Cut Down Your Electricity Bill

Learning how to use energy efficiently can save you hundreds of dollars a year and help protect the environment. Some methods of conserving power can require sacrifice on your part. Others, however, only require a small investment of time and money, certain to pay off in the end. The variety of tactics available makes it easy for everyone to find something that works for them.

Steps

Saving Energy While Cooling Your Home

  1. Paint your house light colors. Dark colors attract heat. Painting your house (particularly your roof) white can naturally reduce how hot your house gets and how much you need to spend on air conditioning. [1]
    • A study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s heat Island group found that in warm weather houses with white roofs required 40% less energy for cooling than those with black roofs.
  2. Use appliances that produce heat during the night. Some appliances, like your oven, dishwasher, and dryer, will create heat that permeates throughout the house. Try to use these at night to reduce the need for air conditioning during the warmest part of the day.[2]
    • Alternatively, use a crockpot or microwave oven, which don’t produce as much as heat as an oven.[3]
    • Grilling outside is also a good way to cook without heating up your home.
  3. Check your air conditioning system. Your air conditioning can be extremely inefficient if it is not working properly. You can call a repair company for a consultation or do a bit of due diligence on your own.
    • Your AC can use too much power if it isn’t appropriately sized for your home. Window units, for example, are only intended to cool a single room.
    • Consider purchasing a new AC system. A new, high-efficiency system uses roughly half as much energy as 15-year-old system.[4]
    • You can personally check to see if an outside unit or heat pump is being blocked by anything. This can significantly increase your energy costs.[5]
  4. Change your filter monthly. A dirty AC filter can make it harder for your AC to pump air, increasing energy costs. Dirty filters can also cause your AC to break down prematurely, further increasing your expenses. You should try to change the filter once a month.[6]
    • Consider purchasing a permanent filter. These only need to be washed periodically. At a price of $20 to $40, you will recoup the cost of a permanent filter in about a year.
  5. Distribute your cooling consistently. If airflow is blocked in your home, your air conditioning system will work overtime to cool down the hard to reach places. Use a fan and verify that nothing is blocking the flow of air through your house.
    • A fan doesn’t exactly cool your home, but by pushing air around, it will distribute the heat better.[7]
    • Keep vents open. You might have forgotten that you closed a vent in your house. If so, your AC will keep on running to little or no effect.[7]
    • Keep doors open. If you do not, the air will not circulate properly.[5]
  6. Insulate your home from the heat. One good way to keep your home warm is to prevent the heat from coming in to begin with. This can involve some small home repairs, but often it just requires simple lifestyle changes.
    • Check for leaks in your weather stripping around your doors and windows, as well as holes around pipes and the circumference of your garage floor. Use caulk to close up any holes.[8]
    • Your home can get especially hot if you allow the sun in. Close your blinds during the middle of the day to keep your home cool.
    • Insulation in your attic floor should be approximately 12 inches thick. Do not put boxes on it or walk over it frequently, because this will compress the insulation and make it less effective.[4]
  7. Love the heat. Raising the temperature in your home by 2°C can reduce cooling costs by 5%. Wear lighter clothes (or none) to acclimate to a slightly higher temperature. Turn the AC down when you leave the house.
    • Purchase an automatic thermostat that will turn off when your house cools down. The EPA estimates that a programmable thermostat can save you as much as $180 per year; such thermostats cost as little as $25.[9]
    • Keep heat-producing appliances like lights away from the thermostat; these can throw off its readings.
    • Refrain from mopping, washing dishes, and washing clothes during the height of the day’s heat. These tasks produce moisture, which will make the house feel humid and uncomfortable.[5]

Saving Energy While Heating Your Home

  1. Check your furnace. You should have a professional check to see that your furnace is working properly. Replace the furnace filter monthly and verify that nothing is obstructing an outdoor heat pump.
    • Verify that your furnace is not on “emergency heat”. This will turn off energy-efficient settings and could double heating costs.[10]
  2. Close the fireplace. Fireplaces can be a good way to heat your home, but an open chimney also exposes you to the elements. Be sure to have a fireplace door that you can close. In extreme cold weather, starting a fire can be counterproductive, because it will also allow this cold air in.[10]
  3. Insulate your home. If possible, you should have a professional visit your house to see if you have any insulation problems. Check for leaks in your weather stripping around your doors, windows, holes around pipes and the circumference of your garage floor. Use caulk to close up any holes.[8]
    • On sunny days open your drapes to allow heat in.
    • Be sure that heating outlets are free from obstructions. Move furniture and drapery away from the vent. Clean the vent regularly to establish proper airflow.[11]
    • Know what to leave alone. An insulated garage, porch, and attic are usually not worth the money that it would take to heat them. Seal heat registers to save the expense of warming these spaces.[12]
  4. Learn to love the cold. Every degree that you lower your thermostat you are likely to see a 3% decrease in your energy bill. Wrap yourself up to stay warm and when you leave your house, turn the thermostat down 5 to 10°C to see substantial savings.[11]

