An Electric Overview to Save On Utility Bills
Saving money in one place means you have more to put in savings. Utility bills provide one of the largest expenses in any budget, just under rent or mortgage. They are the kind of thing you cannot use a bill management app to reduce.
Reducing your utility costs frees up money to put into savings or to pay off debt. Like building a business though, you need to spend money to make money. That’s why you have a bit of research to do before you can save money.
You need to improve your insulation, appliances, plumbing, wiring, etc. This saves you money in the long run.
According to Move.org residents of the U.S. should plan to spend at least $290.79 per month on essential utilities like electricity, natural gas, water, and sewer.
You could probably find much better ways to spend some of that money, so you need to find ways to reduce your costs.
Some items you can do to save money cost nothing but reduce comfort. You can lower the thermostat in winter and pile on a hat and sweater, but you probably won’t enjoy being home as much. Conversely, in summer you can increase the thermostat and wear shorts and a t-shirt with lots of antiperspirant, but you probably also will not enjoy that. Shivering and sweating really do not address the problem.
So, how do you reduce the expenses of your gas bill, water bill, the electric bill, propane bill?
Make Big Changes To Your Home
You will need to spend money to make money by adding to your home. This means upgrading certain areas and your appliances.
Start with your appliances. Research local deals on energy-efficient appliances. Update your washer, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, water heater, and oven. You can save loads of money in the long run by doing this. You will start to see immediate reductions in your energy bills once you put in the new appliances.
Update to a more efficient showerhead and switch to low-flow toilets and faucets. This reduces the amount of water you use without requiring you to shower less or take shorter showers.
Install smart power strips so all the related items turn off when you turn off the main thing plugged into the strip. A smart power strip, for example, would turn off the monitor and desk lamp when you power down your computer. It would also turn off your DVD player and gaming console when you turn off the TV.
programmable thermostat
Install a programmable thermostat, so you can reduce your utility costs by about 10 percent. You can call an HVAC installer to have one of these put in and connected to your system. These let you adjust your home’s temperature from anywhere you have an Internet connection. That lets you lower the temperature without traveling home which can be handy if you suddenly need to go out of town for work. You grab your go-bag and head to the airport knowing that you can turn off your heater or air conditioner while you wait to board your flight.
You can program these devices to automatically turn off the heat or cooling at your home when you leave for work, then turn it back on just before you return home. This means you do not run the HVAC for about nine hours of the day which quickly reduces your bills. The thermostat prices range from $15 to $500 or more.
All Your Bills in One Place. Never Miss a Payment Again. Join Today!
Improve the Little Things Around the Home
A little caulk and some insulation can go a long way toward improving your home. It also results in reduced bills.
Caulk the doors and windows. You should not feel any air entering your home when you hold your hand in front of a closed window. Caulk any drafts around the windowpanes and doors. Install weather stripping around the doors. You should never feel outside air coming in through a closed door or window.
Insulate your attic and basement. Adding a higher “R” rating of insulation results in better blocking of drafts and cold air. Cold air comes in from above and below. You can stop it by insulating with a high R rating of batting. Fiberglass insulation costs little, and you can easily install it yourself. According to Energy Star, you can save an estimated 20 percent on your utility bills by insulating your home properly.
You should also insulate your water heater with a water heater jacket to save about 25 to 45 percent of the heat loss it currently experiences. This translates to a utility costs reduction of four to nine percent on your water bill and electricity.
Add an alternate fuel source such as wind or solar. This can help you if you use propane to fuel your home in winter. Solar provides an option for those in RVs or trailers since it can be installed on any roof. Also, consider biomass options like pellet heaters to lessen propane use.
Change a Few Settings
Adjust the hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). This protects you from accidental scalding as well as saving your money. Also, check the water heater for leaks. Replace it if it leaks.
Use Cold Water to Wash Clothes
You do not need hot water to get your clothes clean. You need a good laundry detergent and cold water. You will save huge amounts of money by washing in cold water.
Let Laundry Air-Dry
Erect a laundry line in the back of your home. Hang up the laundry to dry outside. The sun makes it smell fabulous, and you save the dryer cost.
Wool Dryer Balls
Toss a couple of wool dryer balls into the dryer when you have to use it because the weather precludes drying things on the line. These snazzy balls reduce drying time by 10 percent.
