Best Answers To “How can I reduce my electric bill?”
Reducing cost on your electricity bill is possible. It requires discipline and might mean sacrificing your comfort.
Yet, you might want to consider your annual billings on electricity to give it a second thought.
With constant use of electricity, it is not likely for light bills to go down but rather go up.
Depending on the weather, you may think it is not possible to cut cost.
In this post , I have come up with smart ways to help you save money on your electricity use.
The average US resident use about 909kwh per month and around 10,909kwh per year.
This report is from the U.S Energy Information Administration.
In the U.K, an average household spends £1,254 a year on heating and power.
That makes energy one of the biggest annual expenses for U.K families according to Ofgem.
Saving money on your electricity bill need some change in your day-to-day activities.
Energy bills often eat up a large chunk of your income if not properly managed.
Sometimes energy bills results to be higher than expected, leading to frustration.
Unknown to you, these are the appliances that use the most energy:
· Air conditioner
· Dryer
· Water heater
· Refrigerator
Here are some general ways to save money on your electricity consumption.
Take note, seasons play a major role in how you practice these methods.
1. Unplug appliances that are not in use
Let me guess, you have at least 2 television sets in your home and they are always plugged in.
Keeping your television set on standby also consumes electricity unknown to you.
Unplugging your TV from the wall can save you up to 5% on your electric bill.
2. Use LED light bulbs
Traditional Incadescent light bulbs consume more energy than LED bulbs. You might want to consider switching to LED bulbs if you want to save cost.
Although LED lights are expensive, they cost less on the long term. Turning off unnecessary lights when not at home saves you money as well.
3. Use natural light
During summer periods or when the sun is usually out, make use of it. It is unnecessary to have your light bulbs turned on when you have natural light.
But, make sure you make use of your curtains to regulate direct sunlight coming inside.
4. Use smart power strips
Using smart power strips is a good way to shutting off power to electronics on standby.
It is estimated that 75% of energy consumed by household is used when they are switched off.
Smart power strips are automated to off at an assigned time through remote switches.
5. Switch off lights and electrical appliances when not in use
Turn off your cooling units, computer or wifi routers when you go to bed or leave the house.
As stated before, appliances left at standby consumes more power.
Turning appliances off at power point can save more power and money.
Most computers have energy saving settings that turns off the computer after an inactive period.
You can configure your computer for sleep mode or shut it down when not in use.
6. Shut doors and close your windows
This will help you keep your comfort while trying to keep a low energy bill. It is quite simple.
People staying in hot climate should shut doors to areas that are not in use. This would save you money on not having to heat the rooms in the house.
Likewise, in cooler climates, make sure your curtains or blinds cover the windows.
Ensure the house is air-tight and make sure the doors and windows are shut.
7. Regulate your washing cycle
You do not have to wash all day of the week. To save cost, wait until your washing machine is full before starting to wash your clothes.
You can save about $115 per year by using cold water to wash. Most of your clothes can be washed using cold water.
There are times where you might need to use warm water to remove some stains. But, the newer machines are capable of handling stains with cold water.
8. Make use of air dryer
Hanging clothes outside and use natural sunlight can save lots of energy.
Our forebears did, so why should we stop?
You are not going to get rid of your dryer because of winter periods. But you can take advantage of the warmer periods and save some money.
Remember that electric dryer is one of the appliances that consume much energy.
9. Save energy using the Refrigerator
Your refrigerator is one of the most expensive appliances to manage. It does often get switched off.
It is ideal to regulate the fridge temperature to 4 to 5 degree Celsius. And the ideal freezer temperature is minus 15 to minus 18 degrees.
Your freezer needs to defrost once every month. Unplug and remove all the food items. It is also good to use one central fridge to save cost.
Ensure the leave the refrigerator door open. When the door is open it takes longer time for food items to get cool. Also let food items cool or it would draw more power to cool things.
10. Dish washer
Use your dish washer only when full. Also make use of cold water to do your dishes.
11. Use a programmable thermostat
No one wants to come home to a too-hot or too-cold home after work.
Getting a programmable thermostat is one the most energy-efficient appliance available.
