When times get tough and your money has less buying power, it pays to find ways to cut down and conserve in every area of your life and your budget. Here are five of the best ways to lower your electrical bill so that you can keep more of your money in your pocket each month.
Schedule an audit
Your electric provider has many programs aimed at helping you conserve your energy and curb your usage. Why spend extra money heating or air conditioning your home if you're losing all that comfort to drafty windows and doors? An audit and a home inspection (usually at no cost to you) will help you find where you're losing money. An inexpensive fix could save you hundreds of dollars each year and you will save money on electricity.
Program your thermostat
Many thermostats can be scheduled to have different temperature settings at different times of day and night. For instance, if no one is going to be home all day, you don't need to be cooling the house while you're gone. Set the temperature a few degrees higher or lower so that the air or heat won't kick on while you're gone, but not so high or low that when you get home the house will be uncomfortable. For nighttime, long after the family is asleep and snuggled under their blankets, you don't need as much heat. For the hours between midnight and six in the morning, go ahead and let the house cool. No one will notice your electricity conservation trick and it will make a difference.
Take advantage of the outdoor temperature
When you wake up and it's cooler outside than indoors, open your windows and doors to naturally cool your house. If you have an indoor/outdoor thermometer, you can tell when the outside temp is rising and then you can close up your house before it gets too warm. This is an absolutely free way to save money on electricity so take advantage of it.
Switch your bulbs to the new fluorescent style
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are about the best thing to happen for consumers to save money in the home and for the environment to save energy and resources. The fluorescent lighting bulbs are more expensive to purchase, but since they last 10 times longer, the savings is real. Energy Star, a program of the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy, states that each CFL will save $30 or more in energy costs during its lifetime. Each bulb!
Block out the sun
When the late afternoon sun is beating down on your home, your home is going to heat up. Close your curtains and block out the sun. This will keep your home cooler, which will save you money on electricity in the summer months.
There are many ways to save money and these are the best ways to save money on electricity. Make a few changes around your home and you will easily be saving money each month without even noticing it. You'll also be helping the environment and electricity conservation is a planet-friendly thing to do.
