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6 Easy Ways You Can Lower Your Monthly Electricity Bill

Keeping the lights on is expensive – never mind the furnace, water heater, and air conditioning. A new report by the US Department of Energy shows that the average American family pays over $1,300 a year for electricity. This means that electric bills alone can take about five percent of your income. Lowering your energy consumption isn’t just an excellent way to keep your budget in check – it’s also an excellent investment for the environment. Across the world, energy consumption comes at a price and saving it has sound financial benefits. Tweaking your energy usage can reduce your bill by as much as 25 percent. How? Try these six effortless ways to reduce your electric bills and save the extra cash for something else.

1. Go the Solar Way

Since we use electricity for almost everything, energy costs have skyrocketed and show no sign of slowing down. This is why many people have turned to nature as an alternative source of energy. If you compare electricity bills between different alternatives, the people at Shoalhaven Solar say solar is the king of reduced electricity bills. With solar, the costs are further going down. While this isn’t an ideal option for everyone, there’s nothing more economical than running on solar power for your wallet and the environment. If you want to lower your energy savings by more than 75 percent, this is the way to go.

2. Switch off the Thermostat When You Sleep at Night

You have no reason to keep the heat running when you’re going to be curled up in a warm duvet. Before you go to sleep, turn down your thermostat seven to thirteen degrees, or even more. You will not notice the difference when you’re sleeping, but you will on your electricity bill. If no one is at home during the day, this is another excellent opportunity to turn down the thermostat. This small change can mean significant savings and requires little to no work on your part. If you want to make the process easy, you can install a programmable thermostat. It will automatically deal with the adjustments for you.

3. Water

Hot water is another expense that is eating into your electricity bills. Lowering your hot water usage – in the dishwasher, shower, and laundry – can make a considerable change in your energy bill. So, how do you achieve this in other areas? First, consider taking shorter showers and replace your showerhead. A good showerhead can lower water usage by up to 2,700 gallons per year. Next, you also want to avoid washing clothes in hot water. Embrace warm or cold water when you do laundry and lower your energy usage by at least half. Finally, fix those leaky faucets as they’re wasting a lot of water.

4. Keep Your Freezer and Fridge at Full

This is a no-brainer. You already know not to leave your fridge or freezer door open. Why? Technically, when you open the door, cooled air escapes, and your freezer or fridge has to use more energy to recondition the air. Research shows that open refrigerator doors count for about seven percent of its energy use. However, did you know that keeping a full fridge can help lower your energy usage? How? Ideally, the foodstuffs you keep in your refrigerator act as insulation. In short, this keeps your refrigerator from working hard to cool things off.

5. Use Air Conditioners Efficiently

Sometimes, air conditioning is necessary—especially when the temperatures are boiling outside, and you’re sweating profusely. The best way to be logical and keep your electricity bill low is to lower the AC usage at night. Additionally, you can also close off the vents. Be sure to check on your ducts and ensure that the areas where your ducts run are correctly insulated. This keeps the air flowing in as cool as it can be. You can also reorganize your furniture and ensure that your air conditioning flow is stable.

6. Unplug Devices Not in Use

You might be surprised to note that your smaller devices and appliances can be the hidden culprit to high energy bills. Many people don’t understand that appliances plugged in continue to draw small amounts of energy from the outlets. Yes, we are referring to your espresso machine, blender, and similar items. Ensure you unplug all devices that aren’t in active use. This will help you to save up to 5% of your energy bills.

Hopefully, this guide will help you learn ideas to save electricity. Also, lowering your electricity means you’re also caring for the environment. The tips above can help protect the environment and put you in charge of an Eco-friendly initiative. The tasks above should add up to noticeable savings and require less time and money. Over to you!

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