How to Lower Home Energy Bills

How to Lower Home Energy Bills

There are several sources of energy that makes our lives easier every day. We tend to take it for granted because it’s “just there”. Energy lights up our home every night, keeps us warm during cold winter, allows us to be entertained, and makes our living environment pleasant no matter what time of the day. We use energy from the moment we check our clocks in the morning to keeping us warm as we rest during the night. I think most of us would agree that it would be so hard to live without!

It would seem that we have sufficient energy supply for a lifetime, but that does not mean that we shouldn’t try to conserve it. After all, most energy has a price; and that price is something we have to pay with cash.

If your electric bill seems to rise each month, here are some things you can do to conserve electricity thus lowering your bill:

• Repair/replace an old roof – A good roof  keeps the elements out and the warmth or cool in (depending on the season).

• Keep your attic well ventilated and insulated- Your attic is a key part of your house when it comes energy loss. Provide vents where the heat can come out during summer. Your attic door must also be sealed to ensure that the air from our house does not go through it and vice versa. The attic door can be sealed with weather strippers.

r

• Secure all leaks – Leaks contribute to higher costs when it comes to home energy. Why? It is because air from your house can easily come out from these leaks. And the air from the outside can easily enter the house. Both increase the workload of your heating and cooling system. You have to remember that air moves according to air pressure and temperature. Since the temperature of inside your house is most of the time different from the temperature outside, air moves freely from these leaks. Making sure that the leaks are sealed would mean less work on your heating and cooling system and lower electric bills. Leaks would come from fireplaces, ducts, doors, ceilings, floors, walls, windows, plumbing penetrations, electrical outlets, fans, and vents.

• Reducing the thermostat  – Just one degree is equivalent to 5% electric bill savings. Therefore, keeping your thermostat low will save you some money. Additional savings will result if you program your thermostat lower when you are not home or if you are sleeping.

• Limiting the use of water heater – The second largest electric consumer next to your heating and cooling system is your water heater. When you wash you clothes, you don’t need to heat the water up. Just use the water from the faucet. This will save you by as much as 90% in washing machine energy consumption.

• Use your appliance efficiently – It seams pretty basic for all of us to turn off televisions, air conditioning, stereos and other electronic gadgets when not using them. However, most people don’t do this. The reality is; we can save some energy and money if we get in the habit of turning them off if not in use. Also, small things such as iPod chargers, cellphone chargers, digital clocks, lights and other things that seem to consume small electric current that remain plugged day in and day out contribute to your electric bill. Making sure you unplug them would certainly lower down your monthly electric consumption.