You can pre-set home temperature before leaving for work and one hour before you get home.
Most people use electricity more between 6-9pm and at most.
So while you are away from home, you can set your thermostat not to run while you are away. 30 minutes to 1 hour before you get home the thermostat kicks on.
You can save up to 10% a year on your home temperature by having a programmable thermostat.
By turning back your thermostat 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day.
Most people use electricity more between 6-9pm and at most.
12. Use surge protector
I am sure you don’t want a power surge to fry your appliances. You should get a surge protector.
Surge protectors are quite cheap to afford and protects your electronics from unwanted damages.
If you often leave your electronics on standby, ensure to plug them into a surge protector.
13. Lower your internet speed
Yeah, we are in a world now where we can’t do without having an internet connection.
You won’t be reading this if you didn’t have an internet around you.
You can save money by lowering your internet speed.
But this depends on how you use your network, how many people are in your household?
What you do most with your network (gaming, movies) and how often you do this tasks.
Lowering down your network speed saves your money on your electricity bill.
14. Run your air conditioner less
During hot periods, it is tempting to put on the air conditioner. This can raise your electric bills through the roof.
You can open the windows and use the fan to regulate the natural air. The fan uses less energy so it will save you money.
15. Avoid regular use of microwave
Before cooking, thaw frozen food in the refrigerator before cooking. This saves you cooking time and not using the microwave.
16. Using the dishwasher
Wash your dishes only when it has full loads. Also air drying your dishes would save your energy as well.
This would save you energy and water as well.
17. Take shorter showers
Taking shorter showers will reduce the amount of time the water heater stays on. This also helps you save water as well.
18. Clean or replace HVAC filters
Clean or replace your HVAC filters every month to help out your AC. If your filters are often clogged, your AC won’t work as usual.
19. Use renewable energy
You can use solar light in your house. You may need to invest on them, but they are cheap on the long run.
Its energy gets charged during the daytime from the sun.
Have a company install a solar panel on your roof to provide electricity to your house. Or you could use solar lights outside your house.
20. Install motion sensors
Motion sensor would help when you forget to turn off light in rooms in your house.
For example, it would be ideal to be placed in your kids’ bedrooms. With motion sensors, you don’t have to worry about light being on.
21. Consider your dressing
Wear suitable clothes according to weather conditions. This would help you reduce the use of heater and air conditioner.
22. Use your grills
During the summer, ditch your oven and do more of your cooking outside.
The heat from the oven adds to the heating of the house. This results to making use of the AC unit, hiking your electric bill.
23. Spend more time in the basement
During the day, it is no secret heat rises. Spending more time in the basement helps you not make use of your air conditioner.
24. Call your electric company
When you notice your rates have started going up, call your electric company.
When you call them ask them for any programme that your family qualifies for.
You would be asked a series of questions to know if you are qualified for any programme.
How to save money on electricity consumption in the winter
1. Lower the heater
During winter, people keep their heater at around 68 to 70 degrees. If it means putting on a sweater or a pair of slippers, do it to save cost.
During the late night hours, you can reduce the thermostat in room. The human body emits body heat at night so it is doable.
2. Use fireplace or wood burning stove
Use a fireplace or wood burning stove to heat your home. The price of wood in winter season is less expensive than running your heater.
3. Open the blinds
In the morning, start your day by letting the sunshine in. This can help take the morning chill out of the house.
How to save money on your electric consumption in the summer
1. Open the windows at night
Use the free air conditioner. At night, the atmosphere tends to be cooler, take advantage of this. Open the windows.
2. Don’t cook
Summer is a great time to have a salad for dinner. Vegetable are great. This is the best time to live on a diet.
Not only does cooking take electricity, it heats up your home. This is the best time to make use of your grill.
3. Ditch the dryer
If you have a cloth line in your house, this is the best time to use it. If you don’t have a cloth line, then get one.
Put a little effort to spread your wet clothes outside the natural air. This can help you save cost on an electric dryer.
Conclusion
If you want to save cost on your energy bill, you might have to give up your comfort a little.
Or have to invest a little to save cost on the long run.
Yet, saving cost is beneficial as you can channel your money into other plans you have.
