Saving money is normally on most people’s to-do list. Lowering your electric bill is a great way to save money. Decreasing your energy bill doesn’t mean you have to sit in the dark or read books by candlelight; there are little changes you can make in your home to save some money. Here are five tips for saving on your electricity bill.
Cold Water
Did you know washing your clothes in cold water gets them as clean as washing them in hot water? Not only is cold water just as effective as hot water, but hot water can also be damaging to some fabrics and shorten the life of your clothes and linens. It can also put a small dent in your electric bill. According to the Consumer Energy Center, up to 90 percent of the cost of washing clothes is from heating up the water.
Air Dry
If you use a dishwasher a good way to save energy is to let the dishes air dry instead of using the heated dry function. Depending on the age of your dishwasher it may be even better to just avoid the dishwasher in general, and handwash your dishes. Similar to your washing machine the majority of the energy a dishwasher uses is from the power required to heat water.
Clean Air Vents
When air vents are dirty, they require more work from the air conditioning system to properly heat or cool your home, which uses more electricity. Operating a dirty air duct, air vent or filter means operating an inefficient system.
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends having your air ducts cleaned every three to five years. Filters should be changed or cleaned, if reusable, every three months. Vents should be cleaned as needed and checked regularly for dust and debris. Also not only will this allow your air conditioning systems to work more efficiently it helps keep your air clean because built up dust and allergens aren’t being blown around the home.
Unplug
We constantly have things using power in our homes. Whether you recognize it or not almost anything you have plugged in is using energy, even if you aren’t using them or they aren’t powered on. While a single appliance may not use a large amount of energy, collectively a number of appliances that constantly use power may make a difference on your electricity bill. When leaving your home, going to bed at night, or anytime you aren’t using an appliance or electronic unplug anything you can instead of just turning it off, to save electricity.
Seal It Up
One of the trickiest ways we spend more on our electricity bill is by letting it slip right out the door. If your doors or windows aren’t properly sealed, then you might be letting money float right out the house. Openings between windows and doors allow the air from outside to get inside and vice versa. If it’s a cold winter day and your heater is cranked up to warm your house, but you have windows with gaps or openings the cold air is following in and your heater is having to work harder and longer to warm the house and therefore costing you more money. Make sure that not only are windows and doors closed when you are running cooling or heating systems but check for gaps or openings. Depending on the severity of the opening you may be able to repair it yourself.
Making sure that you check that you are doing these things on a regular basis can make your wallet a little heavier in 2017. What are some ways you save on your electricity bill?
Looking for an electrician? Contact the professionals at Gulf Coast Electric.
