Do you hate to pay a high electric bill? I know exactly where you are coming from, in fact my electric bill use to be over a $140 a month. That’s a lot of money going out the door each month and in this article I’m going to show you some easy how to tips I used to lower my electric bill.
Shop Around
One of the first things I did to save some money was to shop around for different providers. In my case my electric is through DP&L however I am allowed to switch to different providers within the company. By doing this some companies will actually have cheaper rates.
Use Budget Billing
The next thing I do is use budget billing. Budget billing allows you to level out your payments so that you don’t have to deal with huge increases in you bills from month to month. In the summer I tend to pay more because of air conditioning and peak energy uses. As a result my bills in the summer will be much higher than in the winter, and with budget billing my payment stays the same for the most part now.
Alternate Temperatures
The next thing you can do to lower your electricity bill is to alternate temperatures during the day. In my case in the summer I will try to keep the temperature 5 degrees warmer during the day and at night while I sleep I will turn it down. Doing this means the AC won’t have to run nearly as much in the summer, and if you use electric heat in the winter you may want to do the opposite in the winter by keeping the temperature lower during the day and a little higher at night.
Use Grano.La
Fourth, one of the easiest ways to save money on your electricity bill is to use a program called Grano.La. This is a program that you can install on your computer that will cut down the amount of power your computer CPU uses. In fact it can cut as much as 30% of the power your computer uses, and if you’re like me, my computer runs night and day without every shutting it off. To learn more check out Grano.La here.
Switch To CFL Light Bulbs
Another thing I’ve been doing to save on the electric bill is to switch out traditional light bulbs with longer lasting and more efficient CFL bulbs. In fact what I’ve been doing is switching bulbs as they burn out. The great thing about these bulbs is that they only use 13 watts of power per bulb versus the traditional 60 watt bulbs. On top of that these bulbs have been coming down in price a lot, I just picked up a box of 10 at Menards for $10.
Turn Off What You Don’t Need
Next, one of the easiest ways to save electricity is to turn off what you are not using. This is probably one of the most common sense tips in this article. Doing simple things such as turning a light off in a room or the TV when you are not watching it can save a little each month. I notice this the most when my kids forget to turn off the bathroom light, but with a little discipline everyone can do it.
Buy Energy Star Appliances
In seventh tip to save money on your electric bill you may want to look into appliances that have the energy star of approval. When appliances have this seal of approval you know they are built to use less energy. However I don’t suggest you go out and replace all of your appliances today but only as they wear out. This way you won’t incur the high cost of replacing them all at once.
Tighten Up Your House
Next, another thing you can do is to make sure your home is properly insulted. This can go a long way especially on older houses. In fact a few years back I remodel a room in my house from top to bottom and added new insulation and re-caulked all the windows and found that it made a difference in that I didn’t have to run my air conditioning quite as much in the summer time. On top of that I didn’t have to run the furnace as much either.
Hang Your Laundry Out To Dry
When it comes to washing your clothes the dryer is the one appliance in your home that can eat up a lot of power especially if you wash everyday. Instead, consider hanging your clothes outside to dry. In fact I have a few family members who do this as often as possible and have been able to cut as much as $40 off of their electric bill.
Cut Down On Hot Water
Finally, the last thing to consider is cutting down on hot water. Your hot water heater can also chew up a lot of energy as well. So doing things such as taking cooler showers, and using less hot water to wash dishes can save a little each month. In fact I know people who will wash a majority of their clothes in just cold water.
A Final Thought…
As a final thought one single tip in this article is not going to save you a ton of money and lower your electric bills but collectively they can save you a lot. This is why I suggest you take the time to incorporate several of these tips into your daily habits and you will be more likely to see better results.
So is their something I missed, or a tip you would like to add? Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and questions below. Also make sure you give these tips a tweet, a G+, and share this with others on Facebook to help spread the word.
This article was recently featured in the Carnival of Personal Finance by Compounding Returns.
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