15 Easy Home Energy Saving Tips That'll Save You Money
Let’s face it: Keeping the lights on is not a cheap thing to do and when we add the air conditioning, the furnace, the water heater, and all the appliances, it all amounts to a lot.
According to the FAO, the average rural household spends an average of $3,198 on utilities annually.
And believe it or not, you can lower your utility bill by about 25% if you make some tweaks in the way you use your appliances in your home and by up to 75% if you upgrade to a new energy-efficient heating and cooling system.
There are some ways to save money effectively and below we share them with you!
15 easy yet powerful tips that'll help you save money on your energy bill:
- Check the seals on all of your doors, windows, and appliances
- Check for leaky ductwork
- Nudge your thermostat
- Check the freezer and fridge temperature
- Cut the shower time
- Get a better showerhead
- Avoid washing clothes in hot water
- Fix your leaky faucets
- Adjust the water heater temperature
- Energy-efficient appliances are a must
- Discounted rates
- Get cost-effective lightbulbs
- Dimmer switches are great
- Smart power strips are an excellent idea
- Energy audit
Cooling And Heating
This is the best place to start if you want to lower your utility bills, it can provide you with plenty of cost-effective opportunities, and here are some of the most effective ones!
1. Check The Seals On All Of Your Doors, Windows, And Appliances – if you want to keep the cool air where it belongs, then make sure all of the doors on your freezer and fridge are well shut. The same applies to your doors and windows too. The energy will be wasted for nothing if the seals don’t function properly.
2. Check For Leaky Ductwork – air conditioning ducts, ventilation, and heating should all be checked for any leaky ductwork, and you need to have them repaired.
3. Nudge Your Thermostat – when you are asleep or not in your home, lower the thermostat by about 10-15 degrees. If you do this for about eight hours a day, your bills will be significantly lower.
4. Check The Freezer And Fridge Temperature – keep your food fresh and avoid the hard work of the cooling appliances by doing this – fridge set to 38 degrees and freezer set between 0 and 5 degrees.
Water
The second-largest expense in any household is water. You will have a significant decrease in your utility bill if you try to cut down on your water usage.
Let’s see how that can be done.
5. Cut The Shower Time – you can make all the difference by cutting your shower time by just two minutes.
6. Get A Better Showerhead – make sure to obtain a low-flow-energy-efficient showerhead, since it can cut down on your water usage significantly!
7. Avoid Washing Clothes In Hot Water – cut the energy use in half by washing your clothes in warm or cold water!
8. Fix Your Leaky Faucets – it doesn’t just drip annoyingly, it wastes water too, so fix it!
9. Adjust The Water Heater Temperature – if you want to reduce the water heating costs, then just reduce the temperature from 140 degrees to 120 degrees. If you are not in your home, you can even reduce it to the lowest setting.
10. Energy-Efficient Appliances Are A Must – whatever sort of appliance you need to buy next, make sure they are energy-efficient. Look for the Energy Star label and save some water and energy! Prioritize buying the appliances that are constantly turned on, such as TV, washer and dryer, HVAC system, and more.
11. Discounted Rates – during certain times in the day, some energy providers can give discounts on their rates that vary between 5-25%. Check this with your energy provider and find out the exact times so you can save up some more!
Lighting And Power
All lighting and electronics can be cut to a minimum, and you can save up to 11% or even more on an annual level when it comes to your energy bills.
12. Get Cost-Effective Lightbulbs – just change the existing lightbulbs with energy-saving ones, and you will be able to reduce the costs by about 75 USD per year!
13. Dimmer Switches Are Great – set the mood while saving up on your electricity costs – set the brightness in a room to what you need and you are good to go!
14. Smart Power Strips Are An Excellent Thing – fun fact – some of the electronic devices in your home are not turned off even when you switch them to off, and they sit on standby and spend some energy. After some time, this sums up to a larger amount of money. If you connect all of these devices into one smart power strip and cut off the power when you don’t use those appliances, you will save up some money for sure!
15. Energy Audit – if you want to reduce your energy spending, some energy providers can offer a free audit service, where they can assist you in this process even further!
If you have any questions on upgrading to an energy-efficient HVAC system, call us at 416-775-7292 or chat with us in near real-time on our Facebook fan page.