How to Lower Your Electric Bils
Summer is right around the corner, which means trips to the beach, time off from school and of course, outrageous electric bills. Don?t spend a fortune this summer on your energy costs, follow this guide to save money all around your home.
Save money on heating and cooling – As much as 50% of your home’s energy costs come from heating and cooling. In the summertime that of course stems from cooling using your air conditioner. You can lower these costs by doing small things like keeping your windows and doors closed while you are using your AC and insulating them to prevent air leakage. You can also save money by changing your air filter, insulating the air ducts and keeping the AC unit in top working condition. Another money saving tip is to install an automatic thermostat, which you can program to turn off in the middle of the night and during the day when nobody needs it running.
Save money on appliances – The amount of appliances we have in our homes can be mind boggling sometimes. They are in every room of our house, and they come in all sizes and types. From major appliances such as your refrigerator, your washer and your dryer to smaller ones like your toaster, coffee maker and blender, you can save costs by purchasing energy saving units. They might cost a bit more upfront, but the savings will pile up from month to month with lower energy costs.
Water Heater – Next to the heating and cooling costs, the second largest energy expenditure in most families goes to heat the water they bathe with and use to clean dishes. Purchasing a water heater that offers advanced technology and is an energy saver will definitely lower your energy bill.
Save money on lighting – Most people joke about the costs of leaving your lights on, but it does actually add up. It can be a quarter of your electric bill every month. Besides turning off the lights when you leave a room, what else can you do? One of the best energy saving tips across any category is to switch all of your old light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs. If you don’t know what they are, they are the spiral designed bulbs in stores. They last 10 times longer than standard light bulbs while using up to 75% less energy. That’s amazing efficiency and it will result in a huge savings.
Small Electronics – You may not realize it but even when a small appliance is in standby mode, meaning it’s not in use but it’s ready to be used, it is still eating up energy by displaying lights or time or keeping the unit quietly running. Look for models that can be easily turned completely off, or opt to unplug small electronics when not in use.
Office Equipment – Besides the fact that most home office equipment is running 24 hours a day, all of the accessories associated with a home office also drain off a tremendous amount of energy. Be sure to purchase equipment that is the lowest rated energy guzzler anytime you replace the office equipment.
In general, most people will be superbly surprised with the energy savings experienced by following these very simple tips.
Author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Texas Electricity business for the past 7 years. Get more information on Texas Electric rates.