Cook to Produce or Reduce Heat
In the winter, cook inside and use the oven and stove. During summer, cookout on the grill. You reduce the pull on your HVAC. Also, use a toaster oven and a microwave instead of firing up the oven. Toaster ovens and microwaves use much less energy than an oven.
Ceiling Fans Help Reduce Costs
Rotate the ceiling fan blades in the appropriate direction to keep the home warmer in winter and colder in summer. In summer, rotate them counterclockwise; in winter, rotate them clockwise. You do this by flicking a switch on the fan base.
Other Energy Reduction Options
Consider what is causing the energy drain. If you already found and repaired all leaks, then you addressed the water issue. If you use that much water each month, you need to reduce that use. A four-person household probably does as many loads of laundry each week, takes 28 showers per week, and flushes the toilet each time they go to the bathroom.
Are you watering the lawn?
Do you bathe your pets regularly?
Do your children use water for school projects?
Do you water a garden?
Do you wash the cars at home?
Turn Off The Lights
With respect to the electricity, implement a practice in the house of shutting off the lights in each room as you walk out of it. Have your children do their homework at the kitchen table or dining room table, so only one room needs to use electricity.
Prepare meals all at once rather than letting each person make something separately when they come in for the day. Sitting down to a family meal also brings you closer. If that isn’t feasible, make the meal all at once, then prepare plates for each family member. Each person can grab it from the fridge when they come in and microwave it. This also saves you grocery money, and you know that every person eats healthily.
Shut off power strips when everyone is gone for the day. These power strips reduce drain on the electricity and the dog isn’t using the computer while you’re gone, so there’s no need to have the power strip on to it while you are at work and the kids are at school.
Find out what the peak times for use are at your utility providers. Switch your use to the cheapest time of day. For example, if your utility company reports peak use at 11 am on Saturdays for electricity or water, this is the worst time for you to do laundry or other energy-intensive chores. It costs you the most to use energy at this time. Run the washer, dryer, and dishwasher just before you go to bed. You can wake up to clean everything plus use much less energy.
Dishwasher full load
Use your dishwasher to wash the dishes but pack it full to reduce costs. Running it at half load or less just wastes energy. Washing dishes by hand actually uses more water than a full dishwasher. Even fill a sink with water means you use up to five gallons at a time to wash dishes after each meal. Storing them in a dishwasher until it is full and running it once every few days saves a rather vast amount of water. If you dirty a huge pot, do wash it quickly by hand.
HVAC: Clean the Vents and Change Air Filters
Have your HVAC service change your air filters and clean the vents. Vacuuming out the dust, dirt, and debris and having the vents and ducts professionally cleaned produces better air in your home and makes the system run better. Have the HVAC folks show you how to change the filters, so you can do it yourself. You need to change these every 60 to 90 days.
Make sure the air vents and ducts do not get blocked. When they are open and unblocked by furniture, you will obtain better results.
Change your light bulbs. Choose energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or LED light bulbs. These options last for thousands of more hours than traditional light bulbs.
Comparison Shop
It might sound funny in relationship to utility providers, but in larger cities, you can choose your electric company or gas company. Call around and price who has the cheapest power. Choose that company.
Learning How to Reduce Bills
You can read this article and put it to good use. That will cut your energy bills a little. If you use every tip in this article, you could reduce your energy costs by up to one-third. That would equal about $97 per month for an average family.
While you would need to spend a little on the insulation or the appliances, you would also save that same $97 every month. That equals quite a lot of money.
If you install solar or wind, they typically pay for themselves in ten years. Some systems pay themselves off faster. It depends on your energy use and how much electricity the system creates.
Final Thoughts
You can learn much more than just the tips in this article. Let Goalry help. Sing up for a member key from our site. You can get free access to all of our sites. This provides you help on saving money, budgeting, building wealth, doing your taxes, obtaining loans, and much more. With one member key you get access to all the information on Cashry, Loanry, Taxry, Wealthry, Budgetry, and any future sites we create.
This helps you learn the essentials of money management. You need to be able to budget to save money and know how to lower your monthly bills. You need ideas for side gigs, so you can make more money. That is where we come in. We help you with that, so you can earn more, save more, and live better while you do it.