Tips: Cutting Your Energy Costs

January 10 is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day which is also a great day to start being more aware of what electronics you use, when to shut them off and how to save on your electric bill. If you follow the tips listed below then you should be on the right track to reducing your electricity bill!

• Take a walk throughout your entire house and see which devices are plugged in and ask yourself if you use that particular device frequently but if not then unplug it and store it away until you decide to use it.
• Rather than using on and off switches, opt for dimmer switches so you can have control over the power of the light in rooms. Sometimes you might not need an extremely bright light in a room that might already be getting direct light from the sun and this is where having a dimmer light switch would come into great use.
• After you’ve washed your clothes hang them outside on a laundry line rather than running the dryer. Hanging your clothes on a line outside to dry will save you money because dryers consume a lot of energy. Also, when doing laundry, make sure that you’re doing full loads of laundry so as to decrease the number of times you do laundry.
• During the summertime, most of us use the AC but that consumes a lot of energy which can increase your electricity bill. One solution for you is to install ceiling fans throughout the house so it can allow the air to flow through the entire house in the same way as an AC, however, it will help to reduce your bill.
• Using LED lights is another great way to conserve energy especially in rooms of the house that you spend most of the time.
• Washing your dishes by hand and letting them air dry is also another great way to use less energy. With this tip, however, you need to be careful that you don’t use too much water or else rather than your electricity bill increasing, your water bill might go up.
• During the wintertime, we all want to stay warm so we end up turning up the thermostat to keep the house warm. So, rather than turning up the heat in the house, make use of sweaters and blankets to help keep you warm.
• If you and your family are out throughout most of the day, then remember to turn off all appliances, especially the thermostat and the lights in the house. This will be the biggest help in reducing your electricity bill.

If you follow these tips listed above, then you should begin to notice a decreased amount in your electricity bill. If you don’t, then speak with your local power company and find out what else you can do to cut your energy costs.