Tackle Your New Year’s Resolution to Save Energy

saving energy, money notes in a notebook

January 15, 2019

January marks the season for self improvement. New Year’s resolutions tackle all types of bad habits, from diet and exercise to saving money. Why not add improving the energy efficiency of your Tri-Valley California home and save for many years to come?

With the unpredictability of energy costs, changing your electricity profile can provide immediate and long-term savings.

Simple Starts to Keep on Track

As with any New Year’s resolution, it’s easiest to start small to ensure success. Here are some tips to start saving energy:

Swap Out Light Bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs get an energy saving upgrade with CFL or LED lights. If you’ve avoided CFLs because of the unappealing blue-tinged light, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by improved CLFs with warmer light hues and great longevity. ENERGY STAR® certified CFL bulbs can last as long as 20,000 hours while drawing about a quarter of the wattage a traditional bulb consumes. LED bulbs carry a higher initial price tag, but can last 50,000 hours with equal if not better lighting performance.

Kill the Energy Vampires

Energy “vampires” are electronics and fixtures that consume power even when they’re “off” — really any appliance, gaming console or electronic that maintains a “standby” mode. This includes televisions, computers, cable boxes, blu-ray players, wireless printers, and scanners. The solution for these power-sucking electronics is simple: install smart power strips and outlets that power down when standby mode is detected.

Upgrade with a Smart Thermostat

Installing a smart thermostat can lower your energy consumption by operating your heating and cooling system at peak efficiency. It can run heating and cooling systems less while you’re at work, sleeping and on vacation, taking a big bite out of the power bill! For optimum energy savings, invest in a smart thermostat that “learns” your habits and temperature preferences.

Own Your Power Supply & Save on Utility Bills

As power demands increase in the Tri-Valley, CA area, many homeowners are opting to invest in solar panels to control their energy costs. There’s never been a better time to own your power supply, with 26% solar power tax incentives continuing in 2019 and excellent panel pricing and high performance technology.

The solar power pros at Sky Power Solar can make it easy to make your energy savings resolution work.

High Performance Solar Panels Increase Energy Savings

Our experience with solar panels has identified the solar industry’s top performers. High performance SunPower solar panels are unique in the industry for their 40-year lifetime and 25-year warranty. Those extra years of function can save years of electricity for a lifetime. Because they produce more power per square foot, you’ll be able to maximize your rooftop production as power needs increase.

Battle Time-of-Use Pricing

One of the top uncertainties in relying on power from PG&E is the implementation of time-of-use pricing for residential accounts. The utility charges a higher rate per kilowatt during times of high demand and lower rates at low demand times.

In many neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area, time-of-use peaks around mid-afternoon as residents arrive home from work and air conditioning surges. One way to counter time-of-use is to operate large appliances like laundry, dishwashing and pool heaters during off-peak times.

Another way is to optimize your solar system by position solar panels on the southwestern facing roof surfaces (something Sky Power Solar has years of expertise in). This produces energy when it costs the most. Plus, if you don’t end up using that energy, you can send it back into the grid and PG&E will credit you with the higher rate.