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Spend Less Have More (Part 2) Save Money on Electricity
By wahms | October 26, 2008
Next in our Spend Less Have More Series, we are going to look at ways we can save money on utilities. We all pay for electricity, phone, cable, internet and home heating. There are a lot of simple things we can do to cut our utility bills by at least 25%.
7 Ways to Save Money on Electricity:
- Ceiling fans, if used properly can really help cool or heat your house. Hot air rises, so in the winter you want the fans blowing the warm air down into the room. In the summer, change the direction of the fan and use them to draw the air up. By doing this you will be able to turn your heat or air conditioner down a couple of degrees and still be comfortable. Since heating and air conditioning are your biggest energy users, this can save you at least a couple hundred dollars a year.
- Turn it off! When you aren’t using something – turn it off. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, turn your computer and monitor off when you are done with it for the day (use the stand-by or hibernate modes for shorter breaks throughout the day) You’ll be surprised at how quickly the energy savings will add up.
- TURN THE TV OFF! TVs and computers are the number one energy wasters. When everyone is finished watching television, turn it off.
- Replace all of the light bulbs in your home with compact florescent bulbs. The cost a little bit more to buy, but they use a quarter of the electricity that regular bulbs use. And they last up to 10 years, so the higher initial purchase price is worth it. I actually have received several of my compact fluorescents for free from various home shows, power company promotions, etc. Check around. You may find some deals or rebates in your area.
- I very never use my clothes dryer in the summer, and only occasionally in the winter. Put up a clothesline in your backyard and use it instead of the dryer whenever you can. I found this to be a substantial savings as most dryers are real power-hogs!
- Check your insulation throughout the house. Check for drafts around all windows and doors by holding a candle near the edges of doors and windows (watch the curtains! You don’t want a fire!) if the flame is flickering or going out, you have a draft. (Another way I’ve seen people do this is with a piece of Kleenex – if it flutters you have a draft) Anywhere that you find a draft, no matter how slight, install or replace the weather-stripping. Caulk around the windows, and consider using the shrinkable plastic kits on your windows too. Make sure there is lots of insulation in your attic too. A lot of heat escapes through the roof.
- Long Term Planning- Consider converting your house to Wind or Solar Power. The potential savings are truly in the thousands over the long term. Converting your house into a solar powered home does not have to be complicated or expensive. For more details on converting your home to wind / solar power, visit Solar Powered Home.
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October 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Thanks for all the tip. What do you think of programmable thermostats? I heard they can save ~10%. For those who still need help, I found this site which gave some ways and programs that help save on heating and utility bills. Help is provided both from the gov’t and utility companies themselves.
http://www.helppayingutilitybills.com
October 28th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Definitely! Programmable thermostats are a great idea and can save a considerable amount on heating bills!