10 Easy Tips For Saving Money on Your Electricity Bill

1. Use Natural Lighting:

Using your windows as a light source instead of keeping the overhead lights in your house on can save you some major cash. If you’re worried about the heat getting into your home, there are some window treatments you can purchase to let in the light without letting in all the heat.

2. Know When to use Your Blinds:

Make sure to close your blinds when you leave your house as it is most likely to let some heat in during the day. If you are home, it is more cost effective to have the blinds facing the ceiling instead of facing the floor to reduce heat exposure. In the cold winter months it can be helpful to open the blinds to let in some heat, keeping your air conditioner from working as hard.

3. Switch to Energy-Saving Light Bulbs:

replacing your most used light bulbs with energy saving lights can save you approximately $100 per year.

4. Use a Power Strip:

By plugging your devices into a power strip and turning off the power strip as a whole when you’re finished can save you over $100 per year if you use this technique on a regular basis.

5. Don’t Open Your Oven:

Did you know that every time you open your oven while it is cooking food, the inside temperature drops 25 degrees? To save some energy, keep the oven closed! If you need to peek at the food just turn the oven light on.

6. Turn Off Your Oven:

If you turn off your oven (without opening the door) 5 minutes before the food is finished cooking, it will continue to cook as the oven will retain its temperature for a while after it is turned off.

7. Turn Your Thermostat as Close to the Outside Temperature as You Can:

Say you set your thermostat to 75 degrees. In the summer when it is 100 degrees outside, 75 will feel cool. In the winter when it is 40 degrees outside, 75 will feel warm when you walk through the door. The closer you get to the temperature outside, the less work your air conditioner will have to do. Also, if at all possible, try turning the thermostat off (most likely during spring or fall) and save yourself a lot of money!

8. Install a Programmable Thermostat:

These thermostats let you set a schedule for what temperature you want your home to be at during a certain point in the day. So if you’re always working from 9 to 5, you can set your thermostat to turn off from 9-4:30 so you save money while you’re gone but you are still comfortable for when you get home.

9. Turn Off Your Lights:

Lighting takes up an average of 12% on most energy bills. Make sure to turn off any lights that you’re not currently using to save some money.

10. Change Your Filters Regularly:

If you have dirty filters, it causes your appliances to work harder, requiring more energy and electricity. Make sure to clean filters in appliances such as your furnace, air conditioner, and dryer to save money with little effort.

Whether you live in a home, an apartment, a condo, etc., it is important to save money where you can. use these tips to reduce your next electricity bill!