15 Electricity Saving Devices for Homes (That Actually Work)

Tired of paying money to the utility company and from the different scams that promote home power saving devices that don’t actually work?

You have come to the right place!

I’m an electrical engineer and certified energy manager with more then ten years of experience, and I have written this list of the best electricity saving devices for home so that you know what can really help you and avoid the magical boxes and power saver scams out there.

15 Electricity Saving Devices for Homes

1 – Infrared Thermometer Temperature Gun

These are devices that you can use in order to easily measure the temperature of different surfaces.

How can this device help in saving electricity at home?

You can use these IR thermometer guns in order to inspect the walls of different rooms in order to find spots that are higher (during summer)/lower (during winter) in temperature compared to other spots near them.

Having such spots means that the insulation there is poor or doesn’t exist in the first place.

And since cooling and heating systems are amongst the biggest electricity consumers at homes, these spots with poor insulation cause unnecessary consumption of energy through these systems in order to compensate for the lost hot or cold air.

By using this device to find such spots, and fix the insulation there, the IR thermometer gun can be a real home energy saving device that costs a very small investment.

One affordable option is the Etekcity Lasergrip 1080 non-contact digital laser infrared thermometer temperature gun.

Or the BLACK+DECKER Thermal Leak Detector (In the image above).

2 – Solar Powered Generators

You can utilize the energy coming from the sun even if you don’t want to install a complete solar panel system for the house.

There are many available solutions to do so, including portable solar powered generators that can generate electric energy through small solar panels, and store it inside a battery/power station that comes with different outlets that allow you to power different devices that work on 110V AC, 12V DC, a USB output, …etc.

There are many different options available, each one with different features, voltage output levels, and overall power storage capacity.

Some of the most popular Solar Power Generator devices that can save electricity at home are:

• The Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 160, 167Wh Lithium Battery Solar Generator.
• The EF ECOFLOW Portable Power Station RIVER, 288Wh Backup Lithium Battery with 3 600W (Peak 1200W) AC Outlets & LED Flashlight.
• Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 500, 518Wh Outdoor Solar Generator Mobile Lithium Battery Pack with 110V/500W AC Outlet.
• The Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240, 240Wh Backup Lithium Battery, 110V/200W Pure Sine Wave AC Outlet.

3 – Solar Chargers

Instead of having a complete solar power generator that might be expensive, you can find solar charger devices that help save home electricity consumption by using them to charge certain devices.

Examples are:

• Portable Solar Phone Chargers.
• Solar Laptop Chargers, such as the BigBlue 63W Portable Solar Charger with Waterproof SunPower Solar Panel(Dual 5V USB+19V DC Output+USB-C Port).
• Solar E-Bike Charger.
• Solar Car Charging Station.

4 – LED Lights

Another proven home energy saving device is the LED light bulb, which uses as much as 80% percent less energy than halogen bulb, and they consume also less than the CFL light bulbs.

And despite the higher price of the LED bulbs, but the energy saving and the longer lifespan makes them amongst the best electricity saving devices for homes.

5 – Motion Detectors

Motion detectors can also work as energy-saving devices for homes.

The way motion detectors can help you is that by using them in places where people tend to forget lights or appliances turned on even after leaving.

This could be at entrance, stairways, corridors, in the kitchen, or in the bathroom.

The motion sensor device can be connected to the lighting circuit so that it automatically switches the lights on when someone gets in, and turns them off when everybody leaves that area, which is why these are among the devices that can lower electric bill in any place, not only at home.

Note that there are some types of LED lights that have built-in motion sensors inside them, like the Aukora 12W E26 Motion Activated Dusk to Dawn Security Light Bulb.

6 – Energy Star Home Appliances & Devices

The Energy Star program was developed by the US Department of Energy in order to encourage using energy efficient devices for homes and other occupations.

This program gives the Energy Star blue label to devices and appliances that are proven to be manufactured based on the criteria that guarantees efficient operation and electric energy saving.

When buying a new appliance or device for your home, or when replacing the existing old ones, consider searching for Energy-Star certified ones.

7 – Solar Powered Appliances for Home

Similar to the solar generator and solar chargers I mentioned earlier in this list of energy saving devices for home, there are some home energy saving appliances that come complete with their own solar energy collecting units, which allows them to work separately from the utility electric source, and you don’t need to research and separately buy solar generators or chargers for them.

