Reduce Energy Bill – 8 Power Saving Tips To Save Cash
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010How many times have you got your energy bill only to freak-out at the number in the amount due section? With energy prices continuing to head north, people all across the globe are feeling the pinch and are looking for tips to reduce their overall electricity bills. Plus, it seems its getting harder every month to make ends meet so every dollar you save on energy bills is an extra dollar in your bank account that can be used towards a dinner or movie for you and your loved ones instead. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can dramatically shrink your electricity bill that won’t really alter the way you live your day to day life. By implementing 2 or 3, or even all, of the following 8 great tips on how to reduce electricity bills, not only will you be saving money, but you will save energy, too!1. Set your water heater to 140 degrees or less. This will not only save power, it will even save water as well because if your water temperature is too high, the system will add more cooler water as a safety proceedure to prevent burns. Keep in mind that if you have small children or a baby at home, the recommendation is to set the thermostat to no more than 120 degrees to prevent scalds on their delicate skin — this will actually save you even more money on your power bill. 2. Speaking of thermostats: install and electric thermostat and set it 1 – 5 degrees lower than you normally would. For everyy degree lower, you’ll more than likely save 5% of your power consumption. 3. Did you know that Approx 20% of your home’s heat will leak out from your windows and doors? By using weather stripping to seal the doors and windows in your home, as well as a clear caulk to seal cracks in floorboards and window panes, you will be in your way to reducing electricity bill significantly. Just think, by regaining that 20% of lost heat, you could quite possibly lower your thermostat even more than the 1-5 degrees in tip #2 in order to save even more money and energy!4. This is a big one: when something is not in use, TURN IT OFF — not just on standby, either. This is for stuff like PC’s, DVD players and even VCR’s, a cellphone charger and other items that suck up electricty like there’s no tomorrow. When these items aren’t in use, they still gobble up a huge 35% of your homes power just by being left on. 35%! For your ease, you could consider using power strips to plug these items into and when they aren’t in actual use, just switch on the power strip and you will be able to turn off multiple items of equipment at the same time. 5. Insulate your walls, roof and attic. By insulating your home, you are literally creating a barrier that helps prevent significant energy loss. 6. Buy and always replace your incandescent light-bulbs with power saving flourescent style bulbs. CFL bulbs actually reduce your energy consumption through light-bulbs up to 75% and since they last about 5 years, you can expect the lifetime savings of these bulbs to be between $400 and $1500. Too, you should always keep in mind that the government has passed legislation that phases out the old bulbs by 2012 to help reduce greenhouse gases ofcourse and ultimately save energy. Plus by starting today, you’ll save electricity and cash ever sooner. 7. When washing your clothes, make sure you only wash full loads. In addition, pt your washer settings on the coolest water possible for your material, only allow the amount of water necessary for your items and set the cycle to the shortest possible one that will get everything clean. This will no doubt save you heaps of power as well. 8. Make sure you get your appliances checked and serviced every year. Items such as a furnace or hot water heater can develop loose gaskets and leaks that will need to be fixed. By having a qualified serviceman out to inspect, not only could you prevent the cost of an unexpected breakdown, but you can ensure your appliances are running efficiently and smoothly. As you can see, many of these ways to reduce electricity bill actually won’t cost you anything, yet the rewards are indeed measurable. So, what are you waiting for? Get in there start saving on your power and energy cost today!
