Practical Ways to Save on Your Electric Bill
Unlike a lot of things that we buy that are optional, the usage of fuel is something that most of us simply cannot do without. Okay, I know that some of you have dreams of living in the forest with a campfire, or moving to a deserted island. If that is your plan, please drop me a line and let me know how it works out for you.
While we are mostly dependent on fuel sources, there are some simple things that we can do to help save all of our money from running out of or pockets. While I mentioned different fuel sources, I would like to focus on the usage of electricity. Electricity is not one of those things where you have much of a choice in making your purchase. There is one electrical utility in any given region, and if you want the power, you are going to pay the price.
While you may not be able to give up your electrical addiction completely, there are several things that you can do to make it more manageable. Besides saving energy, there is another great benefit as well. By using less energy, you are helping to save on the global emission of greenhouse gasses and pollution. That alone is of benefit to everyone on the planet and for generations to come.
While most of these tips that I present are simple, they are effective in helping to reduce your electric bill.
One of the big energy eaters is the heating and cooling system in your home. Even if your heat is provided by gas or another source other than electric, there are a few things you can do to keep it operating more efficiently. The first thing that you can do is to keep a clean filter installed. A dirty filter requires you to use more energy and also greatly reduces heat output. The same is true to air conditioning. A dirty filter greatly reduces the cooing ability of your system. You should have your system serviced every year to keep everything operating at peak performance.
Pick a reasonable temperature on the thermostat and leave it alone. Constantly changing the setting makes your system work much harder. If you are a little cool in the winter, put on a sweater or warmer clothing. The amount of energy saved can be substantial.
Walk around your house on a cool day and feel for air leaks around doors, windows and electrical outlets. If cold air is leaking in, then warm air is also leaking out requiring you to use more energy. Have any leaks that you find insulated. These are one-time repairs that can save you money in just a short matter of time.
As your home needs larger repairs, you should consider insulated windows and doors. There are companies that can test your home to see where there are energy losses.
Another appliance that can use a lot of energy is the water heater, whether it is electric or gas. By setting the temperature just a few degrees cooler can make a difference in your energy bill. If you don’t use a lot of hot water, you might actually be heating too much water. If your water temperature is set high, you use a lot of cold water to bring the temperature back to where it is useable for a bath or shower. Why heat the water to an excessively high temperature, just to turn around and cool it again. I personally have my hot water set to just about the right temperature for taking a comfortable shower.
When it comes time to replace any appliance, you should purchase the most efficient model possible. While the price might be higher now, the long-term savings in energy will pay you back many times over.
A very easy thing that everyone can do starting right now is to turn off anything that you are not using. Turn off lights that are not being used. If your not watching the television, turn it off. Excess lighting and appliance use are major wasters or energy. Once you get in the habit of turning off unused things you will start saving.
Energy efficient light bulbs are a great way to conserve electricity and the cost is not that great. The fluorescent bulb replacements are a great alternative to regular light bulbs. You can replace a 60-watt bulb with an energy saver that uses 13 watts and you are now using one-fourth the amount of energy. Another benefit to the fluorescent replacement bulbs is the fact that they are cool to operate. This is a very nice feature in the summer time. These energy saving bulbs also last considerably longer as well so the cost difference isn’t really much higher than a standard light bulb.
In the kitchen, there is the monster of energy consumers. The electric range is like a hungry beast screaming for lots of electricity. Here is a little test, go look at your electric meter and note how fast the wheel is spinning. Turn on the oven and a couple of stove elements and now go back and look at your meter. It is amazing how much power the kitchen range can use. If you simply want to heat something up, a microwave oven is much more efficient for this purpose.
This is not a complete list of everything that can save you energy, but by checking out these basic ideas, you can reduce your electric bill considerably. As I mentioned, you can also help reduce the global pollution output as well.
