If you’re wondering how to save money on your electricity bill, there are several strategies available.
When it comes to ways to save money, how to save money on your electricity bill is something many people overlook. Given how so much of our lives depends on electricity, if we’re able to save just a small amount of energy in our daily living, it can add up to a lot of money in the long-run. Below are a few things you can do to save on the electricity.
Fight the Vampires
Many modern electronics will use electricity even when turned off. For example, video players, video game systems and televisions are notorious for slowly sucking electricity as long as they have their plug in an outlet. The electricity draw is small, but multiply this by half a dozen appliances then multiply that times every minute of every day for the life of the electronic device. Then you can see some real dollars adding up.
You can fight vampire draw by either unplugging your electronics when not in use or plugging them into special power strips which will cut off the electricity to them when they’re not in use.
Adjust Your Thermostat
If you adjust your thermostat up a few degrees in the summer and down a few degrees in the winter, you can save enough money on your electric bill to buy yourself a nice family meal every holiday occasion. You can keep cool in the warmer temperatures in the summer by using a fan. In the winter, keep yourself warm by wearing a sweater or using a blanket when in a chair or on the couch.
Check Your HVAC Air Filter
Most homeowners ignore the air filter of their heating and cooling system, even though they need to replace it every few months. Some people might go years before changing the air filter and that’s a big energy waster. That’s because a dirty air filter acts as a plug in your HVAC system’s ductwork. This “plug” stops the free flow of air, which means your heater or air conditioner must work extra hard to get air to flow through the system. If the HVAC unit can do this, it will use a lot more electricity. This problem can get even worse when the user tries to compensate for the lower air flow by running the heater or air conditioner more often, wasting additional energy.
Take Shorter and Cooler Showers
Having hot water takes energy, whether it’s electricity or gas. The longer and hotter the shower, the more hot water you’ll use. You can save a little bit of energy by simply shortening the length of your shower and reducing its temperature.
Lower the Thermostat on Your Hot Water Heater
Unless you have a specific need for really hot water, lower the temperature setting on your water heater. This will keep the hot water in storage at a lower temperature, requiring the water heater to turn on less often. Just keep in mind that if you drop the water heater’s temperature a lot, and you want to take showers of the same temperature as usual, you’ll be using more hot water to reach that desired shower water temperature.
Only Use Cold Water for Your Laundry Needs
Most modern laundry detergents do a great job at removing stains without the need for hot water. So the next time you do a laundry load, set the machine for a dark color wash, avoiding the use of any warm water. This will also help reduce any chances of color fade.
Use LED Light Bulbs
LED light bulbs are super energy efficient, using just a fraction of the electricity of older style bulbs to produce light. This efficiency is particularly noticeable in the summer because LED lights stay cool (or only get very slightly warm) compared to CCFL or incandescent bulbs. Today, the price of LED bulbs is still higher than incandescent, but the energy savings and much longer bulb life will quickly help the purchase pay for itself.
Use Less Heat With Your Dishwasher
Turn off the setting that heats up a coil to help dry or sanitize the dishes during after the wash. Also, see if you can adjust the dishwasher so it doesn’t use as much hot water and only warm water instead. If you must have hot water to wash your dishes or need the heat for sanitization, make sure you only run your dishwasher when it’s full to maximize its usage.
It can take time and practice to learn how to save money on your electricity bill. If you need a bit of wiggle room, a title pawn can help. Call or visit your nearest Title Tree store to find out whether you qualify.