5 Devices to Help You Save on Electricity this Winter

Winter is coming, and your electric bills are probably going to be more expensive than they were during the fall. Pronto Power, your Dallas Fort Worth electric company, wants to give you a break by presenting 5 money-saving devices you can invest in to keep your bills as low as possible. One of the examples we have noticed on several “top ten” lists is an energy monitor. Pronto Power’s customers already have this advantage since the app you utilize to check your power usage is considered an energy monitor. If you have noticed a change in your energy usage because of the energy monitor, let us know! We love to know about your success!

• Smart thermostats

Heating and cooling your home eats away at approximately 60% of your power bill. To tamp down those escalating costs, invest in a smart thermostat, which can be controlled from your phone to turn on half an hour before you return home, or turned off before you leave. A scheduling tool lets you control weekday and weekend temperatures at specific times, setting the temperature to fit your lifestyle. If you want a cooler temperature every morning at 6:30 when you work out, program that in and forget it – the thermostat will take care of the rest.

This same technology also spills over into radiators. Control one or more radiators depending on their locations either manually or from your phone by using a smart radiator. As a bonus, the temperature and energy usage are easily visible to help you judge if it is time to lower the temperature or kick it up a notch. For more savings, install a radiator heat reflector behind your radiator. By reflecting the radiator’s heat into your room rather than into the wall behind it, your radiator turns off more quickly

• Portable heating

This category has plenty of choices. Below are a few of the highest energy output heaters at the lowest price per kWh.

• Infrared heating panel: This flat, well-designed panel adorns your wall or ceiling in a small space, such as a bedroom. With the capacity to heat your room continuously (no need to turn it off) while remaining cool to the touch, this is a great option for a home with children.
• Micathermic heaters: Once it reaches a programmed temperature, electromagnetic rays inside this heater warm the room. The sensation is like a sunbeam warming a room: soothing, radiant heat similar to an infrared heating panel. You have two options: a wall-mounted or free-standing model.
• Halogen heaters: Deemed the least expensive heater to operate, these little heaters work rapidly and warm the air directly in front of them. While they are great at warming a small area quickly, they are not a good choice to evenly warm an entire room.
• Convection heaters: A great choice to warm a small or medium room, these heaters are not as inexpensive as halogen heaters, but better at warming a larger area evenly. Convection works by warming air and sending it upward, which forces cool air toward the floor where the convection heater warms it, creating a cyclical motion.
• Fan heaters: These work to warm a room more rapidly than a convection heater with 2000W of power, but the fan does create a constant hum.

• Draft excluder

Some energy-saving ideas just make sense, and the draft excluder fits this category. Mount this solid, cylindrical device at the foot of any door where cool air leaks into your home.

• Lighting

LED light bulbs are usually first on the list of how consumers can save money without a huge expense. Energy saving light bulbs do not radiate heat, give brighter light than traditional bulbs and save energy. LED lights come in a variety of colors, are available for use in dimmer switches, and many are adaptable to work on smart switches to communicate with phone apps.

You can set programmable lights to turn on at a specific time, such as 15 minutes before you arrive home to keep you from tripping over your excited dog in the entryway, or to turn off in your children’s room when it is time for bed.

• Smart plugs

If you want to connect an LED to your current smart home app, you have another option: a smart plug. Look online for your home app’s smart plug, then everything you plug in to that outlet will respond to your app.

Smart plugs also deter vampire usage from anything plugged into them that reaches 100% charge, or when a charger is plugged in with nothing attached to it. Vampire usage can cost consumers up to $200 a year, according to the United States Department of Energy. Smart plugs can also turn off any appliance when it is determined the device is not in use, such as an iron or a hotplate left on accidentally.

Stay warm this winter while saving money with the above information. Learn more money-saving tips from Dallas Fort Worth electric company Pronto Power by calling 844 621-2852.