Simple Tips to Reduce Your Electric Bill
Stop giving all your money to the electric company! Try these realistic and simple tips to reduce your electric bill.
As electric bills skyrocket every one is looking for tips to reduce their electric bill. Some seem far fetched while others don’t do much. Here are some real tips to reduce your Electric bill and help take the sting out of opening that monthly statement.
Hot Water Heater
Running a hot water heater accounts for up to 25 percent of the average household’s yearly energy consumption, and lowering the thermostat setting by 20 degrees can reduce its energy use by up to 10 percent.
Also consider eventually replacing it with an Instant Hot Water Heater. These can be more energy efficient and space saving.
AC/Heater
Most people will tell you specific settings for your AC and Heat that will reduce your bill. However you know where you are comfortable when it comes to temperature. A couple other things you can do is make sure you have your unit serviced annually! Maintaining and cleaning the unit are huge on saving on electricity.
Also change your ac filter once a month. YES, it is that important. Especially if you run it often.
One other change is getting a programmable thermostat. By setting temperatures for when you will be home and when you will be out you can save quite a bit on your AC bill.
Laundry
Run the dryer strategically. In the winter run it during the day to help heat the house. In the summer try to only run it at night to not create additional heat in the house. Also washing your clothes in cold water only can save big on your hot water usage, reducing your bill.
Crockpot/Instant Pot
Skip the oven and go right for the crockpot or instant pot. When you cook at home all the time turning on the oven or stovetop seems like no big deal. Both of these things use a lot of electricity and can heat your home. Visit MomsWithCrockpots.com for a ton of Crockpot Recipes. Also check out the Instant Pot Recipes here on A Few Shortcuts.
Curtains
A great pair of black out curtains can really help to regulate the temperature in a room. I know it is lovely to look out the window but when it is really hot outside opening the curtains can really increase the temperature in a room. Adding a pair of black out curtains add a thermal layer in front of your window and help keeps temperatures down. Keeping your AC bill down in return.
LED lights
Not a huge change but a good change. Start switching your lightbulbs and fixtures to LED lights. These use a fraction of the electricity that old lightbulbs do. A simple change to help you lower your bill.
Weatherstripping
Replacing doors and windows is so expensive. One thing that isn’t expensive is weatherstripping. Make sure that all of your doors and windows have a good seal and weather stripping. You can pick this up at your local hardware store and fix it very easily.
Smart Power Strips
Phantom power (also called vampire power or leaking electricity) refers to the amount of electricity that your devices use when they’re plugged in but not in use. These power suckers can account for as much as 5% to 10% of the cost of your electricity bill month in and month out—yikes.
You could unplug everything when you’re not using it, but that’s not always ideal, especially for things like TVs and appliances. Try ditching standard power strips and switch to smart power strips instead, which automatically cut off the electric current to devices when they’re not being used. At a cost of around $15 to $30 per strip, it’s a small price to pay for such impressive long term savings.
Power Survey
Many electric companies will send someone out free of charge to help you do a power survey. They will evaluate your home and tell you where you are using the most electricity. Having this knowledge can help you make better choices on a day to day basis to lower your bill.
Hopefully these realistic tips to help you reduce your electric bill make a difference in your month to month expenses. Have you tried something that has worked for you? Feel free to share it in the comments below.
