Saving energy, and thus saving money on utility bills, is important to most people here in Wichita. Many suggestions and ideas are out there on how one can best go about saving energy in their home. Following the wrong advice, however, can cost you in both money and comfort. Here are six common energy-saving myths, and some valid suggestions about how you can save money and energy instead:

  • Appliances and gadgets which are turned “off” do not use energy. Most appliances and gadgets consume small amounts of energy when plugged in but turned off. Avoid this loss of energy by unplugging such things as televisions, microwaves, phone chargers and computers when they are not in use.
  • Lowering the thermostat more will cool your home faster. This is not true, and actually will cost you more money in the long-run. To help your home cool more efficiently, seal all air leaks, have your A/C serviced by a professional, and if your unit is out of date consider installing a new A/C that is more efficient.
  • Screen savers on your computer save energy.  This is an extremely common misconception. Instead, have your computer set to automatically turn off with non-use in order to save energy.
  • Solar panels don’t collect energy on a cloudy day. Your solar panels may not be able to collect as much energy on an overcast day as they do on a sunny day, but they will still collect energy.
  • Turning lights and appliances off and on consumes more energy than just leaving them on. False. Turn things off when not in use and you are guaranteed to save energy.
  • You can’t use energy-saving LED in traditional lamps. This used to be the case, but is not true anymore. LED and other energy-saving bulbs come in all shapes and sizes now and will fit in most traditional lamps.

For more information on energy-saving myths, and how to truly save energy in your Wichita home, contact our professionals at Comfort Systems. We have been serving the people of Wichita Kansas since 1996.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wichita, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about energy savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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