Summers don’t just arrive with burning sun and scorching heat, but also huge electricity bills resulting from a continuous use of cooling appliances. Energy bills often eat up a big chunk of the income if the usage of electricity isn’t properly monitored which in turn affects the overall budget of the family.
Electricity bills sometimes turn out to be higher than they should be, causing frustration and the inevitable need to control energy consumption to keep the finances in check. Fortunately, there are some ways that can help you save at least a few dollars on your monthly utility bills:
1. Turn off Unnecessary Lights: This might sound like a pretty obvious way to save money on electricity bill but this is exactly where most of us fail. We roam around in the house doing our daily jobs but we simply fail to recognize how easy it is to leave the room without switching off the lights and fans. We leave things on standby mode thinking that it won’t consume energy but it really does. Make it a habit to switch the lights off while leaving the room and make it sure not to leave appliances like microwave and TV sets on standby mode after using them.
2. Controlled TV Time: Many homes have more than one television set and it’s just so easy to be sitting in different rooms watching your own shows at the cost of that hard-earned money going waste in the unnecessary energy consumption. Avoid running multiple television sets simultaneously at home as it would not only save you some valuable dollars on the electricity bill but would also contribute to your health in a good way because of the reduced screen time.
3. Regular Maintenance and Servicing Of Home Appliances: I never bothered to get my home appliances serviced on a regular basis until I realized that the outdated and unmaintained appliances were eating up a hell lot of energy. Old appliances usually eat up more energy than the newer ones which makes it important to replace them after some years. Regular maintenance and servicing of home appliances might cost you a few extra dollars but it will go a long way in saving you even more money.
4. Put Up A Clothesline: The dryer of your washing machine uses a lot of electricity and is also too harsh on the clothes. The more economical way to solve this issue is to put up a clothesline and hang drying your clothes. This will not only save you a few dollars in electricity bill, but exposing clothes to sunlight also keeps them germ-free.
5. Use Cold Water To Do Clothes: The major factor adding up to your electricity bill during winters is the excessive usage of hot water at home. There isn’t really a way one can do without hot water as winters are just too harsh to make it possible. But simply doing away with the usage of hot water for washing your clothes can save you some money on your utility bills. There’s usually a notion that hot water is more effective in keeping the clothes germ-free but I have realized that cold water works just as good and is way too easy on the clothes.
6. Use blinds and windows & make use of solar energy: Keep the blinds and windows open during winters to allow sunlight inside the house. This will eliminate the need to use heaters for some time during the day besides lighting up the room. As it gets cooler outside and the use of heaters become inevitable, close the windows to keep the room warm. Make sure that you seal the cracks around the edges of the doors and windows to prevent the heat from escaping.
7. Switch To LED Lighting: LED bulbs and CFL use way less energy than the old Incandescent bulbs for the same requirement of light. Replacing your regular tube lights and bulbs with LED and CFL can save you some money without really affecting the lighting quality.
8. Check The Energy Rating While Buying New Appliances: Energy efficient appliances consume way less energy than those which are old and inefficient. No matter how often you get your home appliances serviced, energy rating will have an impact on your electricity bill and will leave you a few dollars short if you don’t pay attention to it. Choose more efficient appliances while buying the new ones and replace those which are consuming a lot of energy with more efficient ones.
9. Take shorter showers: Winters usually make you want to stay in the shower a little longer. Long showers use a lot of hot water which in turn adds up to the electricity bill. Make it a habit to take shorter showers and make sure you don’t leave it open while soaping the body.
10. Run Full Load: Some people run their washing machines for a couple of clothes and their dishwashers half loaded which doesn’t use any less energy. These appliances are a heavy source of energy consumption and using them inefficiently can cost you more than expected. Don’t run your washing machine and the dishwasher until they are fully loaded to save some money.
Keep checking the electricity meter on a regular basis to know how much energy your home is consuming every day and keep looking for ways to reduce energy consumption. This will help you know which of the appliances are using more energy and you will be able to keep a check on your electricity bill.
