Best Ways to Save Electricity and Your Money on Electricity Bills

How many times have you opened the mailbox to find your electric bill sitting there and you cringed at the thought of opening it to see how much it is?  I suspect almost everybody reading this has had that same experience a time or two.  Those cold winter months and those hot summer months will cause your electric bill to double; maybe even triple.  The cost of electricity continues to rise and more and more people are finding it difficult to make ends meet. 

There is some good news though; there are plenty of ways you can cut your electricity bill in half by simply changing your life style and adjusting to a new way of thinking.  Some of the things I will mention will be difficult to change and you will get some resistance from other members of your family but if you want to cut the cost of your electricity bill, you will have to make some life-style adjustments. 

How Bad is it Going to Hurt?

It’s not as bad as you think it might be depending upon what you are used to doing.  Here are some ways to cut your electricity bills that won’t hurt too badly once you get used to it.

•    First you must figure out what is using the most electricity.  Generally speaking it is the clothes dryer, central heat and air, oven, television, and lights that are left on unnecessarily.     

o    In the spring, summer, and fall use a clothes line to dry your clothes; they may not be as soft as you are used to but you will see a huge drop in your electric bill if you will just take the time and effort to hang your clothes out to dry.

o    Keep your thermostat at no more or less than 70 degrees; both summer and winter.  Get yourself acclimated to that temperature and soon you will get used to it.  Wear warmer clothes if you get chilled and wear cooler clothes if you get too warm but don’t deviate from that one setting.  Keeping your house at this one temperature will keep your electric heat pump from having to work so hard thus it saves electricity.

o    Spring and summer are great seasons to use that grill so do as much of your meal cooking outside on the grill to keep from having to use the oven as much.  Cooking meals in crock pots or slow cookers uses less electricity than the stove top or oven; be creative and prepare meals that limit the use of the oven.

o    Here’s the one that hurts the most; if you watch four hours of television a day cut back to at least just two hours a day.  And if you are really serious about cutting your electric bill down, don’t put television sets in your kid’s room; they can watch TV with you or they can read a book.  It may sound like punishment to both you and them, but these are valid examples of how you can cut your electricity bills way down.

o    Replace your regular light bulbs with long lasting, energy efficient light bulbs.  The initial cost is a bit high but you will find that they will last much longer and use a great deal less electricity.  During daylight hours open the shades and let the sunlight in and turn off your electric lights and lamps.  Never leave a light on in a room you are not in; turn it off as you leave the room.  Every penny counts.
 

Now What?

Now that you’ve composed yourself and come to terms with these recommendations, there are still more things you can do to cut your costs even more.  These are less painful but very wise suggestions.

•    Make a call to your electric company for them to come out and check your meter and inspect your house to see if there are areas that need to be insulated or refined.  Weather stripping doors and windows is a good start.  Check your attic to make sure you have sufficient insulation so that the heat doesn’t just go through the roof.  Make sure you have proper storm windows to prevent cold air from seeping in. 

•    A very good rule to make is that there is no need for the radio or television to be on if your are working on the computer; one device on at a time. 

•    A little unknown fact that many people aren’t aware of is even if you are not using an appliance such as a toaster or coffee pot, TV, radio, etc, but they are still plugged in, electricity still runs through them, thus you are using electricity unnecessarily.  Unplug those devices when you aren’t using them and this will save you quite a bit on your electricity bill. 

•    Limit your showers to a minimal time; 5 to 8 minutes is plenty of time to wash and rinse. 

•    Make one day a “no TV day”.  Plan to play a game, go to a movie, and spend time together as a family without the TV.  Limit the time your kids use the computer or play video games. 

•    When you do have to cook meals in the oven make a double batch; there is nothing wrong with having left-over’s the next night.  The least amount of time you have to turn on the oven the more electricity you will save.  Plan your meals for the week and you might even take one day and cook them all at once and then freeze them; use the microwave to reheat and serve. 

Be Serious and you Will Save Money

If you are serious about cutting your electricity costs follow these tips and I can almost guarantee that your electric bill will not be something your cringe at every time it arrives in the mail.  The money you save on your electric costs can go into a savings plan for a family vacation; in a year’s times you will save enough to take that vacation you’ve always wanted to take if you stick to your guns and cut down on your electricity usage.