Tips to Save Money On Your Energy/ Power Bill
- Jun 16, 2018
- 4 min read
Here are a list of 20 ways to save money on your energy bill while staying warm in winter & cool in summer. I have picked the best ideas/ tips that have worked for me personally or someone that I know. My favourite success story is a single mother of two getting her quarterly energy bill down to $160. Where we live, our energy bills come in quarterly which is every three months. I live in a five person household which consists of four adults & one child. Our quarterly energy bill was averaging at $1500. After following these great tips, our quarterly energy bill is now $800 & still lowering, we just need to get everyone in the household to follow them!
1. CHANGE YOUR LIGHT GLOBES
Changing out your bulbs is like minting money. If you take a single 40-watt incandescent traditional bulb and replace it with a comparable LED bulb, you will save $4.10 annually (based on three hours of daily use.)
2. USE THE MICROWAVE INSTEAD OF THE OVEN
Opt for the microwave when you just want to reheat something small like a soup or piece of pizza. You’ll save up to 80% of the energy you would use if you went with the oven method, according to the federal government’s Energy Star program.
3. SEAL DRAFTS AROUND DOORS & CLOSE THE GAPS & TRAP THE HEAT INSIDE
Use a door snake under the door, and seal up any gaps or cracks around your windows, doors, ceilings and floors.When you're using the heater, close the door to keep the heat inside the room. Then, when the room is warm enough, switch it off. Closing your curtains or blinds at night also helps to trap the heat in.
This was a huge problem in our house. We had drafts in all three of our doors & it took us a while to realize that was the reason why our house was always cold during winter, even with the heater running all day & night.
4. MAKE SURE THE ATTIC IS WELL INSULATED
This is still a huge problem for us. We are still waiting for our Real Estate to fix the issue. A well insulated attic will help keep the warmth in for winter & help the house stay cool in summer.
5. USE NATURAL SUNLIGHT FOR HEATING WHEN AVAILABLE
You may be surprised at how much natural sunlight can warm your home. In every room that has sunlight coming through, open the curtains wide to let it all flow in. As the sun rotates as the day goes on, shut the curtains in the rooms that have just soaked in the sunshine to keep it trapped in. Then, open up the curtains in the rooms that the sunlight is now shining through etc.
6. ZONED HEATING & COOLING
Close off rooms & vents in rooms that are not in use.
7. Installing a water-efficient showerhead can save a two-person household at least $160 a year on energy and water costs.
8. Do your laundry & dishes after 8pm because for some reason it's cheaper.
9. Switch off & unplug appliances when they are not in use. A shocking 75 percent of the energy used by home electronics is consumed when they're turned off. These "phantom" users include televisions, DVD players, stereos, computers and many kitchen appliances—basically anything that holds a time or other settings. A simple solution? Plug all of these items into power strips; then, get in the habit of turning off the strips between uses.
10. Use a hot water bottle instead of an electric blanket.
11. Use external shading, such as external blinds or canvas awnings, to keep the sun off the windows in summer
12. Wash your clothes in cold water. This can save you around $115 per year.
13. SAVE ENERGY IN THE KITCHEN
Thaw frozen food in your fridge to reduce cooking time. When you are cooking, use the microwave when you can – it uses much less energy than an electric oven. If you use the stove, keep lids on your pots to reduce cooking time. Use the economy cycle on your dishwasher and only run it when it's full.
14. GET OR DO AN ENERGY AUDIT
Many utility companies offer a free home energy audit to customers, and it's well worth taking advantage of. If there's no such program in your area, conduct your own energy audit instead. It'll clue you into areas where you could trim your energy use.
Click or copy & paste this link to conduct your own energy audit http://zipansion.com/1ZSZm
15. INSTALL DIMMER SWITCHES, IF POSSIBLE
The key to saving energy is within reach! Switch to dimmer switches, so you only use as much light as you need.
16. KEEP YOUR FRIDGE & FREEZER FULL
Everyone always tells you to keep the fridge closed. But did you know that keeping your fridge and freezer full can also save money? Food acts as insulation and lessens the amount of time that the fridge has to run to stay cool.
17. AVOID CLOTHES DRYERS
Line dry your laundry whenever possible.
18. TURN OFF HEAT DRY ON YOUR DISHWASHER
Most of the energy consumed by your dishwasher goes to heating water. Turn off the heat dry feature, and you'll minimize the drain.
19. BUY SOLAR PANELS, if you can afford it, sadly, we can't!
20. Buy extra blankets, jumpers, jackets & warm socks. Use these instead of running the heater all day.
For more detailed information on how your energy usage works, saving money & a whole lot more; click or copy & paste this link http://zipansion.com/1ZRaq
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