Nobody likes to open the mail and find bills. The water bill and electricity bill are never-ending. If you’re tired of high utility costs, take a look at these seven best ways to cut your costs. Most of them are inexpensive fixes, too.
Install a Programmable Thermostat
Your thermostat controls the temperature in your home, because it tells your furnace and cooler when to turn on. If you get a programmable thermostat, you can choose the temperature you want in your home at different times of the day. For instance, you can lower the temperature of your home below 70 degrees for sleeping but have it hover around 72 degrees during the day. This will happen automatically and save you money on your utility bill. You can also set your programmable thermostat to turn off your furnace and cooler when you’re not at home.
Buy Energy Efficient Appliances
You might not think you have enough money to buy a new refrigerator or dishwasher, but you might reconsider if you knew that more energy-efficient models could save you hundreds of dollars each year on your utility bill. That means they would practically pay for themselves. Energy Star-rated products use a fraction of the energy of old appliances.
Add Insulation to Your Attic
Heat rises and escapes through your roof if you do not have insulation. So, your furnace has to work harder to keep your home warm, and your utility costs are higher as a result. You can save as much as 20 percent on your utility bill simply by adding insulation to your attic. Spray foam insulation is the most efficient, but you can also buy fiberglass insulation and install it yourself relatively cheaply.
Apply Weather Stripping to Your Doors
There are a lot of places around your home where you can lose heat, but your windows and doors are the biggest culprits. If you add weather stripping to reduce outside airflow from getting inside your house, thereby preventing heat from escaping, you will save money on your utility bill. It’s actually an easy project that doesn’t cost very much money to install.
Turn Your Washing Machine Temperature to Cold
Your water heater is responsible for a large portion of your utility bill. That’s because it constantly heats water, so it is ready for showers and laundry. You can save money by washing your clothes in cold water. There’s no reason to use warm, because your dryer will heat your clothes to a warm enough temperature to sanitize. Treehugger states washing clothes in hot water is equivalent to burning 182 gallons of gas, and it creates more CO2. Additionally, simply turning down the temperature of your water heater can also lower your utility bill.
Be Smarter with Your Dishwasher
Never run a dishwasher that has only half a load of dishes, because you’ll use more water, which increases costs on your utility bill. Additionally, save space by washing large pots and pans by hand. You can include more items in your dishwasher this way. Dishwashers use a lot of energy, because they run for an extended period. So, try to use the lightest wash level and let your dishes air dry instead of using the “heat dry” setting.
Install Solar Panels on Your Roof
One of the best ways to save money on your utility bill is to create energy yourself. You can do this by installing solar panels on your roof. You may wonder, “what is solar energy?” The solar panels capture photons from the sun and convert them to electricity that you can use to run your appliances and lighting. Additionally, if you produce more electricity than you need to run your home, some cities allow you to sell your excess energy back to the power grid.
These are just a few ways to save money on your utility bill. You can also replace your old windows, install a low-flow shower head, and unplug appliances when they aren’t in use. Share what you do to save money on your utility bill in the comments below.
