Where does all your energy go? From the water in your bathroom to the electricity in your kitchen, this infographic by Lifehacker shows you a home's greediest energy hogs.
Looking at your electric bill, it’s not totally clear where all of that money actually goes—or what in your home is costing you the most. This graphic from Constellation Energy gives you a room-by-room breakdown of your average power costs and which appliances or devices cost you the most.
Just as an example, the graphic opens up with the fact that 20% of your annual energy costs probably come from lighting, and you can decrease those costs over the long term by switching out old incandescents for longer-lasting, lower-energy CFL or LED bulbs (and we even have some suggestions!) They also point out that over 5% of the electricity use in the United States each year is entirely for air conditioners – which gives you a hint to how much you’re probably spending, not to mention an incentive to turn the thermostat up a little bit in the warm weather months if you’d like to save money.
Some of the basic tips aren’t anything new – take shorter showers, invest in Energy Star appliances the next time you’re in the market for them – but it’s eye opening to see just how much energy those appliances really suck down, and how big a difference energy efficient ones can be. For more tips, check out our sacrifice-free guide to cutting your energy bill, or our more detailed guide to saving energy and money with a little tech and some common sense.
The Habits Of Home | Constellation Energy
This article was written by Alan Henry from Lifehacker and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
