Tips To Save You Extra On Your Next Electricity Bill
Electricity bills are considered one of the most expensive bills a person has, which places a heavy burden on nearly everyone—on average, Americans spend nearly 2.7% of their income on energy bills. Bills are a responsibility that comes with growing up, but too often are we ill-prepared and uninformed about ways to remove the financial burden from our stressful lives. Many young adults are moving out on their own sustain the burden of financial responsibility, typically falling short because they’re simply unprepared and uninformed about financial resources that could greatly benefit them. In fact, many renters and homeowners are unaware of the abundance of resources available for quality. Statistics gathered by the U.S Department of Energy revealed the average family spent nearly $2,200 per year on utilities alone. Cheap electricity is completely possible; most of these resources are a quick google search away or even speaking to your electric service company or other electrical contractors about how to lower electric bills.
How To Improve Electric Bills
Many people think it’s impossible to negotiate or change electricity rates, the main reason why most resources go unused—people believe it’s a scam. Typically, if you told a person there was a way to lower their bills considerably, they’d probably have a growing look of concern on their face and quickly reject your assistance. However, there are alternative methods for lowering an electric bill that doesn’t always necessarily involve your electric company.
1. Add extra insulation to your home: Wintertime is typically the hardest for many people, the frigid winter cold leaves their home feeling uncomfortable. Typically, a significant draft in homes or apartments during colder months is attributed to poor insulation—thicker insulation supplies energy and saves money. It’s imperative to check the insulation in a home before the fall and winter months approach to ensure you have the proper insulation. For an extra layer of insulation during cold months, it’s suggested to wrap extra insulation around pipes to prevent the water heater from working twice as hard, ultimately increasing your electricity rates.
2. Replace your air filter: Be sure to keep an eye on your air filter to ensure it’s properly catching debris like dust, pollen, lint, and circulating clean air throughout the cooling and heating system. Replacing the air filter helps keep the HVAC working properly and utilizing less energy, which saves energy and prevents you from paying the electric company extra money.
3. Programmable thermostats: The largest expense most people have been heating and cooling. However, people are typically unaware that temperature preferences have a large factor over external temperature and cost. By using a programmable thermostat, you can significantly reduce the energy consumed and lower electric bills—installing a programmable thermostat allows you to program the temperature according to the time of day automatically, which helps with energy efficiency without the expense of your electric company.
4. Lower the temperature on your water heater: A large portion of your energy bill comes from the use of your water heater. Although there are alternatives, such as tankless water heaters, most homes and apartments come with a water heater—lowering the temperature a few degrees takes the burden off your electric bill and turning off the water heater while spending extended time away is also a beneficial way to keep the electric company at bay.
5. Wash clothes in cold water: Washing clothes in a cold way is a very good energy solution that can lower your energy bill. Statistics show 13% of a home’s electricity goes toward heating water; this setting can be lowered anywhere between 130-140 degrees. When washing clothes, one of the best methods involves adjusting the temperature of the water while washing—this energy can be mitigated by washing clothes in cold water and serves as an effective means of saving energy.
6. Consider a prepaid electric bill plan: Opting for a payment plan is an option not readily discussed, but it’s a possibility. When discussing switching from a long-term contract to a prepaid service plan with your electric company be sure they provide you with extensive information about their rates and exclusions so that you can do an energy comparison.