There are many ways to save money on electricity and power costs. Following are just a few ideas to help cut the cost of your power bill and save money.
1. Set your water heater to the lowest setting. Turning the water heater to a lower setting keeps the saves money by not having to keep the water as hot, plus it’s a safer temperature.
2. Keep the curtains and drapes closed during the hottest part of the summer, keeping the heat out and the cool in. In the winter, open them during the middle of the day for the opposite effect.
3. Use the dryer only in the early morning or late at night. For even better savings, use an inexpensive clothing dryer rack to hang laundry on to dry.
4. Put weather stripping around doors and windows. If you have an attic door, put weather stripping around it.
5. Close vents in rooms that are not in use. Keep doors shut to rooms that are not in use.
6. Turning off the stove oven about seven minutes before a dish is done will save money. The heat of the oven will allow the dish to finish cooking.
7. Use an electric blanket in the winter. The cost of using the electric blanket will be less than running the heater on a higher setting to warm the home.
8. Use the slowcooker or crockpot in the summer months to keep from heating up the home with the stove or oven.
9. Once a year have a professional to service your air unit or furnace to be sure that it is running its best. A unit that is not properly maintained will use more electricity trying to keep the home cool or warm.
10. When possible, prepare enough food at one cooking that will last for more than one meal. Freeze part of the meal for another time. Preparing more than enough at one time saves on cooking time and money.
11. Thaw meals before placing in the oven. This saves having to run the oven as long.
12. If you use mainly one room, rather than heat the entire house, invest in a small portable heater that can be moved easily. These little heaters are handy and they allow you to heat only the portion of the home that you need.
13. Replace the filters on your air unit and furnace about every two to three months. When a filter has become clogged with dust and dirt, the unit has to work harder, doesn’t cool or heat as efficiently, and uses more electricity.
Keeping Your Home Cooler Saves Money on Power Bills
The heat of the summer can cause your power bill to skyrocket. Trying to keep your home cool while trying to keep your power bill down isn’t always easy, but it can be done. Using these tips can help you to keep your home cooler and keep your power bill down at the same time.
Avoid using appliances during the hottest part of the day that heat the home, such as the stove, oven, and dryer. The air units have to run even more to try and cool down areas those appliances are heating up. Use heat generating appliances when it’s cooler like early in the morning or later in the evening.
When baking, refrain from opening the oven door repeatedly while you are cooking. It lets the heat out, thereby making the air unit run harder to cool off the heat from the oven. Set a timer for how long the oven needs to bake what you are cooking and then check on it. Keep the heat in the oven and out of the kitchen.
Invest in a slowcooker or crockpot. These put off a lot less heat than the stove and oven, and can be set on low to cook even while you sleep or shop. They don’t heat the kitchen up and using them gives you time to do something else while the food cooks.
Use fans to help circulate the air. Ceiling fans and regular fans on a stand help to move the air. If you have window units, using fans will move the air from room to room more efficiently. If you have window units but not in every room, placing a fan in the door of the room without the air units will help keep the room cooler.
Computers heat up rooms. Fans are especially helpful in the room where you keep your computer. Using a fan to keep the air circulating will help keep the room cooler and keep your computer from getting too warm in the hottest part of the summer.
Close off rooms that are not in use or used often. Don’t try to cool rooms that you don’t use. This is most helpful if you have window air units. Keeping doors closed to rooms not in use leaves less area to be cooled, so it will be easier to cool it and keep it at a decent temperature.
Keep kids from going in and out repeatedly during the heat of the day. Each time the door opens, it lets the heat in and the cool out. Have them be either in or out, but not back and forth.
Clean the filter or change the filter on your air unit every two months. Dust from the air collects on the filter and it needs to be cleaned or changed on a regular basis. Clean filters help the air unit to cool the home more efficiently.
Place weather stripping on doors and windows that have cracks. Weather stripping keeps the cool air in and the heat out. It comes with a stick on side and can easily be applied to entrance doors and windows, and won’t harm the facing or woodwork. Weather stripping is available at hardware stores and discount stores such as Wal-Mart.
Keep curtains and blinds closed during the hottest part of the day. Opening curtains and letting the hot summer sun in during the hottest time of the year only heats up your home and causes your air unit to work harder to cool. Turn on the light and keep the curtains closed during the day. Using the light will burn less electricity than the air unit trying to cool what the sun is heating up.
Invest in insulating drapes for your windows. Insulated drapes have a rubber like backing that insulates, keeping the heat out and the cool in. These work opposite in the winter, keeping the heat in and the cold out. Using these with blinds gives a nice decorative look while helping to save money on power costs.
There are more ways to save money on the costs of cooling your home. These are just a few tips that can help keep your home cooler and your savings happier.
