How Can You Make Your Home More Energy Efficient?

Modern-day appliances can make your life much easier, allowing you to prepare food and perform cleanup with much less labor. But it's important not to use these appliances thoughtlessly, or you can end up using (and paying for) more energy than you need. Use the following four tips in the kitchen to save money on your energy bills.

1. Turn Off Your Dishwasher's Heat Drying

Your dishwasher may have an on/off switch for the heat-drying setting. If so, keep this switched to off at all times to save energy. If your dishwasher doesn't have this switch, it may have an energy-saving cycle option that doesn't include heat drying. Or, if your dishwasher has none of these options, you may need to get a bit more creative.

First, time the cycle so that you know how long it takes to get through washing and rinsing. Then set a timer when you turn on each load, and turn the machine off when the timer is done counting down. This method will let you manually prevent your dishwasher from using the heat-dry cycle and allow your dishes to simply air dry instead.

2. Leave the Ice Maker off When Not in Use

Did you know that your built-in icemaker could be using about a fifth of your refrigerator's total energy draw? It depends on the model and the age of your refrigerator, but in many cases, turning the icemaker off can result in significant energy savings.

If you want to save the most possible energy, leave the icemaker off and use an ice cube tray to make your own ice. Or you can switch the icemaker on when you want ice, then switch it off afterward so it won't keep using up power 24/7.

3. Keep Appliances Maintained

Like your HVAC system and hot water heater, your kitchen appliances can receive a boost in energy efficiency and functionality when you keep them clean and in good order. The reverse is also true; run-down dishwashers and refrigerators waste energy and don't work as well. Here are a few ways to keep your kitchen appliances running optimally:
Keep your refrigerator and freezer at the correct temperatures so that they keep food safe but don't waste energy.

These maintenance tips will help you keep your appliances running cleanly, smoothly, and efficiently for optimum energy savings.

4. Use Your Crockpot

Cooking a meal in a smaller appliance, such as a crockpot or toaster oven, can use less energy than firing up your family-sized kitchen oven. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use your oven, of course. But for small, simple meals, the crockpot may be a great fit. And if you're just making toasted cheese sandwiches, the toaster oven may work fine.

You can also reduce daytime heat gain in the summer by using your oven in the evening after temperatures have cooled down a bit. This tip works for the dishwasher as well. It may not seem like a big deal, but adding heat in the cooler evening can stress your AC system less (the more stressed the system is, the less efficient it becomes).

Use these five tips to make your cooking and dishwashing more energy-efficient and eco-friendly. Contact  South Alabama Electric Co. for more information on energy-efficient kitchen use.

Power outages are a year-round phenomenon in many parts of the US. Between snow and ice storms in the winter, and severe thunderstorms in the summer, our nation's power grid is constantly being put to the test. If your power goes does out, here are a few tips to help you through.

When your power goes out, one of the first things you should do is determine if your neighbors have power. If they do, then the outage is localized to your home; if not, you're part of a larger outage.

If your house appears to be the only one affected, take a look at your electrical panel - it's possible that the main breaker became overloaded and tripped. If everything looks fine at the panel, you should report the outage to your electric utility right away.

If your neighbors are also out of power, you should still report the outage - don't make the mistake of assuming your neighbors have already called it in. Your electric company uses these reports to determine the scope of the outage, so the more reports, the better.

Unplug Sensitive Electronics

It's a good idea to unplug sensitive electronics after a power outage occurs. Things like computers, televisions, and microwaves can be damaged or even destroyed by a sudden power surge. It's also smart to invest in some high-quality surge protectors for these devices, as power surges can occur at any time.

Put Perishable Food on Ice

If it looks you'll be out of power for a while, you'll want to take steps to protect the food in your refrigerator and freezer. Pack your food into coolers with ice, or pack bags of ice directly into your fridge and freezer. If you have a meat thermometer, you can check food for spoilage before eating it.

Make It Fun for Your Kids

A power outage can be a great opportunity for some family bonding time. In this gadget-dominated era, it can be a relief to unplug for a bit and enjoy the company of loved ones. If you have young kids, grab some flashlights, make a blanket fort, and read stories. Why not create some new memories?

Using a Generator Indoors

If you have a generator, leave it outside. Running a generator indoors exposes you and your family to deadly carbon monoxide, so don't risk it. You also shouldn't run it in an attached garage, as the fumes can still make their way into your home.

Burning Candles

A burning candle might create a pleasant ambiance, but if someone knocks it over, you're going to have bigger problems than a power outage. Stick with flashlights and portable battery-powered lanterns.

