Home Improvements and Simple Tricks that Can Lower Your Electric Bill

With the rising cost of food and fuel the last thing we want to worry about is a huge electric bill, but with the summer months fast approaching most of us will see an obvious rise in the amount we shell out every month to power our homes. There are many of ways to lower your bill no matter what your budget is.

1. Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. These light bulbs are considerably more expensive than traditional bulbs but the savings will more than make up for the initial cost. I replaced all the bulbs in my home and saw a $20 difference in my electric bill the following month. According to energy star.gov they use up to 75% less energy and will last 10 times longer than traditional bulbs. I have also noticed that these bulbs do not get as hot as traditional bulbs. Not only will this reduce fire hazards but I feel personally that having these bulbs in lamps that are within my children’s reach reduce the risk of my child being burned. A great way to cope with the cost is to purchase a bulb or a package of bulbs every time you go to the grocery store until you have what you need.

2. Replace your thermostat with a programmable thermostat. These start at around $25 and go up from there. This is a great way to reduce your energy costs. This is for when you are out of your home at certain times during the day or night, because whey heat or cool your home when you are not there. I like to program my thermostat to make the unit come on less when I’m not at home, but I like to keep my house cool or warm enough that it doesn’t take a long time to heat or cool when I return home.

3. Turn off Surge Protectors. It is very common to have several things plugged into one surge protector. The television, DVD player, satellite receiver and stereo may be plugged into a surge protector which makes it very easy to just flip a switch and turn all of these machines off at one time. Make it apart of your bed time routine. When you go around your house shutting off lights and locking doors flip the switches on your surge protectors and don’t for get about your computers and printers.

4. Replace old windows. This is an obvious change you can make that will reduce your energy cost. An easy guideline would be to choose energy star compliant windows, but if you can’t afford to replace your windows you can make sure they are properly caulked and free of drafts. You can also purchase a film that you apply to the inside of your windows that will reduce drafts. Drapes can also help stop air leaks and keep the sun at bay during summer months.

5. Replace worn weather stripping. Weather stripping doesn’t cost much. It’s easy to install and it can dramatically reduce drafts around exterior doors.

6. Make sure your ceilings are properly insulated. I was shocked to find that my own ceiling was missing a large portion of insulation above my laundry room. We figured this out after noticing that our laundry didn’t seem to stay warm last winter. This was an extremely easy fix and afterward there was a noticeable difference in temperature.

7. Keep the Air circulating using standing fans or ceiling fans.

Not only will reducing your electric bill make you happy and keep more money in your pocket but it will be GREAT for our planet by helping to reduce carbon emissions.