It’s another great week at the Greene house, except for one thing. Mr. Greene has been out of work for two months so we need to find even more ways to save money. Giving up our new clothes budget, morning Starbucks and eating out budget is not enough anymore. As Mr. Greene and I were discussing places we could save, we simultaneously yelled at our eldest going out the door, “turn off your bedroom light!” Yep, the proverbial light bulb went on: electricity runs our house more consistently than either Mr. Greene or me so we started there to find ways to save there and wow, we were amazed by how oblivious we were to wasting money. You too will be amazed by how many little things you can do to put your electric bill money back into your wallet. Start saving before you’re out of a job!
Just in case you are short on time, here is the condensed list of 10 Ways to Save Money on Electricity:
- Maintain your air conditioner & change the filters often.
- Run your large appliances during off-peak hours when rates are lower.
- Unplug devices you’re not using.
- Shut your curtains & close your doors.
- Turn off unnecessary light.
- Take cold(er) showers.
- Ditch the oven. Go for the grill.
- Inspect your insulation.
- Install/replace weather stripping.
- Seal your inside pipes.
1. Air Conditioner
If you live in a hot climate like we do, this will be the biggest drain on your wallet. Because it is so nice to come home to a cool house and you may resist this one the most, we have some tips to meet you in the middle.
Basic Annual Maintenance – this is sometimes the last thing you want to do because it costs money but if you can find someone dependable to check your air ducts, they will save you money – and you might even start considering them a friend.
Filters – change filters monthly and for added savings buy in bulk at Costco
Vents – this might seem obvious but we close one or two in certain rooms so do make sure these are all open before you leave your home for the day.
Energy Saver Option – use this! When you set you’re A/C on hot days leave on the Energy Saver Option when you are not home
DID YOU KNOW?
Turning back your thermostat 7 -10 degrees for 8 hours a day, can save up to 10% a year on heating or cooling!
Mistakes we’ve made: trying to cool our entire house when we come home at night. It turns out this uses more energy because it has to work so hard to cool.
2. Large Appliances
Rules aren’t typically fun (just ask our 17 year old!) but the two rules below will actually lead you to more financial freedom. That’s the thing we can’t get our kids to understand: rules are for our good!
Live by these two laundry room rules:
- Run only FULL loads so you run them less often
- Run your large appliances during off-peak hours when rates are lower. These are usually after 8p.m.
More best ways to save on your Large Appliances
- WASHING MACHINE – Do your laundry in cold water whenever possible. Having kids and illness means hot water is a must but cold will get regular soiled clothes clean. It takes electricity to heat water so you will always save energy ($$!!) by not using the heating element.
- DRYER – this is more difficult so opt for lower settings, or, if its warm and sunny, the sun and air will do it for free!
- DISHWASHER – Your utensils, pots and pans and dishes really don’t need to go through the heated dry cycle, unless of course, you have illness in your home. Just leave the dishwasher door open and let the air take care of drying; if you are in a hurry for clean dishes, however, grab a clean dish towel and “git ‘er done!”
Don’t miss out on the satisfaction a little sweat equity can give you!
DID YOU KNOW?
Even if your washer, dryer and dishwasher are energy efficient, they account for other substantial portions of your electric bill!
3. Unplug Devices You’re Not Using
Individually, your smaller appliances and devices don’t use much energy but let’s face it, we all have a lot of them in our homes so, collectively, they can really add up.
DID YOU KNOW?
Anything you leave plugged in, like a toaster, coffee pot, etc (even if they are turned off), continue to draw trace amounts of electricity from your outlets!
“Vampire Energy” is not something scary that visits you in October. We wish. It is actually a year-round menace because it accounts for sucking away as much as 5% of residential energy use!
We found a solution! The almighty power strip! Plug your items into a power strip so you can turn the entire thing off when you aren’t using the appliance. This avoids the hassle of unplugging and re-plugging individual appliances. It still takes discipline to turn off the power strip so do whatever you have to do to keep in mind that having more money for your family is always the most convenient!
DID YOU KNOW?
Computers use a fairly large amount of power so when you’re not using your computer, shut it off rather than let it “sleep.”
Appliances and devices plugged in around our house: printer, lamps, iron, stereo, unused chargers, coffee maker, mixer, blender, electric can opener, washer, dryer, vacuum
More Energy Saving Ideas
4. Shut Curtains and Close Doors
If you are like me, sunlight makes you happy! However, in the summer months when you are not home, you can reduce incoming heat by as much as 30% which translates into a lower electricity bill. Heat rises and if you have a two story house, you will also save by closing the upstairs doors until a half hour before bed.
5. Turn Off Unnecessary Light
There is a good reason we yell at our kids to turn off the lights. Turning off just two 100-watt bulbs in your home for 2 hours a day can save you about $12 a Day. if I only had just two light bulbs in my house……I have 6 in our living room, alone! How many do you have?
6. Take Cold(er) Showers
Burrr…. This is a harder one for me but it’s good to remember that water is expensive to heat. If you can’t go colder, shower faster. You get a two for one by saving on your water bill as well!
7. Ditch the Oven
If grilling is not an option, consider using lower wattage appliances like a toaster oven or a crock pot. Not to mention, you will keep your kitchen cooler in the summer. I won’t include a microwave here because the money you save on electricity is moot if you have to spend it later on your health.
How To Save on Utility Bills in the Winter
8. Inspect Your Insulation
If your home has poor insulation, you could be losing hundreds of dollars each year. This is an opportunity to invest some sweat equity, as I referred to earlier. Get a free estimate, ask some probing questions and then go do it yourself. There are lots of DIY tutorials online.
DID YOU KNOW:
Energy.gov estimates that nearly 20% of your winter electric bill is because of heat loss through your attic
9. Install/Replace Weather Stripping
You can test this easily…..When it’s cold, go stand by one of your doors. Do you feel any cool air? If you do, it’s time to replace the weather stripping around your door! Check all doors going to the outside or garage and make sure each one has a nice tight seal and no warm or cold drafts can be detected.
10. Seal Your Inside Pipes
Use a foam spray to seal off all the cracks between the wall and the pipes going into the wall. Look under sinks and where your water heater and air conditioning unit is.