Start Saving Money On Your Electric Bill

The additional time we’ve been spending at home, coupled with raging heat across the country, has led to a really unfortunate result – soaring energy expenses.

Many folks are finding their electricity is hundreds of dollars higher this summer compared to last.

With most places still asking people to work remotely, and many school districts starting the year with online learning, there really is no end in sight to our increased home energy usage.

But there are ways to help trim those expenses.

Like adjusting your thermostat.

Raising the temperature of your thermostat in warmer months, and lowering it in cooler months, can also cut your electric usage.

You see, every degree of extra heating or cooling will increase energy usage 6% to 8%. 

Try setting your thermostat to 78⁰ in the summer and 68⁰ in the winter to really make an impact on your dollars.

While it’s still warm outside, keep your blinds, shades and drapes on the sunny side of your home closed to help keep the temperature inside your home cooler so your A/C doesn’t have to work so hard.

And, when the weather turns cooler, open those blinds up to let the sun in and warm your home, giving your heater a rest. 

If you’ve got kids at home that keep leaving the lights on, or perhaps a forgetful spouse, give them a nudge to flip those switches off.

Because lighting typically accounts for about 12% of your electric funds, and if you’re leaving the lights on when you don’t need them, you’re throwing dollars down the toilet.

Speaking of lighting, what types of lightbulbs are you using?

If you’re still using incandescent light bulbs, consider switching to LED lights. 

Incandescent bulbs are extremely inefficient. 

In fact, only about 10 to 15% of the electricity that they use gets turned into light.

The rest is pure wasted heat.

LED lights use 75% less energy, last 25 times longer, and run much cooler than standard incandescent lights. 

And while they’re a little more spendy up front, they’re quick to pay for themselves in energy savings.

When was the last time you changed your air filters?

Dirty filters make your A/C and heating systems work harder and run longer than necessary.

So, if it’s been more than 6 months, swap out those old filters for new ones.

Do you keep your computer on all day, even when you’re not working on it?

I’m certainly guilty of this one.

I’ll power it up in the morning and keep it on all day as I pop in and out of my office.

But keeping electronics on when you’re not using them simply wastes power.

So, turn those devices off when not in use.

Now, if you really want to put a dent in your electric expenses, you could consider going solar.

With the right planning, installing solar panels can generate enough electricity to meet your home’s needs throughout the year.

And in some cases, you may be able to generate excess electricity that you can give back to your power company.

I’m not going to lie. 

The upfront investment can be steep.

But most folks are able to recoup their investment in about 7 years.

With so many of us working from home or doing school virtually, not using electricity during this time isn’t an option.

But there are ways we can use less.

By making a few small adjustments to your daily routine, you can cut your energy usage and trim your electric funds. 

And if you really want to make an impact, consider solar.