Sometimes when we are living close to the edge, that electric bill can be a make or break moment for the month. Even if you are not on the edge, sometimes the money you can save on your electric bill can earn you a vacation at the end of the year. The electric bill can be a pretty substantial expense every month. So how do you make the best of it without pretending to live in a stone age cave with no lights? Well, there are a lot of things you can do that will help you save on electricity, and most of them, if done well, can be very unobtrusive. Just taking a little effort now, can save you thousands in the long run. Here are a few easy ones.
Check your bill
This might seem silly advice but check your bill. We mean actually check it, not just look at the final number you owe. There are often surprises on a bill that you weren’t expecting. The more you know the whys and the whats that you are being charged for, the sooner you can lower the bill. Also, actually read the other parts of the bill, very often there are programs and handy things for reducing the costs that you didn’t know about there.
Watch the tiers
Most electric bills run in tiers. This means that the lower usage is cheaper than the other usage. So your best bet is to make sure you stay in the lowest usage tier.
Check for senior and other discounts
If you are a senior, or disabled, call and ask about special discounts and subsidies. You might be surprised what programs are there on offer that can save you a lot of money. They can be widely varied from discounts, all the way to putting LED bulbs in your house for free. You just have to ask.
Led lighting
This is the biggest no-brainer there is. Change all your light bulbs to LED, they cost less to run than even fluorescent lights. The bulbs themselves might be a bit more expensive up front, but they more than make up for that expense over the long term. Moving from incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs will be unnoticeable to the extent of the light, but definitely noticeable in the extent of the electric bill
Trickle electric
Many electric items keep using electricity even then they are off. Sometimes it’s hard to find these but, once you do, you can turn them off completely to save.
Know exactly how much
There are also devices that you can buy, that you can plug into the wall and plug the appliance into, that will show exactly how much electricity that appliance is costing you. Such as that old refrigerator. Sometimes it is cheaper overall to just get rid of the old refrigerator and replace it with a new one.
Energy saving appliances
Most appliances these days have energy ratings on them. Pay attention to these. Though you might not think it matters that much, even a small difference in the rating can make a large difference in your budget over years. And, for those of you that hate getting rid of anything and put that old fridge in the garage for cold drinks out there, just get rid of it, it’s costing you more than the drinks in electricity.
Motion sensors
You can set motion sensors on lights. Though led lights use very little energy, it can still add up if left on overnight. Sometimes just having a simple motion sensor to turn the light on and off can help. Though the sensor does actually use a little energy, it’s not much. However, you do not want to put them in areas that are high traffic, as it uses more when it’s active.
Air conditioners
Ok, this is one the largest killers of your electric bill. This probably uses more electricity than anything else you have in your house. So, we would suggest keep it off as much as possible. If you live in a hot area, instead of cooling your whole house, it might be better just to cool a room that you use a lot and make sure it’s insulated. Fans can be a replacement for the rest of the house.
Hot water
Though many hot water heaters are gas, if you have an electric one, it will be right up there next to the air conditioner for an electric vampire. We don’t have to tell you how to save hot water, it’s pretty obvious.
Some of these are a bit more noticeable than others, but most of our list will only make a minor impact on you. A few small changes in lifestyle, and how you do things in your residential home, and you will find that the electric bill becomes the least of your worries. The side benefit is also helping the overall environment. If everyone did the list of things above, it would help the world in many ways. Your electric company might disagree as to the loss of their profits however. So, save the world and save some money doing it.
