A lot of people consider their current electricity bill to be an inevitable part of life.
In actuality, there are a lot of things you can do to reduce it and save actual cash.
There is something on this list for everyone, even though some of these suggestions are more practical than others.
- Energy waste from heating or cooling a home when no one is home or while everyone is asleep can be decreased with programmable thermostats.
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs have a longer lifespan of up to ten times and consume up to 75% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs.
- If your hot water heater is outside in your garage, hot water heater blankets can save you a lot of money.
The cost of heating water usually makes up 14% to 20% of your energy expenditure. - Using low-flow, aerating faucets and shower heads can reduce the amount of costly hot water used.
- Instead of performing little loads, load your washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher before using them.
Whenever possible, use cold water to further save costs. - When not in use, turn off and disconnect appliances.
Just shutting off the lights when you leave a room can accomplish this. Many appliances, including your computer, DVD player, television, and many more, consume electricity even when they are turned off. To cut down on energy use, unplug these devices. - To reduce the expense of your air conditioning, use ceiling fans. The cooling action of moving air enables warmer weather thermostat settings.
- Over time, energy-efficient appliances can result in significant savings.
Appliances with the Energy Star® label, which is more recent, consume 20–50% less energy than typical household appliances. Comparing the savings to outdated appliances, the savings can be substantially higher. - In the summer, drawing the drapes or blinds will assist keep the house cool and save down on cooling expenses. It assists in keeping the chilly air out in the winter.
- Empty a few gallons of water out of the water heater’s bottom faucet once a year. This will assist in getting rid of the silt that builds up at the heater’s bottom and lowers efficiency.
- Examine the area surrounding your doors and windows for leaks.
Cheap weather stripping can really save you money and is simple and quick to install. - When not in use, unplug the chargers for your cameras, cell phones, and other batteries. Only having these chargers plugged in consumes a significant amount of “phantom” electricity.
- To stay warm in the winter, use an additional blanket and sweaters, and reduce the temperature on your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower.
- To cut down on using the stove or oven, cook more on the BBQ grill throughout the summer.
In addition to consuming a lot of electricity, the oven generates heat that must be removed from the house by your air conditioning system. - Hang to dry your clothing rather than using a dryer.
- Install attic fans to remove hot summer air from your attic. Your home is warmed by this hot air, which also increases the workload of your air conditioning system.
- If at all possible, install double-pane windows.
- Let some fresh air in by opening all of the windows in your home on those lovely spring and fall days, instead of turning on your air conditioning and heating.
- Enroll in the energy-saving program offered by your power company to receive a monthly credit of about 15% on your utility bill. This program involves a maximum 30-minute shutdown of your central air and heating system during periods of excessive energy consumption.
- Water your yard just once a week to conserve water and maintain its greenery. Your plants will benefit more from a once-weekly one-inch soak than from more frequent but sparser watering.
- Use the same water to wash and rinse your automobile after parking in the yard.
- Water the yard first thing in the morning so that more of it absorbs. During the day, water evaporates rapidly.
- Make use of windows and skylights to add additional natural lighting.
- Install solar panels to assist your home get free energy from the sun.
- Use your fireplace to help warm your home; install “heatilator” choices to distribute the fire’s warmth throughout the space.
These are a few strategies that everyone can apply to actually reduce their electricity bill costs.
Applying even a couple of these will significantly impact your monthly bill.