Opening the Refrigerator / Freezer

Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible. There's a limited amount of cold air in there, and every time you open the door, you're letting a bunch of it out. So if you want your food to last, keep the doors shut.

Go Near Pooled Water or Power Lines

If your basement or crawlspace is flooded, stay out of the water. If the power goes back on while you're down there, it could electrify the water - and, by extension, you.

If you venture outdoors, you should also exercise caution. Stay far away from any downed power lines, as they often electrify whatever they come in contact with, including the ground.

Power outages aren't most people's idea of fun, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. By following these simple tips, you can keep yourself and your family safe - and create some new memories in the process.

The particularly harsh winter weather has taken its toll on southern states that are not accustomed to such frigid temperatures. Some homeowners are considering how they can best keep their houses warm without breaking the bank with sky-high electric bills.

Fortunately, you can choose from several options that can save money while providing sufficient heating when the chill of winter settles on your home.

The efficiency of your heating system doesn’t matter if the warm air in your home is able to escape while cold air enters through inadequate insulation and weatherproofing.

Home Heating Components

If you're in the South Alabama, Mississippi Coast, or Florida Panhandle areas, and you need electrical services, contact South Alabama Electric Co. for warm and friendly service.

As a business owner, the wiring in your building likely doesn't cross your mind during day-to-day operations. It's out of sight, hidden behind your drywall, and as long as your electricity is working properly, you may think you have nothing to worry about.

However, if your business is in a building that was built more than 20 years ago, chances are it has outdated wiring that poses a fire hazard. This post explains why outdated wiring in the building your business calls home should concern you and why you should consider installing a new commercial wiring system.

Equipment that relies on electricity for power has made significant advances over the last two decades. As such, the power needs for modern businesses have changed dramatically. Unless the wiring in your building has received an update, it's likely to have a low amp commercial wiring system.

This system is designed to handle a lower electrical current than what today's commercial business equipment and electronics need. Using low amp wiring puts a strain on your electrical system because the building isn't designed to accommodate the required power.

Unfortunately, low amp wiring poses a fire hazard to modern businesses. When you use equipment that needs a higher current on an old system, it can cause the wires to overheat and spark a fire. Old wiring is a common cause of fires in office buildings.

The wiring in your building is essentially a highway of power carrying electrical currents from outlets to your main power hub. The wires that thread throughout your walls aren't indestructible.

The life span of a wiring system is about 30 years. Over time, the plastic, rubber or other material used to insulate your wires naturally deteriorates and becomes frayed and damaged.

When the wiring deteriorates, it leaves bits of live wire exposed. As many of us know, exposed wire creates a fire hazard. An aging system with worn-out insulation that leaves wires exposed is vulnerable to power surges, overheating, shorting out and encountering other elements in the wall that can cause a fire.

Aluminum was a common wire material for commercial buildings and residential homes some 30 years ago. It was substituted for copper during a shortage in the 1960s and 1970s. The aluminum of the time turned out to be a poor choice for wiring material. It corrodes much faster than copper and is associated with fire hazards.

While today's aluminum is safe and reliable, copper wiring is most often used in modern commercial buildings.

If you have aluminum wiring in your business' building, it's only a matter of time before you experience electrical issues. You should also know that most commercial insurance policies don't cover aluminum wiring-related fire damage since it's a known hazard.

If your business resides in a building built in 1970, or before, the builder likely used an outdated wiring method. Even if your insulation is intact and the wires carry enough current for your needs, your building could still pose a fire hazard in the form of outdated wiring methods. Standardized wiring methods from 40 years ago are considered obsolete and they pose a significant safety hazard.

Older wiring methods utilized suspended wires that run through studs and joists without a ground conductor. Instead of installing a new system, building owners of the past tended to modify this system to make it up-to-date. Unfortunately, improper modification of outdated wiring methods is another common cause of fires.

Outdated wiring poses a significant threat to your business. If you're considering replacing your outdated commercial electrical system, contact South Alabama Electric Co , for complete electrical services.

Energy efficiency is important for you, your home, your wallet and the planet too. If your electric bills are much more than you'd like to spend, taking a few steps to make your home more efficient can make a major difference. Don't worry, you don't have to spend a fortune updating your home with solar panels and a fancy new water heater just to beat the price of electricity.

You can increase your home's energy efficiency with a few pretty simple steps. After all, why spend your entire savings just to get back a few extra dollars? Okay, so it doesn't completely work that way. Even if you are spending just to save, you're doing more than keeping a larger part of your paycheck. You're saving the Earth and helping to reduce the impact that people have on it.

Whether you go big or start small, take a look at these easy ways to make your home more efficient and reduce energy use.

