With energy costs continuing to go up , many homeowners are wondering how to save money on their electric bill this year. Real savings require research and innovation. Here are a few tips to help you save on your energy bill this year:
- Lower your thermostat. Try and keep it at 70 degrees or below. Every degree above that mark will add to your expense by anywhere from 7 to 10 percent.
- Check your filters. Not only could dirty filters cause damage to your heating and cooling system, but they may also add to your bill by up to 20 percent.
- Vent air from your radiator. Your radiator will become more efficient if you vent the air from it. The key on the end of the radiator costs less than $1.
- Install a programmable thermostat. Program it to be lower while everyone is at work.
- Clean the coils that cool your refrigerator. Your refrigerator uses a lot of electricity, and cleaning the coils that cool it will help it work more efficiently.
- Lower the temperature on your hot water heater. The hot water heater should be between 115 and 120 degrees.
- Replace the shower head with a low-flow shower head. This will cut down on your natural gas bills, because your water heater will not have to work as hard.
- Wash in cold water. The cost comparison here is a no brainer: it costs about 38 cents to wash a load of clothes in hot water. It costs about 1.5 cents to wash it in cold.
- Use your dishwasher. Dishwashers use approximately 15 gallons of hot water. Washing by hand could use as much as 20 gallons.
- Fill your motorized appliances to capacity. Air conditioning units, freezers, washers and dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers operate most efficiently when they’re operating at full capacity. When they’re not working at full capacity they pull more energy than they use.
Even using just a few of these tips should save you dollars and cents off of your next energy bill. Using good common sense, like investing in compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning off the lights when you leave the room, should further cut down your bill and add to your savings.
We have some useful information about how to reduce electric bill with DIY solar panels systems for your home on Solar Panels for your Home
