Save $ onYour Electric Bill

Lately I am more conscious of how I spend money.  



I've been  thinking about ways to  minimize waste and cut back on spending all together. My first undertaking  was to decrease my monthly utility bill. 


Below are the things I've done which  made a significant decrease in my electric bill.
                                                                       

*  Unplug  all electric items that do not need to be in constant use.  Lamps, clocks, curling irons, coffee makers, DVRs,  etc.  I plug in the lamps only when I need them.  Even though appliances are turned off  they are pulling  electricity (stand by power)  if they are plugged into an outlet. 

*  Make it a habit to run the dishwasher only when totally filled with dishes and limit the number of times you run it each week. In the summer run the dishwasher at night when there isn't as much heat.   

* Turn down the hot water heater.    The best temperature setting for a water hear is 120 degrees.  This should be hot enough for dishes to get clean in the dishwasher, if not increase to 130.  Turn the temperature down low if your out of town for more than 3 days.  Be sure to follow the manufactures directions.  For an electric water heater shut off the circuit breaker to it before adjusting the temperature.  Consider a "tankless" model water heater when you are replacing an old unit.  They are more energy efficient than tank water heaters which has to keep a large volume of water hot 24/7.

*  Avoid  running hot water when you don't really need it.  Reach for the cold water faucet first.  Take short showers and avoid extremely hot water.  It isn't good for your skin or your wallet. 

*  Wash laundry in cold water. Use a good detergent like Tide for the cleanest laundry.  You can boost the cleaning power of any detergent by adding  oxygen granules (available at the Dollar Store) to the wash cycle.  Add baking soda to the wash cycle to get whites brighter.    

*  Dry clothes in the dryer for shorter periods of time.  Remove laundry before it is  totally dry and hang on hangers or place on a rack to continue drying.  Lay knits on a flat surface to dry.  Smooth out wrinkles with your hands and  they will dry wrinkle free.   I lay them on a bed to dry and it works great.   In the winter place clothes on a drying rack and set it near furnace vents for drying.  Dry all the laundry at the same time, that is put the next load in immediately while the dryer is still warm from a previous load.  Keep the lint trap and the dryer vent clean for adequate ventilation.  Dust and lint make your dryer work harder and use more energy.  Make sure the washing machine is working properly and spinning water from the clothes.

*  Use ceiling fans.  Set you A/C on 78 - 80 degrees and turn on the ceiling fans. When your really hot,  take cold showers to cool down instead of turning the A/C down.   Wear light weight,  100% cotton garments for greater comfort.  Blends and knits  will make  you feel hotter.  Drink  cold drinks to lower body temperature.  Keep A/C filters clean. Turn off fans when no one is in the room.  Fans are for people comfort not the room's comfort.  No people, no fan. 

* Only heat the space you are in.  Use a space heater  to take the chill out of a room  instead of turning up the furnace to heat an entire home.   Once the chill is out of the air, turn off the heater.
Close the vents in  unused rooms.   Keep the furnace at 68 degrees and dress in layers for greatest warmth.  Wool, knits, and blends will keep you warmer.  You loose most of your body heat through the top of your head so a stocking cap will keep you warmer.  Drink hot teas as well as other hot drinks.  A cup of hot water with lemon will warm you nicely too.  
                                     

*  Turn off lights when leaving a room and only turn them on when you need them.  That goes without saying, right?  Florescent lighting uses less energy than incandescent lighting.  

* Select the most energy efficient kitchen appliances  when replacing older models.  Look for models with the Energy Star.  
Winter months are the best time to run the self-cleaning component of an oven.  It warms the room.  Wipe off oven spills immediately and only use the self-cleaning tool every 6 months.  


* Opt for level billing if your utility provider offers it.  With level billing you pay the same amount each month and that allows you to stay on a budget easier.


Hopefully you find one of these tips helpful and find more money in your wallet each month.