38. Save $100 per month – Save money on electricity-spending in house
This article contains a listing of ways for you to save money on electricity spending.
Install CFL bulbs wherever it makes sense. These bulbs might cost more initially, but they both have a longer life than normal incandescent bulbs and they both eat far less electricity. CFLs tend to use about 25% of the electricity of an incandescent.
I love that, my wife and I did exactly that. also wanted to add that energy efficient bulbs saved us about $65 a month also.. keep going you are definitely on the right track.
Replacing your light bulbs with CFL twists will save you a fortune. If you have 20 standard 100-watt light bulbs in your home they are drawing a total of 2,000 watts. Replace them with 100-watt equivalent CFL's that only draw 18 watts each and you reduce your power consumption to 360 watts for the same amount of light. That's a reduction of 82% in power consumption for lighting and that translates into BIG savings.
LED lighting in house, produces same luminance power and saves even more electricity consumption than CFL bulbs and is even more beautiful.
Make sure all your electrical devices are on a surge protector. This is especially true of your entertainment center and your computer equipment. A power surge can damage these electronics very easily, so spend the money for a basic surge protector and keep your equipment plugged into such a device.
Unplug electronics and appliances when not in use. Use multiple-outlet strips so you can turn everything off with one flip of a switch. Many electronics and appliances still consume energy even when turned off.
Turn your water heater down:
Here's one more, but it takes consistency-turn off your water heater when you go to work or after everyone has taken their shower will save you anywhere from 50 dollars and up each month on your bill--every dollar counts these days. Turn your water heater down!! Most people don't realize that it's sucking energy 24/7 to keep that water hot you use only occasionally. Our bill went down significantly when we turned the temp. down. My parents went as far as turning theirs off until shower time in morning, and laundry times or when company was coming over. Their friends gas/electric bill was ~$500/mo. and theirs was $30!
We cut our electric bill by only turning on the hot water heater when we need it for showers, why heat that water all day when you aren't home?
Put a timer on your hot water heater…otherwise it constantly kicks on to keep that water hot. That can get very expensive.
I put my ac on a timer and my water heater on a timer saved a bundle there.
Lower your hot water thermostat 10 degrees, but no lower than 120 degrees. You'll still get all the hot water you need and save 25 kilowatt hours a month.
Fix leaky faucets; one drip a second is 20 kilowatts a month.
Call your utility companies:
Another thing you can do to save money? Call your utility companies and ask them how to shave some off you bill each month. Most electric companies will come to your and inspect it to see were possible leaks are coming from so you can replace weather stripping, etc. If you fall into a certain salary range, some companies will actually make the repairs/upgrades for you at no cost. Do the same with your water and gas companies.
I spoke with a rep at my local electric company for suggestions. She stated that black out/thermal curtains save a lot on cost during any season. Also, if you have a balcony and your complex allows it, put up a shade screen (most are bambo) during the summer. These two things dropped my utility bill by half during the summer. During the winter I keep it warm enough to sleep (and function!). Other than that, I just wear sweats and socks. Yes, there is a definite chill in the air, but when I know I'm saving approximately $100 a month I know it's worth it.
Wash clothing with cold water rather than hot, the cleaning supplements are strong enough to clean the clothing, there is no need to heat up all this water. Some way boiler. We have one of the washers that use less laundry soap. I try to only wash 2 or 3 times a week. Only wash with full load.
Ceiling fans are an incredible drain on power... and are NOT effective if you're not IN THE ROOM.
They only make it seem cooler (though they may homogenize the temperature of a room) and in order for it to seem cooler... you must be in the room. Stirring hot air around doesn't make it cooler and is still only effective if you're IN THE ROOM. Our bill was cut by about 5% by turning them off when we weren't around. Changing to a 7-day programmable thermostat had an outlay of ~$70, but it helped the bill by about 5% monthly too.
I discovered that I can cut a lot from my energy bills by properly insulating my doors and windows. I usually thought some aluminum window blinds would be enough to provide me my privacy, but I was wrong. Thermal curtains can help keeping the air inside a room warm, because they prevent cold air that’s surrounding the glass surface to move towards the center of the room. My rooms are now warmer at less costs.
I save money when drying clothes. For items that come out wrinkle free if you use the dryer, I’ve found I can put them in the dryer for a few minutes & the wrinkles come out. I then hang them up to finish drying. Works for sweaters & some jeans. Put your clothes in the dryer for just a few minutes to reduce wrinkling. Then air dry them. You will not only save on the energy the dryer uses, but your clothes will last longer. If you don’t have a clothes line, use a sturdy shower curtain rod and a drying rack.
Install ceiling fans. A ceiling fan can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler while using less energy than a 100-watt light bulb. Run fans only when people are in the room.
Go oven-less at meal time. Use the microwave, toaster or a counter-top grill, all of which use less energy than a full-sized oven, when you need to prepare small portions of food.
Enrolling in load management programs and off-hour rate programs offered by your electric utility may save you up to $100 a year in electricity costs. Call your electric utility for information about these cost-saving programs.
When boiling water, match your pot size to the burner size and put a lid on the pot to make it boil faster and save energy. Use the smallest pot for cooking you need. It will heat faster and use less energy. If you have a gas range, the flame should be blue. If it is yellow, it is not burning efficiently. Call your gas company to check it.
