Tips for lowering your utility bills

Archive for the ‘Energy Savings’ Category

Keep Like Items Together
Different types of clothes require different lengths of time in the dryer to become completely dry.  Your sturdy blue jeans, for example, will take much longer to dry than your regular cotton t-shirt.  It makes sense therefore to wash and dry like items together.  This saves you from running your dryer much longer than is necessary.

Use Energy Saver Settings
There are energy saver setting on almost all new large appliances, including dishwashers, refrigerators, washers, and dryers.  You can save as much as $400 every year just by using these settings.

Watch Out for Energy Eating Setting
Many dishwashers come with the handy setting labeled “rinse and hold”.  Many people use this cycle between wash cycles of the dishwasher when it is not yet full.  The problem with this cycle is that is uses up to eight gallons of water, and your dishes still need to be washed.  If you use “rinse and hold” just once a week you will use as much as 1600 gallons of water each and every month.

Avoid Heat Producers
Do not use appliances that produce a lot of heat during the hottest part of the day.  This includes things like dryers, ovens and stoves.  Running these appliances at the same time as your AC will just make it work harder and consume more energy.

Freezer Placement
Although your freezer keeps things cold, it actually generates a lot of heat.  You can avoid excessive heat in your main living areas by moving your freestanding freezer to the basement or garage during the warm summer months.  This will help reduce the load on your AC unit.

Blower Test Your Doors
Blower door testing is offered by many utility companies.  The blower door depressurizes your home and shows you any air leaks that your home may have.  Your local utility company will be able to let you know whether they offer this service to their customers.

Seal Leaks
Once you have located leaks you will want to seal them using caulking, weather-stripping, and insulation.  A well sealed home can save as much as twenty percent on energy costs.

Shaded Air Conditioners
You can make your air conditioner more efficient by ensuring that it is shaded with either trees or shrubs.  You can also install an awning if trees or shrubs are not an option.  A cool unit uses less energy because it does not need to work as hard.

Use the Off Switch
While it may seem obvious, many people are not aware that they can save lots of money on their energy costs by turning their air conditioning and heat down during the night and off entirely when they are not at home.  A programmable thermostat may be the best option for those people who have a difficult time remembering to change the setting.  A programmable thermostat is a small investment that can yield great savings over time.

Keep Doors Closed
Do not spend money heating or cooling rooms that are not in use.  Close the vents and doors in to those rooms that are never or hardly ever used.  You will save energy as you are heating less overall space.

Swamp Cooler Tips
You can save up to 50% water just by waiting to turn your swamp cooler on until the outdoor temperature reaches 85° as opposed to 79°.  When using your swamp cooler you should turn on the water pump a couple of minutes prior to turning on the fan.  The cooler will be more efficient, and use less energy, if the pads are saturated before you turn on the fan.

Open Windows
When using a swamp cooler you can cool your home faster by cracking a window in the rooms you are cooling.

Compact Fluorescent Lights
There are many benefits to using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in your home.  While they have a higher initial price tag than regular incandescent bulbs they will use approximately 75% less energy and have a useful life of around 10 times what you can expect from an incandescent.  You can save over $100 in around three years just by replacing four frequently used 100 incandescent bulbs with 23-watt CFLs

Switch Them Off
While this is regular common sense, it is a reminder than many of use need every once in a while.  This is a sure fire way to reduce your energy bill that costs you nothing.  Lights that are not in use should be turned off immediately.  For those that have a hard time remembering to turn off lights it may be a good idea to install timers.

Energy Efficient Appliances
Each of the appliances that you use in your home adds to your energy bills.  The appliances you choose can really help to reduce those costs.  You can get a great idea of the most energy efficient appliances on the market these days by visiting energyguide.com.   The yellow Energy Star® label on appliances can also give you a good idea of the appliance’s energy consumption while you are shopping around.

Give Your Attic Insulation an Upgrade
You can save as much as twenty percent on your heating bills just by adding insulation to your attic.  The higher the “R” value of the insulation the greater the savings you can expect to receive.  You should use insulation with at least an R value of 40 when insulating your attic.  You can also reduce you energy costs by applying a good sealant to your attic door.

Seal Your Air Ducts
Around 40% of the cooling of your home is lost as the result of leaky air ducts.  The air ducts in any home tend to be very warm, making your energy costs rise during warm weather.  Do not use duct tape to seal your duct system.  It is better to use mastic and mesh combined with insulation with an R value of at least 8.

Clean Air Filters
Air conditioning and furnace filters should be replaced monthly to operate at maximum energy efficiency.  These appliances work harder, and therefore use more energy, when they have a dirty filter.

Think Cold
This is a simple tip that many people fail to follow.  While you will probably want to wash your dishes, clothes, and hands with warm water, cold water will work perfectly fine for rinsing.  You don’t always need to use hot water for many of your everyday tasks.

Reduce Your Water Heater Temperature
Did you know that you can save between three to five percent on your energy costs for each 10 degrees you lower your water heater temperature?  Many people have their water heaters set much higher than is really necessary.  Those with a dishwasher should set their water temperature no higher than 140° and those without a dishwasher can lower the temperature even further to 130°.  Lower water heater temperatures are an easy way to save money on your utility bills.

Repair Leaky Faucets
Even small leaks in your faucets can waste water and cost you plenty of money.  One utility company estimated that you will loose as much as 1,008 gallons of water a year with a leak that only drips 30 drops/minute.

Add Insulation to Your Water Heater
The water in your water heater will stay warmer longer if you insulate your water heater.   You will quickly recoup the ten dollars you will most likely need to spend for an insulation blanket.

Water Saving Showerheads
You can reduce the cost of your showers by almost half by installing water saving shower heads.  You will use less than three galloons of water a minutes with full force spray with some of the newer models.  These shower heads are inexpensive and easy to install.  Another benefit is that you will use less hot water.

Shorter Showers
You can save lots of money on your energy bills by simply taking shorter showers.  You can save up to 25 gallons of water a month just by reducing your shower time by five minutes.   Turning your water flow on less than full force is another way to save money on your shower costs.

Don’t Keep the Water Running
You can save lots of money on your utility bills by turning off the water while you are shaving or brushing your teeth.  You use between two and four gallons of water just by leaving it on while you brush your teeth.  Turning the water on just while you are rinsing at the end will only use a couple of cups of water.