If rent or own your own home, your electric bill may be an expense that you often forget about. That is until you find yourself in the dog days of summer and your electric bill is several hundred dollars more than what you were expecting. Sometimes, as the temperature rises, you can feel helpless in knowing that so too does your electric bill rise.
But brave adventurer, let not your heart be troubled! If are willing to travel the path of research and effort, you will find that there are ways to get your electric bill lower. Even the hottest of days will submit to your frugal efforts.
- Endure the Heat
- Properly Insulate Your Home
- Get a Smart Thermostat
- Invest in Power-Efficient Appliances
- Consider Getting Solar Panels
- Stop Leaving the Lights On
- Consider Gas Appliances
- Consider a Smaller Home
- Get an Apartment Where Utilities are Included
The simplest way to save on your electric is to simply not turn on the appliance that uses the most power: your air conditioner. This does not mean you have to bake in your own home, but it just means you need to be more conscientious when you should turn the ac on and when you could bear to have it off, like on a cool day.
Your electric bill might be sky-high because your home is poorly insulated. That means your house is constantly leaking precious cool air and being invaded by hot air. Making sure everything is properly sealed can save you a boatload in costs. You should be sure to take a look at the following places, as they are common culprits of air leakage:
1. Windows
2. Doors
3. Attics
4. Chimneys
If those areas are properly sealed up, you could start saving in no time!
Sometimes the best way to lower your electric bill is simply by managing your thermostat better. If you are not home, your AC does not need to be blasting. An easy way to be able to manage your thermostat is by getting a smart thermostat. These are thermostats that can be controlled by your smartphone, which means you can adjust your home's temperature no matter where you are. If you live in an area where wide temperature fluctuations are common, this would be a great investment.
That fridge or AC unit may simply be power guzzlers, costing you hundreds of dollars a month. Investing in high-quality, energy-efficient appliances is a great way to not only be mindful of the environment but also save on your monthly bill. You can buy washers, dryers, fridges, AC units, even lights in your you home that are energy efficient. The initial investment may be costly, but if you live in an area that requires you to use a lot of power, then the investment is worthwhile.
Depending on what specific energy-efficient improvements you plan on making, you may qualify for certain government grants or special low-interest loans. If it is something you really are interested in, financing for it is available!
If you own your own home and plan on living at that location for the long-term, solar panels may be a great investment. Solar panels let you generate your own energy, meaning you will not be pulling power from the grid, or at least not as much. Some electric companies will even pay you for excess power that you put into the grid!
As you can imagine, the downside to this method is the high cost of the initial investment. You do end up saving money in the long-run, but if you only plan on staying at the particular residence for a few years, the investment into solar will likely not pay the dividends you are expecting. However, it does have the added bonus of adding to the value of your home.
Turn off lights when you leave a room is a common command most of us heard growing up. However, the age-old saying still holds to timeless truth, though not just with lights. When you leave a room, turn off and unplug things that are not in use.
This is especially true if you plan on going on a vacation or other trip where you will be gone for a long span of time. Some appliances draw power even if they are not being actively used! Though it is only a little bit of power, every bit counts when you are trying to save on your electric bill.
If electric is not up your alley, perhaps gas appliances could catch your fancy. The gas appliance most people have is their furnace or their oven, but there are several other options. This includes your hot water tank and even your dryer. Natural gas is generally pretty cheap, and if you happen to live in a place where it never gets very cold, this might be an easy way to ease the pressure of a large electric bill.
This is a big step, but sometimes we simply end up with more house than we really need. This could be due to poor judgment on your first home purchase, or it could be due to the fact that your kids are all grown and gone. However, it is common sense that a smaller home takes less power to keep at a comfortable level. This also holds true for apartments where utilities are not included. Speaking of which…
For those of us who are renters, you may try to keep your eye open for an apartment with utilities included. Granted, the average cost of utilities is usually incorporated into your rent but having consistent expenses can make budgeting easier. If you happen to find yourself in a heatwave, you can also blast your AC guilt-free! If you are a renter in an area where it gets consistently hot, consider this option!
There are plenty of ways to save on your electric bill, some more involved than others. However, if you are willing to expend the effort, you can get your electric bills knocked down in no time!
