Save Money on Energy Tips

Lower Your Utility Bill with These Money Saving Tips!

You turn off your lights when you're not home and set your thermostat to 72 in the summer and 68 in the winter, but still the sight of the utility bill in the mailbox makes you cringe. Is there more you can do?

Follow these surprisingly easy money saving tips to cut that utility bill down to size:

Keep the refrigerator full! Did you know that it costs more to keep the fridge or freezer cool when its empty? The food actually acts as insulation, meaning your refrigerator doesn't have to work as hard to maintain its temperature when its full.

Use that programmable thermostat! Program your thermostat to turn off when you're not home or sleeping. This will save you around 3% over a 24-hour period for every degree you lower the thermostat in the winter. If you don't have a programmable thermostat, you can still see savings if you adjust your thermostat manually every time you leave the house.

Unplug those electronics! Your television, computer, microwave, VCR and other electronics are consuming electricity and adding to your utility bill even when they're turned off. Either unplug these items when not in use or invest in Smart Strip power strips, which cut power to electronics that aren't in use.

Comments

   

Save Energy=Conserve and Turn Off

Learn to conserve and save money. Everyone wants to save energy, which also translates into saving money. Each fall we use gas energy to heat and power our homes. Learn what to turn off and how to conserve.

Dress appropriately for hot or cold conditions in your home. Wear extra sweaters and use a cozy throw blanket. Open drapes on the sunny side of each room to heat rooms naturally and save energy. Rearrange furniture in individual rooms to take advantage of sunshine during the winter.

Add extra insulation in walls to keep warm air inside. Save gas energy by replacing old gas appliances with new Energy Star rated appliances including refrigerators, heaters, ranges, water heaters and freezers. Install drapes with heavy-duty linings to keep heat inside and cold outside.

Set water heater thermostats to the lowest settings to conserve gas energy. High temperature settings on a dishwasher may not be necessary. Fast showers save money on propane gas. Every time you open the oven to check food, 20 percent of the heat is lost.

Turn off or unplug power-draining equipment for extended periods of time, especially PCs, printers and fax machines. Setup computers with easy to use programs for engaging sleep modes on each computer and save power. You can save energy and money every day by using a few of these simple suggestions.

Comments

   

Easy Tip To Save On Energy Bills

One of the most simple ways to save money on your energy bills is also one of the most overlooked. Turning off lights and appliances when not in use is so easy in theory, but so hard in practice. Depending on the wattage of the bulb and the price you pay for a kilowatt-hour of electricity, one light bulb left on continuously can cost you about five dollars per month. Five dollars won't affect your budget much, but when you multiply that times every light left on in the house, the total cost can be a significant dent to your budget. Simply turning off the lights every time you leave a room can help you save on bills.

Some prefer to leave some lights on all the time for safety. Outside lights can help protect your home from intruders. Putting your outdoor lights on a timer can help save electricity because they will not be on when it is daylight. Switching to a lower wattage or compact fluorescent bulbs can also mean a significant savings. Solar lighting is the best option for lowering energy bills on outdoor lighting. The initial investment might be high, but there are no monthly energy costs.

Comments

   

Reduce Costs With an Energy Monitor

One of the major items in every household's budget is the cost to provide electricity for the home. Especially in hot summer months and cold winter months, people can spend hundreds of dollars per month on energy.
One easy way to reduce energy bills is to install an energy monitor. There are two types of energy monitors. A total consumption energy monitor, or power monitor, attaches to the household's electrical panel or electric meter and measures the total energy used by the household.
Another type of energy monitor (sometimes called a Smart Plug or Smart Power Strip) measures the power used by an individual appliance. This type of monitor is much cheaper than a total consumption energy monitor, and can be attached to the appliances that the homeowner thinks use the most electricity. It also can be used to monitor how much energy appliances that are always left on (DVD players, alarm clocks, cable boxes, etc.) use.
Although many power companies, through energy watch programs, will conduct a household energy audit and tell the homeowner how they can conserve electricity, a monitor helps measure progress over time. It is estimated that a household can save between 4% and 15% on their monthly power bill, simply by installing an energy monitor.

Comments

   

Save Energy and Cut the Electricity Bill with Energy Saver Bulbs

All of us like to save money. It's even better if we're saving energy, while saving money. One way to save both is by choosing the right kind of energy saver bulbs for your home. Light bulbs that carry the ENERGY STAR label have met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s strict energy efficiency guidelines.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy describe the savings related to the ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulb. These energy saver bulbs can reduce your electricity bill by $40 over the lifetime of the bulb. In addition, these energy saver bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than the standard incandescent bulbs and last as much as 10 times longer than standard bulbs. The ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulb creates about 75 percent less heat than a standard bulb. This lower heat makes it safer to operate and means that it has less impact on home cooling costs.

For the wise consumer looking to cut the electricity bill while saving energy too, these energy saver bulbs are the smart purchase.

