An easy way to cut costs every month is by reducing your own personal overhead in the form of your electricity bill. By using less energy, you not only put money back into your pocket, but also help the Earth. It’s a win-win situation.

During the summer months, set your thermostat as high as you are able to tolerate comfortably. Reverse this in the winter, setting it as low as you can go. Install a programmable thermostat that allows for multiple temperature settings throughout the day. This will help you to reduce your costs when you are not at home and don’t need it as cool or warm, depending on the season.

Install and use ceiling fans to help cool the air temperature by approximately 4 degrees. Thanks to this cooling effect, you can raise your thermostat, saving you money on air conditioning. The movement provided by a fan makes the air feel much cooler.

Use florescent or LED bulbs for greater lighting energy efficiency. These bulbs last up to ten times longer than regular light bulbs and use 75% less energy. Be sure to turn lights off when not in use.

Find energy efficient appliances. The refrigerator is typically the biggest energy hog, so if you must choose only one appliance to be Energy Star rated for efficiency, start with the fridge.

Only wash full loads of laundry or dishes to make the most out of each wash. Lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees, which is plenty warm, and can even prevent burns while saving you money. Look into purchasing a water heater jacket, which only runs about $10- $20, but can save you money by helping insulate your water heater.

Unplug appliances when not in use. Forgo using your dryer and allow clothes to line dry.

Tags: Add new tag, Home, Savings, Utilities

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009 at 22:28 and is filed under Save on Utilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.