Sunday, January 10th is Cut Your Energy Costs Day! What better way to recognize this day then to give you some energy saving tips? Of course you don’t have to make all of these changes right away, but a few changes every year will save you money in the long run!
Turn Things Off
This may seem rather obvious, but are you taking the time to do it? Before you go to sleep, or leave your house for a long period of time, take time to turn off any unnecessary devices, such as lights, fans, and televisions. Another good idea is to completely unplug anything that you rarely use.
Adjust Your Water Heater
You may be heating your water too hot and paying for it too! The Environmental Protection Agency reports that a heater set at 140 degrees or more is costing you an excess of $36 to $61 annually, and over $400 when bringing fresh water up to that temperature. Instead, keep your water heater set to 120 degrees.
Seal Cracks
Even small cracks can cost you over time. Air that escapes can add up to the equivalent of having a window open all year long! Avoid this by using expanding foam or caulk to seal cracks. Check for air leaks around windows and doorframes, at the rim joist, and around holes in walls where pipes enter and exit.
Check For Meter Mistakes
Would you have ever thought that part of saving money on electricity would be checking for mistakes? When it comes to reading your meter, human error is possible! When you get your utility bill, compare it to your meter. You might not be able to catch small errors, however, you will definitely be able to notice large ones!
Energy Star Certified Products
Using Energy Star certified products is a great way to cut down on your energy consumption! If you are looking to make big changes, consider an Energy Star rated clothes dryer or water heater. If you’d like to start smaller, you can upgrade to Energy Star certified light bulbs, fans, and televisions. Of course the money you’ll save by switching light bulbs won’t be as much as upgrading your clothes dryer, however, the small savings do add up!
Get a Programmable Thermostat
If you are looking to save money on energy, chances are you are already very conscientious of how high or low you will allow you thermostat to be set at. You may often even find yourself hawking over someone’s shoulder as they attempt to adjust the heat. Hawk no more! If you don’t have one yet, look into buying a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat allows you to automatically adjust the temperature on a schedule. For example, you can have the temperature set lower when you are work, and have it automatically adjust the temperature around the time when you get home from work. You can also set it to go back down when you normally go to bed.
Hopefully you found these energy saving tips useful! Know of any other energy saving tips? Reach out to us on Facebook and tell us about them!