Five Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bill

Posted on by Marms

Although the start of summer signifies long days, ice cream runs, family barbecues, and the soon arrival of football season, it also means summer’s relentless heat is on its way. Summer season and a high utility bill seem to go hand in hand, but with a few smart and simple tips on how to save, high utility bills will be a thing of the past:

1. Power Company

If you feel as if your utility bill is considerably expensive for the amount of utilities you use, your power company may be charging you an exorbitant amount. In various states, including Texas, you have the option to choose your power provider. Instead of sticking with an expensive company, look to switch to more efficient companies like ChooseTexasElectricty.org.

2. Turn It Up

One of the simplest ways to see a significant change on your utility bill is to turn your thermostat up. The US Department of Energy recommends keeping the thermostat at no lower than 79 degrees, and using it only when you are home to enjoy it. If you have an older thermostat, consider upgrading to a programmable one. After being programmed, the thermostat automatically turns on and off when you leave for work and when you return home.

3. Turn It Off

As one of the best habits you can develop, turning off lights, fans, and even unplugging appliances can save you as much as $7 a month. Have a “turn it off” rule for overhead lights and fans, and at night or while at work, keep those unused kitchen appliances unplugged. To save even more, turn off your electronics like your computer or printer. Even in stand by mode they are using quite a bit of electricity.

4. Air Dry

When possible, air-dry your clothes instead of using the electric dryer. Although it might take a little longer, it can cut a huge amount from your electric bill. Hang your clothes outside on a clothesline, on hangers near a window, or develop a makeshift clothesline indoors with a tension rod. When you do need to use the dryer, use the auto sensor function that recognizes when the clothes are done drying. This avoids drying clothes any longer than necessary, which saves you on your electric bill.

5. Replace Showerhead

shower head

If you leave your shower running while you wait for the water to warm up, you could be wasting up to 7800 gallons of water a year—even more if you have a family bigger than three. Installing a shower a new showerhead adapter that has ShowerStart technology is a simple solution that will conserve water. This device installs easily on your showerhead and conserves hot water by lowering the flow down to a slow trickle until you tell it to resume normal water flow. Additionally, if you have access to your water heater, turn down the temperature. You can potentially save $10 per month for every 10 degrees it’s lowered.

Ways To Lower Your Electric Bills

Posted on by Marms 2 Comments
I am delighted to see our electric bill has lowered last month. Monitoring bills is my one of my useful habits (laughs). My husband said that it’s going to get lower in the coming months because it’s starting to cool again. He added that usually electric bills get high during the summer season. Even so, I still wanted to make it sure we are saving energy at all times.

We should be more aware of saving. Here is to share with you some useful no-cost ways to save energy at home. I got this from Texas Co-op Power. I hope these would also be of help to you.

  • > Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers, etc.
  • > Check the air-conditioner filter each month and clean or replace it as needed. Dirty filters block air flow through your heating and cooling systems, increasing your energy bill and shortening the equipment’s life.
  • > During hot months, keep window coverings closed on the south, east and west windows. In winter, let the sun in.
  • > Glass fireplace doors help stop heat from being lost up the chimney. Also, close the fireplace damper when not burning a fire.
  • > Activate “sleep” features on computers and office equipment that power down when not in use for a while.
  • > Turn off equipment during longer periods of non-use to cut energy costs and improve longevity.
  • > When cooking, keep the lids on pots. Better yet, use a microwave oven instead.
  • > Dress appropriately for the weather, and set your thermostat to the lowest possible comfortable setting in winter and the highest comfortable setting in summer.
  • > On winter nights, put an extra blanket on the bed and turn down your thermostat more.
  • > In summer, use fans whenever possible to reduce AC usage. Inexpensive fans allow you to raise the thermostat temperature and still remain comfortable.
  • > To save hot water, take five-minute showers instead of baths.
  • > Do only full loads when using the clothes washer or dishwasher.
  • > Use cold water for laundry and save–detergents formulated for cold water get clothes just as clean.
  • > Lower the temperature on your water heater. It should be set at “warm”, so that a thermometer held under running water reads 120 degrees.

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