Busting Up Your Electric Bill

 

There are several ways to lower your electric bill, but they are not all convenient. My first words of wisdom on this topic; UNPLUG EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! 

When items are plugged in, even when they are not on, they are still sucking power. Chargers are the worst offender and will run up your electric bill very fast. As soon as your item is charged unplug it from the wall. This also saves your battery life! J Computers are also big power sucker, avoid leaving them on all the time and plug them into a power strip. When the computer is off turn the power strip/surge protector off. 

It sometimes drives me crazy constantly plugging things in, however when I get lazy and leave stuff plugged in, I pay. When I unplugged my coffee pot and my husband’s Play Station our bill dropped $5 per month. 

You need to use common sense when unplugging items. If you use a lamp every day and the plug is behind the couch or a pain to get to, leave it plugged in, it doesn’t save you that much to unplug a lamp. If it is not easy to plug in something you use often, don’t unplug it. 

Items with digital clocks often have “power saver” settings, use them! Everything seems to have a clock on it now and although sometimes it may be nice to know the time every time you turn 15 degrees it is not necessary if you want a lower electric bill. 

Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

 

These can be pricey, but if you put them in your most used lights, you will see the results on your bill.

Turn Lights Off

Use the least amount of light possible. My husband and I use one lamp to light our living room, and that is very often the only light on in the house. It is also great to get in a habit of opening the blinds and using as much natural light as possible. In the middle of the day you will find you put lights on as a force of habit, even though you don’t need them. Watch that flip of the switch and you will see results on your bill!

 

When no one is home at your house, there is no need to leave any more lights on than you would normally have on when you are home. Some people only put their outside lights on when they are gone, while others leave lights on in every room of the house. 

 

I know exactly what it feels like to have your personal space invaded by someone you did not invite into your home. It is a horrible feeling, but leaving more lights on won’t necessarily deter them. Try cutting down the amount of lights by leaving a talk radio station on just loud enough that the possible intruder would think it was a conversation. You could also have a few cardboard cutouts and pull a home alone type of stunt with toy trains and pulley systems, but again keep an eye on what is running. ;-)

Stay Clean and Stocked

If your freezer and fridge is full it will run more efficiently, just don’t stuff it too full and block the fan. ;-)

 

Once a year clean the coils of your fridge, vacuum the coils and every crevasse on the outside of your fridge to keep if running more efficient. The yearly cleaning will also help your fridge last longer.

Air Conditioning

 

There is no need to live in an igloo in the summer. Use fans to circulate the air flow. If you have an attic fan put it on in the early morning and after the sun goes down, open all the windows and suck the cool fresh air in. It helps to sometimes close some blind in the middle of those very hot summer days, to keep the cool in and the heat out. Lastly, use a programmable thermostat to save energy while at work or out of the house.
 

Cut Down on your Oven and Dryer Usage.

 

Refer back to my previous post on Lowering your Gas Bill to cut down on your oven and dryer usage.

Next Post: Cutting Back Your Water Bill