WORCESTER, Mass.—We’re all looking for ways to save money on our utility bills. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicts families will pay 17.2 percent more for home heating this winter, reaching a level not seen in more than ten years.
Fortunately, Mass Save offers free home energy assessments and provides four free devices that can help you reduce your heating, electric and water bills.
Boston 25 visited National Grid’s Sustainability Hub in Worcester to learn more about these four devices.
ADVANCED POWER STRIP
An advanced power strip looks similar to a traditional surge protector, but this power strip will reduce your “vampire energy use”—the electronics that sap your power even when you’re not using them.
National Grid Senior Program Manager Leah Berger said an advanced power strip will reduce your electricity bill by $50 annually.
“This is going to reduce again your standby power consumption, if it’s a gaming system or a sound system, when your TV isn’t on,” Berger said. “We encourage this to be installed in a TV home entertainment system or a computer with other systems attached to it.”
LOW-FLOW SHOWER HEAD
Traditional shower heads release 2.5 gallons of water every minute. A high-efficiency shower head will reduce that rate to 1.5 or 1.7 depending on the model.
Berger said a low-flow shower head can shave $5-10 off your electric bill annually and reduce water consumption by 20-30 percent.
“A low-flow showerhead can significantly reduce your water consumption so you’re going to save on both your water bill and your energy bill because you’re reducing the amount of hot water your using when you shower,” Berger said.
FAUCET AERATOR
Same concept as the low-flow shower head, only these faucets will go on your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
“The faucet aerator has a mesh screen on it which is going to help reduce the water flow but still ensure that you still have water pressure coming out your faucet,” Berger said. “It does the same thing the [low-flow] shower head does. It’s going to restrict the water flow out of your faucet.”
PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT
A digital thermostat will allow you to program temperature settings for different days of the week. Berger says for every degree you lower your thermostat, you can cut one percent from your heating bill.
“Overall if you were to implement two or four or just one of those devices you’re going to notice an improvement,” said Taylor Loubris, National Grid’s Sustainability Hub manager. “All of those things add up and over time you’re going to see the savings, it’s going to reduce that amount of energy that you’re using.”
To make an appointment, call Mass Save at 1-866-527-SAVE (7283) or fill out an online energy profile here.
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