The sun shining through your living room windows provides plenty of gorgeous natural light. And yes, that may reduce your electric bill. Instead of turning on the overhead, you can sue what's shining in to keep things bright. But, if it's summer, that added heat from the sunlight is making your AC work harder than it needs to. That means it's using extra energy and raising your electric bill.

The same goes for the winter weather. If it's chilly outside and you have drafty, uninsulated, older windows, it's likely that you're losing heat. The more heat that flows out, the harder your furnace needs to work to keep your home comfortable. Again, your home is using energy it doesn't have to.

What can you do? In the summer use solar-blocking blinds or get UV-protective tinted glass to keep the rays from warming your home. In the winter, make sure that there are no gaps or cracks around your windows. When it comes to the windows themselves, choose newer, multi-pane glass that helps to insulate your home against the elements.

Speaking of insulation, make sure that everything (not just your windows) that leads to the outside is well-insulated. This includes your door frames, the attic, the basement and the garage spaces.

You're in the dining room eating dinner. So why are the playroom, living room and bedroom lights on? If you aren't in the room, turn the lights off. The same goes for electronics, such as your computer, or other energy-zapping appliances. If you aren't planning on using an electronic device or appliance for a while, unplug it too.

How can this help your home (and the environment too)? Electronic devices and appliance use combined make up roughly 20% of most home's energy bills. Cutting down your overall usage obviously cuts down your bill.

You can also use an advanced power strip to cut down on how much energy your "plugged-in" appliances and devices are using up.

Older appliances use more electricity than you may think. Even if you turn them off when they're not in use, they still cost you money - and cost the environment as well. Before buying all new appliances, check a cost savings calculator (ENERGY STAR offers an easy to use cost savings calculator n their website) to find out if it's worth it.

You wash small loads of laundry on the full-sized setting and sometimes you forget about the roast in the oven and leave it there for way too long. You're using excess energy. Simple changes in the way you clean and cook can lower your energy bills. Make sure to fill the washer all the way up (both the clothes and dish washers) before doing a load. Avoid overly hot water when you wash your clothes, dishes or anything else. This makes you water heater work harder and can raise energy usage.

Whether you're motivated purely by budgetary constraints or whether your focus includes living a green lifestyle as well as keeping your expenses down, saving money on your electric bill is a great place to start because it can do both. The less electricity you use this summer, the more you can reduce your environmental impact right along with your electricity bill.

Of course, living in the South in the summer can seem like a very difficult time to save energy because you may be running your AC unit nonstop just to stay cool, which can have a huge impact on your electric bill. But with a few savvy tips, you can save both money and energy this summer. Here are five ways to reduce your summer electric bill.

The more insulation your home has, the less difficult it will be to keep it cool, which can save you money and energy. You should especially concentrate on the attic (to insulate the roof) and the windows, though; these areas tend to let in a high percentage of all unwanted heat. If your windows aren't very energy-efficient, consider adding an insulating window film.

In your attic, even if there's already enough insulation, you can lay down more if you like. You can also and add a radiant barrier to boost its effectiveness.

These are relatively small measures, but they can make a big difference.

Summer is a great time to cook outdoors, especially because cooking indoors can make the room unbearably warm. If you do use your oven and stove a lot, try to do so when it's cooler, such as at night or in the early morning.

You can also wash your laundry in cold water, use a lower dryer setting (or hang clothes outside to dry), and replace your lightbulbs with more energy-efficient ones. All these strategies both reduce initial energy use and avoid adding extra heat to your home that you'd have to spend more energy extracting.

Shading your home is another great way to help reduce heat gain so that you'll be more comfortable with less AC use. Whether you plant bushes or vines near windows to shade them, plant trees in strategic positions so they'll grow to shade the house without overhanging it, or install window shutters and shade sails, these tactics can help you save energy on your cooling for the summer.

If you haven't already, it's a good idea to turn your water heater down to 120 degrees. This is generally hot enough for normal household use, and it's still cool enough not to burn as easily, which is why it's usually recommended to families who are childproofing their homes.

Luckily, it also means that your water heater won't be spending extra energy heating water to a higher temperature and then keeping it there all day waiting for you to use it.

Using appliances that are energy star certified is a great way to save energy year round. You won't want to go through and replace all your appliances right away, but if you have one you're planning to replace sometime soon, consider one of these energy efficient options.

These five tips will help you keep your household from expending unnecessary energy, adding extra heat to your home that you then have to use extra energy to expel, or letting too much heat in through walls and windows. If you'd like more tips on energy efficiency, instructions on turning your water heater's temperature down, or other energy-saving advice, feel free to call us today.