Energy is expensive and wasting energy is tantamount to wasting money. Use of energy at home can be optimized and waste can avoided in two ways; by making changes in the lifestyle and installing energy saving devices at home.

Since it is difficult for many to make changes in the way they live, installing gadgets that can control and reduce the use of energy at home is the easiest way to reduce electricity bill monthly. The following 5 devices will help you to save energy at your home:

1) Low Wattage Bulbs.

The first step towards reducing energy consumption at home is to use low watt bulbs for lighting. Incandescent bulbs use more energy and the light they produce is not bright enough.

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps or LED bulbs. They use less power but produce brighter light. Additionally, they have longer life than incandescent bulbs. Using solar lamps is another way to reduce the home energy bill. It is estimated that the energy consumption can be reduced by more than half if low watt bulbs are used to light your home.

2) Thermostat Device.

Lot of energy is wasted by way of unnecessary home heating. You need only a pleasant temperature in the rooms and if you have a thermostat device that can be programmed to work the air conditioning system to just meet your needs, the air conditioner will not work when it is not needed. This will reduce your energy consumption at home.

It is claimed that about 50% of the energy used at home can be saved by using a programmable thermostat.

3) Surge Protection Device.

A surge protection device prevents electricity reaching electrical appliances in excess of the desired quantities. It also stops certain electrical appliances from using electricity when the appliance is not in use.

Keeping electrical appliances in a standby mode requires energy and there is no apparent work done by the appliances. In this case, it is a waste of energy and using a surge protection device will prevent these appliances from using electricity when they are not in operation.

4) Energy Star Electrical Devices.

When possible, buy electrical appliances which consume less energy. Improved technology has brought out a number of home appliances which require less energy compared to the old models. Those appliances which use less power bear an Energy Star logo. You can be sure that your energy consumption will be reduced if all your home appliances bear the Energy Star logo.

But of course, you need to plan your shopping and should have sufficient funds to replace your old appliances with new energy saving ones.

5) Bulbs That Light Only When Needed.

The lighting in your house can be limited to the times when you really need it. For example, if you have motion sensor lights, the light will be on only when you are in the room and when you go out of the room, the light will be put off automatically.

People sometimes forget to switch off lights when they leave their homes. This leads to waste of energy. Motion sensor lights can prevent this waste.

Another device you can use to control the lighting in your home is to fix light timers. Light timers light the bulbs only at times predetermined by the home owner. If you use these energy saving devices, the money you spend on buying them will be recovered within a short time by way of reductions in your energy bills every month.