Energy deregulation have made it possible for the people of several states such as Texas to choose an electric company that will provide the electricity to power their homes or businesses. This power to select provided a competitive element to an otherwise monopolized industry. However consumers should continue to implement ways how they can conserve electricity.

Studies have shown that a typical household would spend 44% of their power bills on heating and cooling, another 33% on lighting and other general appliances, 14% on heating water and the last 9% for the refrigerator. Knowing this info would give homeowners an insight as to what areas they should focus on to conserve energy. The following are the top ways for homeowners to conserve electricity.

* Insulate Your Home

A large portion of the electric bill is spent on temperature regulation. This is due largely to heat exchange or loss in the home’s interiors due to poor insulation. With good insulation, the heating and cooling systems can work efficiently and would consume less energy in order to regulate the temperature.

The home should be checked for leaks that will allow heat or cold air to pass through. Check areas where insulation is weak allowing heat exchanges to occur, resulting in temperature imbalances inside the home that heaters or air conditioning would need to compensate.

* Set Your Thermostat to Comfortable Levels

Still on temperature regulation, limiting thermostat settings to maximum or minimum limits without compromising on comfort can give considerable savings on your electricity consumption. Connected to this is to give special consideration to the weather right outside your home. If it is relatively cold, there’s no need to set your air-conditioning to full blast which could get everyone in the home icy cold. On top of this, always maintain cleanliness of your air-conditioning to get the thermostat working as accurately as possible.

* Use Energy-star compliant Appliances

Use Energy-star compliant appliances and equipment to save at least 50% on energy used as compared to old and non-compliant appliances. Energy star is a rating system that indicates how efficient a particular appliance is. The better the rating is, the higher the energy savings the homeowner can realize.

* Unplug Appliances when Not in Use

Households do not realize that appliances kept plugged onto sockets or left in standby mode can still consume electricity even in minute trickles. If summed up together, these small consumptions can be quite considerable and would add up to your electricity bills.

* Use Compact Fluorescent Lights

CFL or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs consume 66% less energy compared to standard incandescent bulbs and gives off better luminescence. On top of that, CFL bulbs have longer lifespan, providing households with a better and more cost effective lighting system.

* Set Your Water Heaters to Minimum

Heated water need not be scorching hot for general use like bathing or washing clothes. You can set the temperature at a much lower setting just enough to maintain the heat in your water tank. The larger the tank, the higher its energy consumption would be.

Remember if you live in Texas you can also shop for a cheap electricity plan.

About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com