Comments

   

Lower Your Heating Costs

While there's little that you can do about the prices that your gas supplier charges, there's a lot that you can do about lowering your heating costs. By following a handful of basic, common-sense tips, you can dramatically lower the price of your monthly gas bill. A few of the best ideas include:

- Find a gas supplier who provides electricity, too. Many times, suppliers will give you discounts for buying gas and electricity from them.

- Invest in better insulation, especially in your attic or below your roof. Heat rises; all too often, a lot of the heat that your furnace generates escapes through poorly-insulated attics. When that happens, heating costs can rise dramatically. The government often offers tax credits for homeowners who equip their homes with topnotch insulation, new roofs and other energy-saving features.

- Buy a programmable thermostat. A large percentage of your total heating costs are for heat that is generated while you're not even home. It's easy to forget to turn down the thermostat before leaving for work; with a programmable one, though, you don't have to give it a second thought.

- Look for a new gas supplier. Depending on where you live, you may have several options at your disposal. Do your research to see what other suppliers have to offer - you may be surprised by the price differences that exist from one supplier to the next!

Comments

   

Combat Your Energy Suppliers and Win

If you feel the same way I do, your energy suppliers are viewed as the enemy. Yes, we all have to have them to power our lives, our computers and keep the lights on at night. But usually their bills aren’t our favorites in the mailbox every month.

There are a few quick ways that I know of out there to combat those bills to make them a little bit smaller and easier to handle. I’ll share a few of them with you quickly right here.

If it isn’t plugged in, unplug it from the wall. Computer cords. Phone and toy chargers. Nightlights. Treadmills. Unplug them unless you are using them right this very moment. They are sucking electricity out of the wall and making your electricity suppliers smile from ear to ear. Even when you aren’t using them.

Turn off ceiling fans and other lights when you aren’t in the room. Radios and televisions should also be turned off. Heck, if you aren’t in the room then turn it all off! This will help lower the bills tremendously. I’m always surprised when I see a house lit up like a beacon at night in my neighborhood. They must have stock in their electricity supplier!

Turn off the air conditioner when it’s cooler outside and open the windows! Fresh air will tumble through your home and chase out the stinky smells that build up in a closed up house. It’s good for you and your wallet. But bad for the energy suppliers and your bill. Try it. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Comments

   

Common Sense is Your Best Offense to Rising Electrcity Prices

These days, we all need to save money anyway we can. You carpool to save gas. You keep your thermostat turned down to save on your electricity prices. You eat at home instead going out to a restaurant for dinner. You skimp any way you can to keep a little more of that money, you work so hard for, in your own pocket.

One area you can start to save some money on is your electrical bill. With electricity prices on the rise all the time, there are some simple things you can do to minimize power consumption, and get the cheapest electricity bill possible.

Unplug your appliances when not in use. With a lot of appliances and electronics just turning them off is not enough. Things such as phone charges, stereos, microwaves and any other electronics that have a light or digital output, still use electricity when not in use. The main offender is your computer. Not only do these items use electricity when not in use, they also give off heat. When you are trying to keep your house cool, having extra heat from internal sources makes it that much harder to keep your electricity prices down.

Every little bit helps in the attempt to keep your expenses down. Using common sense is your best offense in having the cheapest electricity bill possible.

Comments

   

Tips for Saving Money on Energy

One of the responsibilities of owning or renting a place to live is to manage your budget. Bills associated with maintaining a comfortable living climate are a major factor in budgetary concerns. A goal of most people is to have adequate heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. The amount of climate control you can provide is dependent upon gas and electricity suppliers. Where you live will factor into the cost and choice of who are the relevant gas and electricity suppliers. If you wish to switch energy supplier companies, realize that some areas have limited choices in who provides these utilities..

When researching viable options to switch energy supplier companies in an attempt to save money, a good place to look is your local city website. Most city websites have an area that lists the local utility companies that serve the area. Once you have determined if there is more than one applicable company that can service your energy needs, start to compare prices. The company website for each energy supplier will have a section that lists the rates that they charge for usage. Another resource is to ask friends and neighbors in the area. Inquire about how much they pay their gas and electricity suppliers. Use this as a guideline in making an informed decision.

Comments

   

How To Find The Cheapest Gas And Electrical Prices

Saving money is on everyone's mind these days. Utility bills such as gas and electricity prices eat up a large portion of the monthly budget; however, there are a few tricks that can help save on these bills.

For the cheapest gas prices the answer for urban customers is to cut back on usage. Insulating, weather-stripping, and caulking will help to cut energy bills. There are often programs that will allow purchase of gas during the summer for the winter months. Some gas companies have a payment plan that allows the consumer to pay a set amount all year. This is sometimes cheaper than paying for the actual amount of gas used.

The cheapest electricity prices are sometimes available by paying a fixed monthly amount. If the consumer lives in one of the 23 states which have deregulated electrical providers he may pick and choose between providers. The price range between these companies was five cents per kilowatt hour. Deposits, early termination fees, and contracts may or may not be required.

Gas and electricity prices can be reduced with a bit of planning and foresight. A few of the variables that can affect energy prices are: payment methods, contract options, and weatherizing.

Comments