Tips to Lower Your Electric Bill

With summer here (and the 100+ degrees have begun) we are all dreading the inevitable rise in our electric bills. However there are a few things that you can do very easily that can lower your bills. Now that I am staying home these are the things we are doing to keep costs down. Every little bit helps!

Maintain your refrigerator. Because it is one of the biggest energy-users in the home, a refrigerator should be operated at maximum efficiency. Limit the time that the door are open Also, keep your fridge as full as possible at all times. Then it will have less work to do because food items, once cooled, stay cold better than air does. There is less empty space for the refrigerator to cool. This is such a great energy saver, that some experts recommend refrigerating containers of water to fill up empty space.

If you do alot of cooking, you can help keep cooking times down to a minimum by always remembering to use lids on all of the pans you cook with. By keeping that energy closer to the food you are preparing, you can significantly reduce cooking time and, in turn, reduce the amount of time you have to have your stove on in the first place. Even if the recipe you are preparing doesn’t ask for a lid to be used, you likely aren’t hurting anything by trying to save energy.

No other single appliance uses more resources than your washing machine, so if you can limit the number of loads you do, you can save yourself significant cash. Wait for a FULL load. Try to combine loads. But do not overload! Be sure and use the correct amount of detergent. Too many bubbles make your machine work harder and use more energy. That is a tip that many of us do not know. And up to 90 percent of the cost of washing clothes comes from heating the water, so use hot water when it is absolutely necessary. Always use cold water in the rinse cycle.

Closing the curtains and lowering your Roman Blinds on the sunny side of your house will help keep you cooler on hot days. If you don’t want to obstruct the view, consider applying window film to the glass. I plan to try do-it-yourself cut-and-stick film to our windows. So that we can still see out but avoid the heat from the rays.

Always turn off your lights when you will be out of a room for an extended period of time. However if it will only be for a few minutes some suggest do not turn off then on again because the lights burn out faster if you turn them on and off constantly