Electric Savings and Energy Efficiency!
Nothing is quite as “shocking” as opening that electric bill and seeing that your total is way more than you can afford. You look at it and think, “How could my family use this much energy and why does it cost so much to begin with?” I have yet to come up with a coupon to save on electricity, but there are some tips that I have found that can really help reduce your monthly bill and teach your family the value of conservation.
Check Your Bill: Be sure to look at your bill every month to ensure its accuracy. You would be amazed at the simple mistakes that companies make when creating your monthly bill. The cause could range from clerical error to computer glitch, either of which is costing you some serious dough. If you have questions or cannot understand the different terms on your statement, you should ask someone to help explain it to you. One quick call to your local P.U.D could potentially save you hundreds of dollars per year!
Turn It Off: Sounds easy enough right? If you are not in the room or it is the middle of the day, make sure to switch off the lights as you move from room to room. If this is a hard one for the little ones to remember, try using a few signs on doors to remind them to switch off unused lights as they go. Also, try opening up those blinds and letting in a little sunshine. Doing so will cut the need for lights entirely and cheer up any room in your house.
Use Energy Efficient Products: Using energy efficient items in and around your home can really add up to great savings. Start small by replacing your light bulbs with low energy ones and then make your way up to purchasing more energy efficient appliances. They may seem a little more costly in the beginning, but the amount they save you over a lifetime of use, will definitely be made up for. By simply changing just one light bulb to a more energy efficient one, you could save up to $35 over a ten year span!
Unplug: Be sure to go around your house and unplug all those appliances not in use. Standby power for appliances not in use typically accounts for 5% to 10% of residential electricity use, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. One easy solution, would to plug those devices into a power strip that can be turned off when not in use.
Maintenance: Keep your appliances and household systems operating at optimum levels with routine maintenance. By ensuring that your AC unit has no leaking ducts or that your water heater has no leaks, you are ensuring up to 20% savings on your annual electric bill. Also be sure to keep your filters clean as dirt build up forces the machine to work harder to keep up the same output. This in turn raises our bills and challenges our pocket book to keep up.
With just a few little changes to your routine and household products, you could see a savings of up to 50% or more on your monthly electric bill. The savings may be small as you start to make the changes, but eventually all those dollars add up. Plus, a little effort now to conserve energy will ensure a healthy and long lasting world for our children in the future.
