Practical Energy Savings Tips for Edmonton Homeowners (Plus How Much You’ll Actually Save)

Looking for some energy savings tips? The cost of utilities has skyrocketed recently – meaning higher monthly bills for Edmonton homeowners. Luckily, there are numerous ways to help cut energy costs. With these practical energy savings tips, you could save hundreds of dollars throughout the year. Here, we’ll break down our top energy savings tips and show you how much you can save!

Ready to dive in? Here are our top energy savings tips.

5 Energy Savings Tips & How Much They’ll Save You

If you’re looking for ways to save on your energy bill, these energy savings tips are the best way to cut costs. Not only are these energy-saving strategies simple, but they’ll also provide you with the most savings.

Energy Savings Tip #1 – Lights Out

To help reduce your electricity bill, be sure to turn off the lights in your home (and yard) when they’re not needed. Even if you’ve upgraded to energy-efficient LED bulbs, you can still save money by simply turning off lights that aren’t in use. If you don’t have ENERGY STAR-certified light bulbs, now is the time to make the switch. These bulbs can help you use 90% less energy.

Better yet, use as much natural light as possible to avoid turning on your lights during the day!

How much can you save by turning off your lights?

According to Energy Star, turning off just one 60-watt light bulb can help you save up to $15+ per year. Even if a light is turned off for an average of four hours per day, you’ll see cost savings of nearly $10 per year – per bulb.

Pro Energy Savings Tip: Be mindful of where certain lights in your home, like lamps, are located. Why? Well, certain lights (e.g. lamps) let off heat. If you have a lamp, or other heat-producing appliance, near your AC thermostat, you may be unintentionally increasing your energy bill. This is because your thermostat may be able to detect heat. Therefore, it will signal your AC to start cooling more often – even when it’s not necessary.

Energy Savings Tip #2 – Shorter Shower Time

Hot water is another extremely expensive home comfort cost. Thankfully, by cutting your shower time by just a little bit, you can save a ton of money. In fact, by reducing the length of your shower by just one minute, you’ll be able to save on your utility bill!

How much money will you save by taking a shorter shower?

According to the City of Calgary, a five-minute shower can use up to 100 L of water! This means that by shortening your shower by just one minute, you could save $15 per year. Keep in mind, this is per person. Therefore, if two people in your home cut their showers by one minute (each), you’d be looking at $30 in savings. 

Energy savings tips like this can be extremely helpful for families. Just imagine the savings if a whole family cut back their showers by just one minute!

Tip #3 – Avoid Phantom Power

Phantom power, or standby power, is the energy that is used by an electronic device that is plugged in but not in use. On average, this wasted power accounts for up to 10% of a household’s annual electricity bill! 

To avoid throwing away money on standby power, unplug electronics that aren’t in use. For example, unplug your:

• Coffee machine and or/kettle after using it in the morning
• Toaster
• TV and lamps when you go away on vacation, etc.

How much can you save by unplugging unused electronics?

By unplugging your electronics when they aren’t in use, you could save $50 to $150 per year in electricity costs!

Tip #4 – Adjust Your Thermostat (Slightly)

Heating your home can get expensive – especially during a cold Edmonton winter. Therefore, our list of energy savings tips wouldn’t be complete without a thermostat suggestion. While we’d never recommend turning down the heat so much that the temperature in your home is unbearable, we will suggest adjusting your thermostat slightly. 

According to Direct Energy, for every degree you increase your heat (or decrease your AC), you are using 6% to 8% more energy! Therefore, by lowering the temperature by just one or two degrees, you could save a ton. 

Another option is to install a smart thermostat. This technology can help reduce energy consumption by adjusting the temperature in your home when you’re not there, or even at night while you’re asleep. By using a smart thermostat, you could save up to 20% on your utility bill!

How much could adjusting your thermostat save you?

If you’re willing to turn the temperature down by just two degrees, you could save up to 5% on your energy costs. Want to take it a step further? If wearing an extra sweater doesn’t bother you, try turning down your thermostat by 5 degrees. This will help you save up to $90 every year!

Energy Savings Tip #5 – Lower Your Hot Water Temperature

Have you ever checked to see what temperature your hot water heater is set at? Chances are, it’s set much higher than it needs to be! By lowering the temperature, you can reduce your utility bill – and you probably won’t even know the difference! Even more importantly, a lower water temperature will help minimize the buildup of minerals in your hot water unit. As a result, your hot water heater will run better and last longer.

How much can reducing your hot water temperature save you?

Reducing the temperature of your hot water by just 11 degrees Celsius (from 60°C to 49°C), you could save up to $60 per year in utilities!