10 Easy Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill
It's no doubt that homeowners take on a lot of expenses. Between homeowner's insurance, costs to maintain the lawn and appliances, and the various utilities that need to be paid monthly, the expenses can really add up. And so many of our daily activities add to the costs, and often, we don't even realize what we're doing in the process, especially as it relates to our utility bills.
There are a variety of strategies that homeowners can take to lower their utilities bills, in particular, their electric bill. As the world's demand for electricity is expected to grow at an alarming rate, adopting strategies to take your part in reducing the drain is a good way to feel good about your contributions in saving our planet, and your pocketbook will feel the benefit too.
Here are some strategies to help reduce your electric bill.
Check your doors and windows for leaks
Especially important for those living in colder climates or those that experience harsh winters, door and window leaks can make your home uncomfortable, but also make your heater work harder than necessary. Caulking, weather stripping, and/or replacing the seals on your windows and doors will help prevent cold air from entering or hot air from slipping away. Further, you will benefit from reduced outside noise, less pollen and dust working its way into your home, improved humidity control, and a lesser chance of ice dams building up on your roof or eaves.
Add extra insulation
Insulation, especially when added to your attic, will help to keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. This allows your heater to work more efficiently as your home is already more temperate.
Invest in a programmable thermostat
According to Energy Star, approximately 45% of a home's energy is utilized for heating and cooling, and often times, a large portion of that goes to heating or cooling unoccupied spaces. You will also find that you can adjust the temperature lower for sleeping, and you may even find that you sleep more comfortably with the temperature turned down a few degrees. For every degree you turn your thermostat down, you will use 1% less energy. With a programmable thermostat, you can control the temperature when you are away from the home, when you are sleeping, and to account for weather predictions.
Wash your laundry with cold water
Many clothing designers and fabric specialists indicate that washing your clothing in cold water will help your clothing to last longer. But, it is estimated that over 60% of those in the United States still wash their laundry in warm or hot water. Note that of the total energy use produced by a single load of laundry, almost 75% of it comes from warming the water itself. According to Consumer Reports, if you do an average of 300 loads of laundry each year, you could save $60 or more, just by switching the loads to cold.
Let your laundry dry naturally
If you have an electric clothes dryer, know that they are often more expensive to upkeep than their gas counterparts. Also, electric dryers heat up more slowly and as a result, take longer to dry your clothes, which means that electric dryers use more energy. If you have the means or space to do so, consider drying your clothes outdoors on a clothesline, or by using a drying rack in your laundry space. Many who use this method already will tell you that clothing dried outdoors or naturally on a rack often smell fresher than clothing dried in a dryer. Further, there is additional cost savings by not needing to buy dryer sheets, and you will subject your clothing to less chemicals.
Unplug your appliances when not in use
We're not suggesting that you should unplug your large appliances such as your washer, dryer, or microwave. But, consider unplugging the coffee maker, phone charger, hair dryer, curling iron, and other small appliances that continue to pull electricity even when not in use. And, if you are using a portable fan in the summer to help reduce the drain on your air conditioner, be sure to unplug that too when the unit is not in use.
Replace air filters once per month
Not only will this be better for your health by removing allergens and other accumulated dust from your home, dirty air filters are known to restrict airflow which causes air conditioning units to work harder.
Use LED light bulbs wherever possible
LED light bulbs use between 80% and 85% less energy than incandescent bulbs. And, LED bulbs are no longer as expensive as they used to be, on top of the fact that they last longer than incandescent bulbs; approximately 50 times longer.
Replace your air conditioner
While this sounds like an expensive undertaking (and it is), if you have an older unit, you may find that replacing it will be more cost-effective than repairing it. Plus, today's more modern air conditioners are more efficient than those produced even just a few years ago. You may find that your new unit will cost you almost one-third less in your electric bill than an older unit.
Wear comfortable clothing
This might sound like a no-brainer, but when you are dressed comfortably and according to weather conditions, you will be more comfortable in your home, and will be less likely to turn up the heat or the air conditioner. By wearing a warm sweater or sweatshirt and cozy socks in the winter, you will likely find that you can adjust that thermostat down a degree or two. And by dressing in light, moisture-wicking clothing in the summer, you'll be less likely to reach for that air conditioner remote.
You may find that some of the above suggestions are easier to adopt than others. But even trying two or more of these strategies will make you feel better about what you are doing for the environment, and will help you start to see the numbers on that monthly electric bill on the decline.
