Save Money on the Electric Bill
Saving money seems to be a high priority for everyone these days.
With a few simple changes to the everyday routine, anyone can save money
on the
electric bill.
Turn off the lights when leaving a room. Simple enough advice,
but sometimes this can be a hard habit to get into. Start now and try
to remember this mantra: "I'm not running a light house here!" Speaking
of light bulbs, consider switching to CFLs to save loads of money over
the life of the bulb versus a traditional light bulb.
Only wash full loads of laundry. Same goes for dishes, if you have
a dishwasher. As far as laundry goes, turn the dial to cold water.
In most cases, washing in hot water is unnecessary. Using laundry soap
specially designed for use in cold water is also not necessary, as most
people cannot tell the difference between laundry washed in cold water
or hot water, regardless of detergent used. The only exception to using
cold water in the laundry may be whites, which do benefit from hot
water.
Turn down the thermostat. Even if it is turned down one degree, will
anyone really notice a difference? Your wallet will. For every degree
cooler the heat is kept, the home owner can save 1-3% on the energy
bill. Turn down the heat on the water heater as well. Often factory
settings on water heaters are too hot for home use, meaning there is no
reason for the water to be so hot. Turn the thermostat on the water
heater to about 130. This is hot enough to kill bacteria in the tank
and in the pipes and for sanitizing dishes in the dishwasher.
Use window shades wisely. Open the curtains in the morning
and afternoon to take advantage of the sun's natural heat. Close them
at night in order to retain heat in the house. Sunlight can heat the
house by one degree in optimal conditions. Even without optimal
conditions, letting sunlight in will make the house feel warmer.
Open the oven door when you are done using the oven. The air escaping from the oven will help to warm the house!
Combat drafts under doors with a rolled up towel. Use a plastic
window insulator kit in the winter to combat window drafts. If a
plastic window insulator kit is not practical, use heavy curtains or
even thick blankets to cover the windows and quell drafts in the home.
Happy saving!
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