Are you seeking to reduce your utility bills amid rising monthly expenses? Inflation is making the prices of essential services higher this year, putting a dent in our budget. That said, there are lots of quick and practical changes that you can make right now to bring down your monthly utility bills. It can help you put a check on upcoming expenses without making any major investments.
Indeed, there is more than one reason to cut down on your home’s utility bills and energy usage. Beem, America’s first Al-powered Smart Wallet App, is one platform where you can learn how to reduce your monthly bills and save your hard-earned money better.
Using less energy in our day-to-day lives has a positive impact on the environment and our wallets, too! Here are seven realistic ways to help reduce your utility bills today:
Cover Your Outlets
A major source of energy inefficiency and increased energy bills in your home can be air leakage. It happens when there are lots of gaps and sneaky outlets. It can result in the outside air leak into your home and air from inside going out.
When the warm air in winter and cool air in summer escape outside, it puts extra strain on your heating and cooling systems. It can result in higher electricity consumption.
To remedy this, thoroughly inspect your house and identify sources of air leakage and areas that would benefit from insulation. Depending on where you find air leakage, you can get them all sealed quickly with some plastic outlet covers or any other material that is a bad conductor of heat.
You may also be able to solve the problem with some weatherstripping, sealant or caulk. If the windows and doors are not insulating properly, you need to fix them to improve energy efficiency. Seal your refrigerators well to retain the cold air inside. Sealing these leaks can save you as much as 30% per year on your utility bills.
Service Your HVAC
Get your heating and cooling systems serviced by a professional at least once a year to ensure they don’t give up at a crucial time. Your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system operates more efficiently with routine maintenance to prevent small problems from increasing your electricity costs.
In case a professional cannot come to your home, replace the air filter, as clogged filters make your appliances use more energy and fail to keep the house dust-free too. Ensure the filter you purchase is the appropriate size and type for your system.
On average, you should be replacing your HVAC’s air filter every sixty days so that everything runs as efficiently as possible.
Turn Down The Thermostat When Possible
There’s no reason to keep the air conditioner blasting all night even when you’re curled up under blankets. Depending on the weather, you can tweak the temperature by five to ten degrees before going to bed. You won’t notice the difference when you’re sleeping. But this can make a lot of difference in bringing down your energy bill. Consider opting for open windows during the spring and fall months when it’s not too hot or cold.
Also, if your home is empty for most of the day, it is better to keep the thermostat down during that time. This change hardly requires any extra effort but can mean big savings. If you want to take the guesswork out of it, you could install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature for you. But that is hardly required if you make this a part of your daily routine.
In the same way, try to keep a check on the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer too. Instead of keeping it too low, which isn’t very good for the food that you keep inside, keep it at an optimal level so that the food stays fresh and the bills are not inflated too.
Turn Off Your Monitor
It’s a huge energy waste to leave your desktop computer on for extended periods of time when you’re not using it. Instead, turn it off and turn it back on when you need it.
Activate sleep mode on your monitor if you plan to step away for twenty or thirty minutes, but turn off your central processing unit if you’ll be gone for an hour or longer. By not leaving these gadgets operating in the background all the time, you will save money on your around your house.
Replace Outdated And Inefficient Lighting
Keep a close eye on your home’s light fixtures to see if you’re still using the energy-guzzling incandescent bulbs. Instead, choose LED bulbs, which are available at almost every supermarket and even online.
The fact that LEDs are available in a variety of tones, temperatures and colors means that you don’t have to endure the excessively bright light that some people have previously found to be bothersome.
According to lighting technology manufacturer USAI Lighting, an LED bulb utilizing 8 watts will generate the same brightness as a 60-watt incandescent bulb and last 40 times longer.
Swap the bulbs in your five most-used light fixtures with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs that bear the Energy Star label. It can help reduce your utility bills by saving up to $75 per year.
Put Solar Panels On The Roof
Rooftop solar panels are becoming increasingly popular these days, especially in sunny regions of the U.S. They can be a great way to reduce your overall power bill and could save you about $20,000 over the course of 20 years.
Solar panel costs are dropping as they become more and more popular, but installation costs are significant and greatly depend on where you reside.
Research your options thoroughly to determine if solar panels would be the right choice for you. You may, for instance, qualify for a rebate or tax break offered for installing solar panels in your region.
Use A Dishwasher
Cleaning your dishes by hand can use up to 27 gallons of hot water per day on average, whereas a newer dishwasher uses only 6 gallons per cycle. Dishwashers may use electricity for the hot water, but they save more energy, money, water and time as compared to washing dishes by hand.
Also, if possible, run your dishwasher at night. It has been observed that many utility providers spike their rates during peak use hours and dishwashers don’t require minute-to-minute supervision. While you’re at it, you can turn off the heat-dry facility as you won’t need the dishes right away.
Conclusion
Even if you are not able to apply all of these suggestions, following even a few of them could result in noticeable annual savings of hundreds of dollars. Utility companies frequently perform an energy audit of your house, sometimes without charge, and provide recommendations on ways to reduce bills on the energy consumption of essential services. Consider performing an energy audit as another cost-cutting approach.