If you're looking for some ways to give your budget some breathing room without sacrificing your quality of living, this article is for you.
We'll talk about some fairly simple changes you can make to lower your monthly electric bill.
So if you're ready, let's get started.
1) Install A Programmable Thermostat This is another simple thing you can change.
If your home sits empty during the day while you're working and the kids are at school, installing a programmable thermostat can save you a significant amount of money each over the course of the year.
While you're not home, the thermostat can be automatically raised or lowered (depending on the time of the year) to a temperature you probably wouldn't find comfortable if you were at home and here's the part I really like - the thermostat can have the temperature in your house back to a perfectly comfortable temperature by the time you return home from work for the day so you don't have to spend the first hour waiting for the furnace or air conditioner to get the house back to a comfortable temperature.
2) Upgrade Your Old Appliances This can make the most dramatic difference in your monthly utility bills if you upgrade your HVAC system as well.
However, even replacing an old refrigerator can make a dramatic difference.
Old appliances suck up electricity like crazy.
I remember my grandparents recently replace their 40 year old refrigerator and immediately saved $60 a month on electricity.
Then they unplugged a second one in their basement that was of similar age that they didn't use anymore and knocked off another $50.
Those savings add up in a hurry.
3) Replace Your Light Bulbs Of all the things on this list, this is probably the easiest and cheapest to implement.
If you're still using those old, inefficient incandescent light bulbs, you're throwing money out the window.
They may be cheap to buy, but over time, compact fluorescent bulbs will save you a lot of money on electric costs as they can last up to 10 times longer and use far less electricity.
With incandescent bulbs, a lot of the energy is lost due to heat instead of light.
You'll experienced this if you've ever touched a light bulbs that's on - it probably burned your fingers.
With CFL bulbs, you'll find that you can put your hand on them and it'll be warm but it won't burn your fingers.
4) Install Ceiling Fans When I first moved into my house, this was actually the only way to keep my home comfortable in July and August.
I eventually replaced the air conditioner, but the ceiling fans always had their place in my house.
The trick to remember about ceiling fans in the summer is that ceiling fans cool people, not houses.
They breeze blowing across your skin can make a room feel five degrees cooler which means you don't have to set your thermostat as low.
A ceiling fan is also useful in winter if you have vaulted ceilings.
Just set it on low and it'll push that hot air back down to where you can use it.
5) Get An On Demand Water Heater It takes a lot of energy to heat up water and keep it hot all the time.
That's why an on demand hot water heater is such a cool appliance.
Instead of using a tank to store hot water like you're used to, it's able to use a system of heating coils and tubes to heat up water only when you need it.
Not only does it save a lot of energy from being wasted by keeping hot water hot all the time, it also gives you an endless supply of hot water so you'll never have to worry about taking a long shower and ending up with cold water no matter how many people have been in the shower before you.
We'll talk about some fairly simple changes you can make to lower your monthly electric bill.
So if you're ready, let's get started.
1) Install A Programmable Thermostat This is another simple thing you can change.
If your home sits empty during the day while you're working and the kids are at school, installing a programmable thermostat can save you a significant amount of money each over the course of the year.
While you're not home, the thermostat can be automatically raised or lowered (depending on the time of the year) to a temperature you probably wouldn't find comfortable if you were at home and here's the part I really like - the thermostat can have the temperature in your house back to a perfectly comfortable temperature by the time you return home from work for the day so you don't have to spend the first hour waiting for the furnace or air conditioner to get the house back to a comfortable temperature.
2) Upgrade Your Old Appliances This can make the most dramatic difference in your monthly utility bills if you upgrade your HVAC system as well.
However, even replacing an old refrigerator can make a dramatic difference.
Old appliances suck up electricity like crazy.
I remember my grandparents recently replace their 40 year old refrigerator and immediately saved $60 a month on electricity.
Then they unplugged a second one in their basement that was of similar age that they didn't use anymore and knocked off another $50.
Those savings add up in a hurry.
3) Replace Your Light Bulbs Of all the things on this list, this is probably the easiest and cheapest to implement.
If you're still using those old, inefficient incandescent light bulbs, you're throwing money out the window.
They may be cheap to buy, but over time, compact fluorescent bulbs will save you a lot of money on electric costs as they can last up to 10 times longer and use far less electricity.
With incandescent bulbs, a lot of the energy is lost due to heat instead of light.
You'll experienced this if you've ever touched a light bulbs that's on - it probably burned your fingers.
With CFL bulbs, you'll find that you can put your hand on them and it'll be warm but it won't burn your fingers.
4) Install Ceiling Fans When I first moved into my house, this was actually the only way to keep my home comfortable in July and August.
I eventually replaced the air conditioner, but the ceiling fans always had their place in my house.
The trick to remember about ceiling fans in the summer is that ceiling fans cool people, not houses.
They breeze blowing across your skin can make a room feel five degrees cooler which means you don't have to set your thermostat as low.
A ceiling fan is also useful in winter if you have vaulted ceilings.
Just set it on low and it'll push that hot air back down to where you can use it.
5) Get An On Demand Water Heater It takes a lot of energy to heat up water and keep it hot all the time.
That's why an on demand hot water heater is such a cool appliance.
Instead of using a tank to store hot water like you're used to, it's able to use a system of heating coils and tubes to heat up water only when you need it.
Not only does it save a lot of energy from being wasted by keeping hot water hot all the time, it also gives you an endless supply of hot water so you'll never have to worry about taking a long shower and ending up with cold water no matter how many people have been in the shower before you.
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