Saving Money on Other Appliances

  1. Switch off power when you aren’t using it. Switch off the light bulbs and fans when not required. Since appliances also use power when they are plugged in, consider what you might be able to unplug altogether.
    • It can be good to get into the habit of walking around your home before going to bed. Check to see if you have accidentally left anything on or if there are any appliances that you can unplug.[13]
    • Turning off lights you don’t use can save $274 per year.[14]
    • In places where you spend little time, like the garage, consider installing timers that will automatically turn off your lights after a certain period of time.
    • To save time when unplugging appliances, consider purchasing a power strip. Turning off the power strip will immediately disconnect all of the appliances.[15]
  2. Buy Energy Star-certified products. Energy Star is a federal program that certifies products as energy efficient. An Energy Star product should save you money on your utility bills. Everything from light bulbs, refrigerators, TVs, washing machines, and furnaces can be Energy Star certified, though certain of these products will save more energy than others.[16]
    • Immediately replace your light bulbs. Replacing a single light bulb with a compact florescent bulb can save as much as $123 per year. Florescent lights also last longer, saving you money on replacement costs.[14]
  3. Wash with cold water. Washing clothes in cold water can save $152 per year. Washing clothes in warm water does nothing to make them whiter, brighter, or cleaner than they otherwise would be.[2]
  4. Air-dry clothing. Driers use considerable energy. You can save that by placing your attire on a clothes’ line. If you don’t have that sort of outside space, many department stores sell racks that make it easy dry several articles of clothing in a small space.[15]
  5. Set your water heater at 120°C. Anything higher than this puts you at risk of scalding yourself with hot water. Even in lieu of that eventuality, setting your water heater higher than 120°C will definitely hurt your bank account. The EPA estimates that setting your water heater 20°C higher could cost you nearly $500 a year.[17]

Handling your Power Finances

  1. Pick a provider. Some states, including Texas and Pennsylvania, allow you to pick your own power provider. When doing so, go to the official state power website for a comprehensive list of providers and rates. Beware, there will be imitations that provide biased information. When reviewing plans you should watch out for hidden fees.
    • Typically you will need to wait for your contract to expire before signing up for a new provider. Contact your power provider to see how long your contract lasts.
    • Beware of the difference between fixed and variable rate plans. Variable rate plans allow for hikes in your power price over the term of your contract. They often advertise low introductory rates that will only go up over time. Your state website might have a record of the company’s historic rates that will give you a sense of their average price.
    • Read the contract closely to see if the company charges if you, for example, talk to a service professional. It is also common to charge minimum usage fees. These can stick you with additional fees if you reduce your energy usage.[18]
  2. Check your meter. Sometimes your utility company might make mistakes when reading your meter. Check the meter readings at the end of the month and compare it to what you see on your energy bill. Call if you believe there is a discrepancy.[19]
    • When reading a meter you will see several dials. Read these dials from right to left to get a full measure of your kWh usage. When the dial is between two numbers, you should always estimate down to the lower number. Even if the dial is directly on a number, you should estimate down one.
    • Even if you find that your energy bill is correct, reading your meter can be a useful way to keep track of whether you have been able to manage your electricity usage.
  3. Save electricity with the off-peak reduced rates. Some power companies charge more for power used during specific times. Contact your service provider to see if this applies. If so, you will typically be charged less for power used during the evening. Try to perform energy intensive chores during this period.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-2.aspx
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/08/23/10-easy-ways-to-lower-your-electric-bill/2/
  3. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/08/23/10-easy-ways-to-lower-your-electric-bill/3/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/savings/air-conditioning.asp
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/savings/Summer_Energy_Saving_Tips.asp
  6. ↑ https://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/savings/Summer_Energy_Saving_Tips.asp
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://lifehacker.com/5953039/how-to-reduce-your-energy-bill-with-no-cost-or-sacrifice
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-8.aspx
  9. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-11.aspx
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51930
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cse.google.com/cse/home?cx=008953293426798287586:mje_rkjv8m0
  12. ↑ Cse.google.com/cse/home?cx=008953293426798287586:mje_rkjv8m0
  13. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-4.aspx
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/08/23/10-easy-ways-to-lower-your-electric-bill/4/
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/08/23/10-easy-ways-to-lower-your-electric-bill/3/
  16. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-10.aspx
  17. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-5.aspx
  18. ↑ http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Power-primer-How-to-shop-for-an-electric-company-5985504.php
  19. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-utility-bill-9.aspx
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Cut_Down_Your_Electricity_Bill&oldid=273506"