Saving energy and money at home is rather simple if you pay attention to what you are doing and the rates that you are being charged by the local electrical company. There are a couple of things that you need to know when you start to make the effort to save money by saving energy. The first is that the utility company will lower the charge per kilowatt hour after the first 1,000 during the winter. During the summer no matter how much electricity you consume they charge the exact same rate per kilowatt hour regardless of the amount of electricity that is used. There are also peak and off peak hours for utility rates depending on the electricity provider.
So how do you save both energy and money at home? Paying attention to the habits you have when it comes to energy usage all year long is the place to start. Bad habits are easy to get into and hard to break so you have to pay close attention to everything you do to make the efforts pay off. Placing reminders near items that you have trouble remembering to cut off could be helpful to you.
Examining the light bulbs in your home to find out if they are contributing to the higher light bills is one of the easiest steps in saving money on the light bill. For instance did you know that while a traditional 40 watt incandescent bulb uses 40 watts a 40 watt CFL only uses 10 watts to run which is 30 watts less. Thats an immediate savings in energy and money. Just figure out how much light you need and use the energy saving equivalent. The best part is these bulbs don’t put off heat into the home.
The refridgerator and freezer use energy all day and night everyday because it’s not feasible or realistic to turn them off because you are constantly using them. Make sure to check the seals for leaks and regularly check to ensure these are working properly. Check the size and energy ratings when it comes time to replace them. Only purchasing the sizes you actually need instead of going larger than needed just in case will reduce the amount of energy used and money spent on the light bill.
Laundry cost money in the electricity to heat water, run the machine and dry the clothes. A couple changes in the laundry can save large amount of energy and money when it comes to the electric bill. Washing full loads of laundry or adjusting the water level down when you don’t have enough of the items being washed to make a full load will save in the costs of running the machine. Changing the water temperature on the machine to cold for both the wash and the rinse cycles will lower the light bill a great deal. The dryer is one of the most energy consuming items in the home, it also puts off heat. Using a clothes line or a drying rack when it’s raining will cut out the use of the dryer and reduce the power bill which saves you money.
Air conditioning will increase the amount of energy used in the home and run up the power bill faster than anything. Adjusting the thermostat by just a few degrees and turning either ceiling or floor fans on to assist in the air circulatation will help to reduce the amount of energy that it requires to cool your home. Avoiding the oven or using a smaller oven during the summer can assist as well. During the winter the oven can be used to help to warm the home during the winter which allows you to turn the heat down.
Ensuring that all the doors and windows in the home are properly sealed will help to ensure that the heating and cooling efforts of the home are not being wasted. You can also cover the windows with special films to reduce the heat in the home. Making sure the home is properly insulated will assist as well. Placing the electronics in the home on surge protectors and unplugging appliances such as the microwave can assist in lowering the power bill as well.
There are a million things that can be done in order to lower the amount of energy used and save you money each month that don’t cost any money up front. Contacting the local power company for a free energy audit can assist you not only in finding problem areas but they can give you ideas of how to weatherize your home as well.