Saving money on your energy bills at home is something that we all want to be able to do. Not many will actually follow through, though. Maybe your life is too busy to worry about making a few changes, or perhaps you live on limited funds and do not have the means to make improvements. No matter what your financial status is, or how busy you are, you need to take a few steps to reduce your energy consumption and decrease your monthly bill in the process.
There are so many things that you can do to conserve energy that it would be impossible to cover them all in detail in this one short article. However, there are a few things that stand out that can be accomplished easily, with little time and effort needed.
- Thermostat-The Department of Energy states that you can save up to one percent on every degree that you adjust the thermostat. That may not seem like a ton of money, but when you add it up over time it starts to become a large chunk of change. You may be cold, or hot, when you first change the temperature settings but stay strong. Your body will adjust fairly fast and you will soon not even comprehend the difference, until you get your bill.
- Lights-Electricity comparison sites can show you how much you can save when you consider switching suppliers, but the only way that you can see how much money you can save with lighting is to experiment. Get into the habit of turning the lights off when you leave a room. Train your other family members to do the same. You will be amazed at how much you can cut off your bill with this simple step. If you are having a tough time remembering, or if your kids refuse to follow your directions, it may be time to invest in some LED bulbs, or some other form of energy saving light. You can even install smart light switches that have sensors in them. They will turn the lights off when you leave the room and turn them on when you enter. Pretty cool, right?
- Interior Design-If you have large furniture place it in the room in such a way as to block some drafts that you have. Place throw rugs throughout the house to keep the heat trapped in the room. Use dark curtains to block the chilly air out. If you want some extra heat just open them up and let the sun in. Put some fresh paint on your walls and ceilings. Lighter coolers reflect light, while darker colors require more lighting to be able to see adequately.
- Appliances-Your old appliances may be pulling more energy than you realize. If possible, replace them with newer energy efficient models. If not, replace the seals to help reduce the power needed to run them. If they have filters or intake air breathers clean them out or replace them. Wash in cold water and dry your clothes by hanging them when possible. Little things all add up. You could even take the time and money and invest in some smart plug-in strips. They will automatically turn off the appliances that you do not need on when not in use, and it will keep the ones on that require constant power.
- Vampires-Yes you read that right, but it does not have the meaning that you may be thinking. Our technological devices need to be plugged in to charge. When not being charged, or once they are full, we still tend to leave the plugs connected to power. Regardless of what you have heard in the past, this does take energy consumption as long as they are plugged in. Not a lot, for sure, but enough to have influence in your bill. This also applies for all the new smart TVs that are on the market today. They have a convenience setting in them that allows the device to go into a sleep mode, rather than off. Therefore, your TV can turn on fast, and will be connected to the internet as soon as it lights up. Turn this setting off to reduce the power that it consumes while it is in sleep mode. Believe me, it does make a difference.
These are all cheap, easy things that you can do to lower your energy bills. Education is one of the most important things on which you should work. Those people that live in your house need to be taught, and pushed to follow, the simple things above. Just following the tips on lighting, and eliminating the vampires in your home, will have an impact on your power usage, and your monthly bill.
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