use Off-Peak Energy
You may have heard of an off-peak energy program, which is when your electric provider charges slightly less for electricity used during hours of lower demand. But did you know that in addition to sometimes costing less, off-peak energy can actually have less impact on the environment as well?
One reason why off-peak energy is slightly more eco-friendly is because the power companies use some of their backup power plants during peak hours, and these backup plants tend to produce power that’s less environmentally friendly. So you want to avoid the electricity from those backup plants as much as possible by using energy during off-peak hours.
4. Switch Electric Providers
Some areas of the country have electric providers that offer eco-friendly, clean power from a solar farm or wind farm. Shop around to see if you can find one of these providers. Switching to green energy can not only green your appliance use but also your lighting and anything else you use electricity on.
5. Keep the Appliance As Long As Possible
Remember, the longer your appliances last, the less often you’ll have to dispose of them and replace them with newly manufactured ones that use virgin materials. So be sure to schedule regular maintenance for all your major appliances, from dishwashers to air conditioning units.
In addition, when they break, try to repair the appliances rather than replace them if possible. Since they’re already energy-efficient models, you don’t usually need to worry about upgrading them to save energy.
As you can see, choosing the most energy- and water-efficient model is just the first step in minimizing your appliances’ impact on the environment. What you do after installing the appliance is very significant as well.
Capital City Appliance Service specializes in helping you get malfunctioning appliances back in working order so they can continue to help you save energy for years to come. For more information on the services we provide and how to schedule an appointment, contact us today.