Some examples of solar powered appliances for home are:

• Solar AC Split Units.
• Solar Attic Fans like the ones from Solatube (Image below).
• Solar Water Pump Stations.
• Solar Irrigation Systems.
• Solar Cookers like GoSun Fusion.
• Solar Cooler like GoSun Chill.
• Solar Water Heaters.
• Solar Outdoor Lights.
• Solar Lawn Mowers.

8 – Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers

AC units usually represent the biggest electric loads at homes, and in many cases, they are used ineffectively.

For example, in areas with high humidity, you might feel uncomfortable even though the AC unit has already lowered down the temperature to a comfortable level, and you would think that you need to set the AC temperature even lower.

However, the reason for the discomfort in this case is not the temperature, but the high humidity.

In this case, the solution in this case is to use the dry mode of the AC unit or system, which helps in reducing the humidity into a lower degree while consuming less energy.

And if your AC doesn’t have the dry mode, then you might invest in a dehumidifier that lowers the humidity to a comfortable level while saving electricity at home.

And the same for places with a very low humidity, where the use of humidifiers or evaporative coolers might be enough in order to give comfort, while consuming less electricity at home compared to using AC units.

9 – Portable Fans

Another device that can help you save on electricity bill in summer instead of using the air conditioner is the portable fan.

This work can be used to give comfort by circulating air if the temperature wasn’t too high.

They come in different sizes, and they can be powered using any utility power outlet.

And there are mini-fans that can be powered using the USB port from your laptop.

10 – Small Portable IR Space Heaters (In Some Cases)

Infrared space heaters are efficient in converting electricity into heat, but the AC units are more efficient when it comes to heating a complete closed area.

But in same cases, IR space heaters can be electricity-saving appliances for home.

For example, if you are alone in a big room, or in a space that is open to other rooms, then the IR space heater can be enough to give you enough heat to feel warm, and at the same time by consuming less electric energy than what an AC unit would use, and therefor, saving on electric bill during winter.

11 – Smart Thermostats

Smart programmable thermostats like the ecobee and Honeywell smart thermostats can help you in using the ac economically and stop unnecessary energy consumption.

What these thermostats do is that they can be programmed in order to turn the AC on and off based on a certain schedule that you set in advance based on the occupation of the house, so that you can ensure that the AC won’t be left on when no one is there.

12 – Storm Windows & Window Shutters

These also help in reducing the AC bill by creating a layer of insulation between the two sides of the window, and preventing the undesired heat transfer between the inside and the outside of the house.

13 – Automatic Door Closure

These low-cost devices can be considered electric energy saving gadgets for homes as they help you save electricity by ensuring that the doors of different rooms are always closed, so that you keep the hot or cold air in the room being heated or cooled down.

Dynasty Hardware offers a wide range of automatic door closers for different usage and door types.

14 – Water Saving Devices

Water saving devices can also be electricity saving devices for homes as they help in reducing the hot water consumption, which results in using less energy to heat water and move it in the pipes.

Examples of these are water saving faucet aerators and shower heads.

15 – PV solar system or Wind Turbine

Last but not least, after using all the above mentioned home electricity saving devices and appliances, if you still want to use less energy from the utility company, you may consider installing a solar PV system, or a small wind turbine, which generates energy to power the house.

And in many countries, you are allowed to give the excess generated electric energy at certain hours to the utility through a special tow-way meter, and you can withdraw from the utility when the system doesn’t generate enough electricity to power your house.

And at the end of each month, the utility will calculate the difference between the given and the withdrawn energy, and will only charge you for the difference if you have taken from them more than what you have given them.

Conclusion – Best Home Energy Saving Devices

There’s no single best device or gadget to save electricity at home.

The above list have 15 electricity saving devices for home that you can use based on your home’s structure, appliances, occupation, and location.

These are real electric power saver devices for house that work, unlike the scams out there like the power saver box called PowerVolt or Okowatt energy savers, or the power saving capacitors for homes that don’t reduce the electric bill.

Check out which of these are the best of you based on your situation.

And if you still need any help or if you have a question about any of the devices or appliances mentioned in this list, please, ask me in the comments’ section below, and I will be happy to help you out.

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