In today’s technologically charged world, it’s easy to see your energy bills get out of hand. TVs, appliances of all sizes, charging your phones, iPods, and laptops can all play a huge part in making your energy bills very expensive. There are a few different ways that you can use all of your technology and keep your energy bills down, though. It may take a bit of effort, but lowering your energy bill is definitely within your reach. You are going to need to take the necessary steps, though.
Energy Audits
There are a couple of different ways that you can perform your energy audits. If you want to, you could perform the audit yourself, or you can call a professional to come to perform the audit for you. While it’s more efficient to have a pro perform the audit, it’s something that anyone can learn. You’re looking for anyways that your home isn’t being efficient, and you search for a way to fix it. Search for any air leaks and seal them if they’re found. Taking care of these leaks can save you anywhere from 5%-30% on your energy bill. You’re also going to want to check your insulation and make sure that your home isn’t losing any heat. Check your heating and cooling equipment, lighting, and appliances, and make sure that you’re not wasting energy anywhere. If you find a place where you’re wasting energy, fix it, and you’ll start saving money. Take care of your home maintenance and energy audits, and you’ll notice a huge difference in your power bills.
Dimmer Switches
This one is pretty simple. You install a dimmer switch in all the rooms throughout the house, and you won’t have light bulbs that are using all their energy whenever they’re turned on. Instead, get the lighting that you need, use less energy, and you can even have some fun with them. You can use them to create mood lighting for parties or a romantic dinner. Dimmer switches can work wonders for your monthly energy bill.
Install Ceiling Fans
Air conditioning is expensive. Not only is it expensive, but it’s not very energy efficient, either. If you want to temperature in your home better controlled and less expensive, try installing ceiling fans. Your home will stay cool and you won’t be spending nearly as much on your energy bill. If you already have ceiling fans installed, turn off your air conditioning and start using your ceiling fans.
Air Dry Laundry
This is a different, old-school way of doing your laundry. Instead of using a typical dryer to finish off your laundry, try hanging it from a rope. It might take a bit longer, but you’re going to be saving a ton of money. Dryers use up a lot of energy, are expensive to buy, and are going to cause your power bills to go up in price. As you air dry your laundry, it gives you an excuse to get outside and avoid those pesky and expensive energy bills.
Unplug
Almost 75% of the energy on your home’s energy bills comes from home electronics, most of which aren’t being used. Think about all the time that your TVs, DVD players, computers, laptops, stereos, cell phones, and appliances spend not being used. As you can imagine, they are not in use quite a bit more than they are in use, which means that you’re paying for something that you’re not actually using. Even if you turn these electronics off, they are designed to go into “standby power,” which is allowing the device to still consume energy, but not as much as when it’s powered on. The best thing to do would be to either unplug the electronics altogether or to plug them into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you’re not using it.
With so many electronics taking over your life, getting carried away with the energy can be very easy. Unfortunately, there are consequences to letting yourself get carried away. If you take the necessary steps toward making your energy bill less expensive, you’ll find that minimizing your bill really isn’t that difficult. Follow these tips, and you’ll see a huge difference between your next energy bill and your last one.
