According to the Energy Information Administration, the average electric bill in America is $111.67.
When every dollar counts, people want to know how to read my electric bill and save power. No one likes to feel like they’re throwing away money. It’s also all too easy for electric bills to inflate when so many modern devices suck up lots of energy.
13 Tips for How to Save Power
Over 88% of people look for ways to save on bills by only buying energy-efficient items. However, there are plenty of steps you can take at home right now to save on electricity with lowest electricity plans.
The top thirteen electricity saving tips are:
1. Window Tints
There are several different window tint benefits, but one of the biggest is that they help prevent heat from leaving the home in winter, and from coming in during the summer. When your home maintains its internal temperature better, it uses the heater or air conditioner less. This means window tints can save you big on your electric bill.
2. Stop Hand Washing Dishes
If you’ve been hand washing dishes, it turns out you’ve been costing yourself extra money. Dishwashers are able to conserve the use of water through its cycle and save over 5,000 gallons of water per year.
3. Make Use of a Programmable Thermostat
After you’ve spent half the day outside doing yard work during summer, there’s nothing better than returning indoors from the sweltering heat to feel cold air hit your face. However, keeping your house so icy hits your wallet hard. You can save big if you reset your thermostat for while you’re asleep or away from the house.
A programmable thermostat makes this chore far easier. With a programmable thermostat, you can input the times you want heating or air conditioning to turn on and at what temperature.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save over 10% per year on heating and cooling costs by turning the thermostat down 7° to 10°F for 8 hours a day.
4. Use a Fan
When summer heats up, conserve electricity by turning on a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan will help circulate air through the room and cool it fast.
5. Use a Power Strip
Plugged in electrical devices continue to use energy even when they’re not in use. Of all the ways to save electricity at home, this is one of the cheaper ones.
The National Resources Defense Council says that almost a quarter of your energy bill comes from idle devices. In the United States, about $19 billion a year in electricity accounts for energy vampires.
Instead of going through your home and unplugging all the various appliances you aren’t using at the moment, use a power strip. When you’re done using your coffee maker or microwave, all you need do is hit a single switch on the power strip to turn both off at once.
6. Take Cool Showers
A hot shower during winter is nice, but it also eats away at the electric bill. Looking for how to save money on electricity fast? Start by taking cooler showers.
When you take a hot shower, your water heater must use electricity to heat the water. The longer your hot shower lasts, the more electricity the water heater continues to draw upon.
7. Get LED Lights
If your home is still using incandescent bulbs, consider making the switch to LED. The U.S. Department of Energy says that LED lights use 75% less energy.
8. Wash Clothes in Cold Water
When you put a load of laundry in the washing machine, use cold water. Hot water requires energy use to heat the water up.
Besides this, hot water creates wear and tear on your clothes. Save your clothes and your electric bill and use cold water.
9. Fix Leaks
If you a faucet that drips water, fix it. This will save you on gallons of wasted water.
10. Clean Lint Traps Often
After every load of laundry in the dryer, clean the lint trap. This will help to reduce how much energy the dryer must use to dry your clothes.
11. Seal Cracks in Windows and Doors
If you notice a draft coming into your home anywhere, locate the source. You’ll want to seal any cracks to prevent heating or cooling loss.
12. Turn Off the Lights
If you aren’t in a room, turn off the lights. While lights are on, they’re drawing electricity. The national average for most places in the U.S. sees people paying 13 cents per kilowatt in an hour. You can ramp up quite a bill in a month depending on how many lights you leave on each day.
For example, let’s say you leave four lights on in your house. In a single hour, that adds up to 52 cents. What if these four lights stay on for around 7 hours each day? At the end of the day, that’s $3.64. Take this daily total to the end of a month with 31 days, and you’re looking at an additional $112.84 on your electric bill each month.
13. Check Over Air Ducts
If any air duct has a hole or tear in it, you’re losing out on tons of hot or cold air from your HVAC system. As cool or warm air travels through the ductwork beneath your home, any small crack can lead to huge losses in performance. This in turn can cause your air conditioner or heater to work overtime and even lead to it breaking down.
Search over all your ductwork once a year for any cracks or holes. If you find any, repair the duct to ensure you’re getting the best use out of it.
Start Saving Today
If you want to know how to save power, follow the tips in this guide and you’ll be fast on your way to seeing a smaller electric bill. Saving electricity doesn’t mean you have to go buy expensive energy-efficient appliances, though they do help.
Many of the steps you can take that’ll save you big involve adjusting your lifestyle and being more conscious of your energy consumption. You can also check out texas electricity wholesale price to learn how you can save further on your electricity bill.
It’s true that every homeowner wants trustworthy, cheap electricity plans that deliver low electricity rates, which don’t have gimmicks that cause costly billing surprises. For this reason, you should visit the HomeEnergyClub site where you can compare special discount electricity rates and plans.
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