Lower Your Electric Bill With These Money Saving Tips

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Nobody likes high electrical bills. However, with the fluctuations in the energy market driving costs ever higher, climbing monthly costs seem inevitable. Although the cost of energy is something most consumers have little say over, there are methods to offset the cost by reducing energy usage. Of course, saving energy often sounds like a lot of work, but the truth is that many ways to reduce your energy use are simple and low-cost — and modern technology can make this process even easier. Here are some tips to cut costs around your house and turn your energy bill-related frowns upside down.

Optimize Your Climate Control

Controlling interior temperatures is usually the single highest contributor to high energy bills. So when you’re looking to save, climate control is a good place to start. Keeping your vents open can help protect you from forgetting to open them when the temperature turns, and changing the air filters can reduce the work load on your climate control system. Using standing and ceiling fans strategically can circulate air throughout your home, making the maintenance of a constant temperature easier.

Simply being more choosy about when to engage the AC or heat can help as well; before moving the thermostat, consider changing clothing or grabbing a blanket to keep yourself comfortable instead.

Optimize Your Washing

Another couple of big culprits on energy use are your washing appliances — clothes washers, dryers, and dishwashers. Careful planning on how to use these items strategically can help. For instance, filling a clothes washer to capacity is not a problem, but a packed drier will have problems with heat circulation, meaning longer drying times.

When washing dishes, be sure to remove food chunks first, and place them in the washer in such a way as to enable good water flow. Make it a habit to periodically clean the machine’s drains, as well, or you may risk flooding your kitchen.

Proper Maintenance

Image via Flickr by Mulad

People tend to think of maintenance as a chore, or something to be put off in favor of other expenses. This, however, can lead to even greater expenses and inconveniences down the line. The good news is that a lot of preventative maintenance is not especially difficult. For example, testing smoke alarms is a simple matter of pushing a button. More complex electrical issues can be tested by a technician with little difficulty.

Use Your Phone

Smartphone and tablet apps can allow you to manage the function of many household appliances. An app, coupled with a bit of hardware, can let you control your lighting, temperature, and other household energy uses from the palm of your hand. Check out the available options, and put together a plan to manage your energy use at the press of a touchscreen.

Complaining about costs is a popular modern pastime, but you can start a new type of conversation. Although any change in habits can be challenging, keep thinking about the savings you’ll realize each month, and all of the things you could do with that money. Keep your lifestyle changes simple and low impact and stay the course, and soon you’ll be in the money.

About Post Author

Abigail Clark

Abigail Clark is an upcoming freelance writer. She graduated from The University of South Florida with a bachelors in marketing, minoring in journalism. When she isn’t up to her neck in coupons she is enjoying the outdoors fishing. She loves doing reviews for technology, home products and beauty products. If you would like her to do a review for you look her up on twitter @downtownabby17.

downtownabby17@gmail.com