Paying utility bills can be the bane of one’s existence. It’s unpredictable, repetitive and down right annoying all at the same time. Paying for one’s electricity is a necessity that has to happen, however. Living without it is really not an option in our society. While there are options like alternative electric companies and renewable energy companies, these are only available in certain areas. The deregulation of electricity markets is making these things a little more available but it will be awhile before alternative energy sources are a common practice. In the mean time, here are some practical ways that you can try to keep a little more money in your pocket instead of giving it to the energy companies every month.
Leave the Thermostat Alone
Here’s a good one. Stop changing the temperature. Buy a programmable thermostat and then set it to change on it’s own. For example, set it to be warmer when no one is home and cooler right before you all return for the evening. Or vice versa, depending on the season. Manually resetting the thermostat every time your internal temperature changes can jack up your bill every month and cause you to have to pay more as your air conditioner or heater works harder to keep up with your changes.
Don’t Shut Off the HVAC Unit
Whether you are using the heating or cooling feature, you should never completely turn it off unless you are going to be away for weeks at a time. If you are only going away for a few days then the smarter choice is to higher the AC (during the summer, lower the heating in the winter) so that it still kicks on but much less often. The benefit to this is that when you get home, the unit won’t get overworked as you try to get it to go from zero to one hundred in a few minutes. The regular usage while your gone will keep your unit running smoothly and then when you get home and want to put the settings back to normal, it won’t have to work so hard to warm up (or cool down) the entire house from being in the off position so long.
Do Shut Off the Lights
Turning off unnecessary lights can make a huge difference on your electricity bill. Energy companies have put out statistics that show the incredible decrease in the amount that people pay because of one simple change- turning off the lights. It’s simple; when you leave the room, turn off the light. Don’t use lights turning the day, open curtains, windows and doors and let in the natural light. Also, using energy saver bulbs can make a huge difference to your bill as well.
Make Sure You Don’t Have Leaks
Water leakages are one of the biggest money wasters. If you have a leak, there’s nothing really that energy companies can do for you. That’s why you need to pay attention and check for them yourself. Leaks can end up costing hundreds and even thousands of dollars if they go unnoticed for long enough. If your leak is before the meter then you are in luck but if you have a leak in your pipes or lines after the water has already ran through the meter then you will have to pay that and there is really nothing that the water company is going to be able to do.
Invest in Energy Saving Appliances
You may not feel strongly about the environment but I’m sure you’d love to pay less bills and having energy saving appliances in your house can make the difference. Refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers; they all have an energy saving counterpart that will save you money as well as act friendlier to the planet if you’re concerned about that.
Saving energy is a great thing to do for our world but even if that is not at the top of your priority list, surely saving money on your bills is and fortunately, they go hand in hand. Take a look at each of these points and see which one you could employ in order to start saving yourself some money and paying less to energy companies.
