Ways to Cut Your Electric Bill
Electricity has become integral to life, so imagine having to live without power or electricity. The depletion of energy is one of the major concerns in the world today. As concerned citizens we all need to make a concerted effort to be conscientious citizens and save electricity where ever possible. Conservation of electricity benefits you personally as well as lower your hydro bills instead of seeing them continually go up.
So Consider:
- Do an energy audit. This way you will be able to tell how and when you use energy and where you’re wasting energy. You will also be able to make an intelligent “energy savings plan” by knowing how you can cut back on your energy consumption. There are probably some ideas that are as simple as not leaving the coffee machine on all day long.
- If you have electric heat reset the thermostat ten degrees lower during the night. By doing this for approximately eight hours a day you will save 10% on electricity without sacrificing comfort. Also make sure you insulate the home in winter by drawing shut the drapes.
- Check all insulation in the house. If you only have 4 – 6 inches of insulation in the attic, increasing it to around 12 inches will reduce your electricity consumption by 20 percent.
- Weatherize your home. This helps reduce heating bills by 20% and cooling by at least 10 percent. If you are building or renovating your home start by using energy efficient materials i.e. those that are not good conductors of heat and cold. A great example are high efficiency windows and skylights in the roof in such away that you use sunlight to light up the rooms during day light hours.
- Have your electrical wires and outlets checked for leakage. At the same time check all fuses and appliances.
- Fluorescent light bulbs are energy efficient. They use 75% less energy than ordinary light bulbs. These have a longer life and contribute to great savings. Make an effort to switch off lights and fans when leaving a room.
- Use energy efficient appliances. These use less energy and believe it or not a high efficiency refrigerator uses less electricity than a light bulb. Ensure that the filters in air conditioners and heaters are always cleaned and free of clog and dust.
- When you are away even for a few hours or days you should turn off and unplug all electrical appliances and turn settings on the thermostat, water heater, and refrigerator to the lowest settings.
- Ensure that you use a water-saving shower head. Water heating costs for a family can be lowered by at least $ 250 a year.
- Plant more trees around the house, these will cool the house in summer and insulate the house in winter. Studies show that a green cover benefits in many ways.
If you live an energy efficient lifestyle you will see the numbers on the energy bill actually reducing. The ability to cut your energy consumption is well within your control. It is as simple as only washing full loads and doing it in cold water. Use the hot wash option only for very dirty clothes. Cook food only just before you are ready to eat that way you can save reheating costs as well as refrigerating costs of storing the food. Turn the thermostat of the refrigerator to minimum in cold or cool weather. Switch off freezers if they are not in use.
Small contributions can all add up to significant amounts of power saved. And power saved means money in the bank.
