Using energy in an efficient manner can help you save a good deal of money each year on your energy and utility bills.
There are some ways that you can cut back on your energy consumption. Some will be easier to adjust to than others. Most are very affordable, only requiring you to make a very small investment of time and money in order to save money. What you decide to utilize in your home really comes down to finding out what works for you.
Let’s take a closer look at different ways that you can save electricity in your home.
Save on Electric Bills: Tips for the Inside
There are many free cost ways to monthly save on your home bills. With these methods you can save electricity simply from the inside of your home in just a few small steps, so…keep on reading!
1. Think about appliances that produce heat in the home
You probably have at least a few appliances that generate heat to some degree. This might be your oven, dishwasher, dryer, etc. In the winter months, you can use these appliances to add some residual heat to your home.
When the summer months are producing very hot temperatures, try to run these appliances in the evening hours. This will prevent you from having to run your air conditioning more frequently during the day to keep your indoor temperature down to a comfortable level.
If you’re trying to avoid adding heat to the home in the summer, switch over to grilling or use a crock pot.
2. Get a check up for your HVAC system
Your furnace is designed to keep your home warm in the winter months. It works along with your air conditioning unit to keep your home cool when the outdoor temperatures are high. You’ll want to make an appointment for a routine maintenance check up for your HVAC system each year. This will ensure that your furnace and all other components are working efficiently.
If it’s time to invest in a new unit, use a reputable company to help you decide what your home needs. You want to avoid purchasing a unit that is too big or too small for your home’s size. A unit that is too big will be consuming too much electricity to function. Instead, a unit that is too small will run too often in hopes of keeping up with your set temperature. Newer models tend to be more efficient when it comes to energy consumption.
Don’t forget to change your furnace filter regularly to save electricity. When you leave a clogged filter in your unit, this can cause your HVAC system to work harder to pump the adequate amount of air. You could also be shortening the life expectancy of your furnace when you don’t keep up with its maintenance.
Remember that mainly they requires to change your filter every thirty days but there are filters that are designed for ninety days.
3. Change the temperature on your thermostat
Changing the temperature in your home by just two degrees up or down can save a great deal of electricity, assuming that you have an electric furnace. In the summer, keep your home two degrees hotter. In the winter, you can turn it down two degrees and add some layers to keep yourself warm.
A programmable thermostat is a very affordable change that you can make to your home. This will allow you to program temperatures for different times of the day. This will prevent you from having to constantly stop by the thermostat to make a change. When you go to bed, drop the temperature down since you’ll be snuggled under the covers anyway. You can have the temperature go back up approximately thirty minutes before you wake up and you’ll never notice the change. You’ll definitely notice a difference in your electric bill though.
4. Shut vents in certain rooms
If you have rooms in your home that aren’t used daily, you might want to think about shutting its vents. You’ll still get adequate airflow from under the doorway. So, you don’t have to worry about any damage occurring because of temperature fluctuations. You just won’t be overheating a room that doesn’t need to have the same temperature as the rest of the house.
Save on Electric Bills: Tips for the Outside
To optimize energy savings even further, you must know that it is possible to save electricity also through operations that can be carried outside your home. We resume them here and we advise you not to underestimate them!
1. Think about updating the exterior of your home
Dark colors will attract more heat. If your home is a very dark color, this will only make your home hotter in the summer. You’ll be running that air conditioning almost full time. If you choose a light color, this will keep your home naturally cool and reduce your electric consumption. The “Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory” conducted a study that determined homes with white roofs use 40% less energy than those with black roofs.
2. Upgrade your insulation
Many homes are built without adequate amounts of insulation. You can add more insulation to your attic or basement to trap heat inside and save on electric bills costs. You may even have one or more walls that are not adequately insulated. Aside from the insulation that is inside of your walls, you can also add things like weather stripping around doors and windows to prevent air flow.
There are different types of insulation that you can use in your home. Make sure that you speak with a trusted professional in your area. They can point you in the right direction of what insulation will save you the most money in the long run.
3. Invest in your landscaping
Not only do trees and shrubs add to the curb appeal of your home, they also provide a natural form of insulation. You can invest in some trees now. In a few years, they will be providing shade and protection that will reduce your electric bill costs. Ivy is another great insulator that you can allow to grow up your home or patio.
Depending on your budget, you might have to invest in some small foliage and wait a few years to reap the benefits. However, this is a minor investment that will pay off later on as you save electricity.
Conclusion
Many of the ways that you can save on electric bills costs each month don’t necessarily cost you a lot of money right now. You may simply have to adjust your lifestyle a bit. In the long run, it won’t take long to adjust. You’ll end up having a lot more money in your yearly budget with these changes that we just talked about.
If you think there is something that could be wrong with an appliance in your home or your furnace, you’ll want to have those issues taken care of right away. Remember that leaving an ongoing issue unaddressed will only end up costing your more money in the long run. Just be sure to use a reputable professional that can help you save on electric bills expenses.