Tip #6 – Change Your Furnace Filter Regularly

A dirty furnace filter can cause a lot of issues. In fact, if you’re ever having a problem with your furnace, we recommend checking the filter first. This quick furnace fix could help you solve the problem – without the need to call a furnace repair company!

If your furnace filter is clogged, the furnace will have to work harder. This results in increased energy costs and a shorter lifespan. Therefore, it’s important to replace your filter regularly. By doing so, you can save a lot on your utility bill. 

Pro Energy Savings Tip: Change your furnace filters every three months (roughly).

How much money can you save by ensuring your furnace filter is replaced regularly?

If you stay on top of furnace filter changes, you can expect to save up to 15% on your utility bill! Assuming you have a gas furnace and your monthly gas bill is around $200, this would be a cost savings of $30 per month or $360 per year!

BONUS Energy Savings Tip (to Really Stack the Savings)

If you have an older furnace, AC or hot water heater, the best way to reduce energy consumption (and your monthly bill) is to upgrade to a new, highly-efficient appliance.

Thanks to new technology, the efficiency of furnaces, AC units and hot water heaters have improved drastically in recent years. For example, new tankless water heaters are 35% to 80% more efficient than traditional hot water tanks! As a bonus, you’ll never run out of hot water with a tankless water heater.

If you’re in the market for a new furnace, AC or water heater, a high-efficiency unit is your best bet. ENERGY STAR-certified appliances provide the best energy savings. High-efficiency models may cost more upfront but will help you save significantly on energy costs over the years. This can amount to hundreds of dollars in savings.

Here are our top picks for energy-efficient home comfort appliances for Edmonton homes.

[IMAGE – Amana furnace, Trane AC, Bradford White tankless water heater]

Best Energy-Efficient Gas Furnace

When it comes to furnaces, the heating experts at ProSolutions recommend gas. This is because gas furnaces are more energy-efficient than electric furnaces.

Our top pick for the best energy-efficient gas furnace is the Amana AMVM97 High-Efficiency Modulating Variable Speed Gas Furnace. This furnace offers extreme efficiency with an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating of 98%. In addition to being exceptionally efficient, the Amana HVAC brand is extremely reliable, making it the perfect option for Edmonton homes.

Most Energy-Efficient AC

When our clients are looking for a top-of-the-line AC unit, we recommend the Trane XV20i TruComfort Variable Speed Air Conditioner. This AC is the most efficient model manufactured by Trane, with a SEER rating of up to 22. The Trane XV20i also comes with built-in TruComfort technology. This innovative technology automatically adjusts the temperature in your home based on your needs and preferences. Not only will this result in a consistent and comfortable environment, but it can also help you save on energy costs.

Trane is one of the best air conditioner brands available. As a result, this is one of the most reliable and efficient AC models. Edmonton homeowners can go wrong with this ENERGY STAR-certified home comfort appliance.

Highest Efficiency Water Heater

The Bradford White Infiniti Tankless High-Efficiency Gas Water Heater is ProSolution’s go-to model for maximum energy savings. As we mentioned, a tankless water heater can help you reduce your energy consumption by up to 80% – and this tankless water heater is one of the best on the market.

The Bradford White Infiniti Tankless water heater is ENERGY STAR certified for maximum energy savings. It is also manufactured using top-quality materials for a longer lifespan and fewer repairs.

Total Savings

Now that we’ve discussed our top energy savings tips, let’s take a look at the total amount of money you could save from implementing these changes.

Considering only the small and simple modifications discussed above, you could save up to $705 per year. Here’s a breakdown:

• Turning off two unused lights per day: $30
• Reducing your shower by one minute: $15
• Unplugging all your electronics when they aren’t in use: $150
• Turning down your thermostat by 5 degrees: $90
• Turning down your hot water temperature by 11°C: $60
• Changing your furnace filter regularly: $360

Take it a step further and install a new AC, furnace or hot water heater. With high-efficiency home comfort appliances, you’ll be looking at even bigger savings!

Start Saving on Energy Costs with the Help of ProSolutions

Ready to take the leap and install an energy-efficient heating, cooling or hot water system? ProSolutions is here to help.

As local homeowners, our expert technicians feel your pain when it comes to increasing energy costs! Therefore, we’re committed to helping you choose the best furnace, AC or water heater for your home. After getting to know a bit about your budget and requirements, we’ll recommend the appliance with the highest efficiency possible. Then, we’ll install the unit and ensure it’s perfectly calibrated for the local conditions. Not only will you save on energy costs, but you’ll also have a reliable appliance that runs efficiently for years to come.