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10 Ways to Cut Your Electric Bill
One of the major concerns in the world today
is depletion of energy. As concerned citizens all of us must make a
concerted effort to be conscious citizens and save electricity.
Electricity has become integral to life but imagine having to live
without power.
Conservation of electricity benefits you personally as you will pay
lower bills. Consider:
1. Doing an energy audit. This will tell you how and when you use
energy and where the wastage lies. You will be able to make an
“energy savings plan” by pinpointing exactly how you can cut back on
energy consumption. Some ideas may be as simple as don’t leave the
coffee machine on at all times.
2. Think about resetting the thermostat ten degrees lower during the
night. If you can do this for say approximately eight hours a day
you will save 10% on electricity without sacrificing comfort.
Insulate the home in winter by drawing shut the drapes.
3. Check all insulation in the house. If you increase attic
insulation to around 12 inches the electricity consumption will
reduce by 20 percent.
4. Plant more trees around the house these will cool the house in
summer and insulate the house in winter. Studies show that a green
cover benefits in many ways.
5. Have all electricity wires and outlets checked for leakage. Check
all fuses and appliances.
6. Fluorescent light bulbs are energy efficient. They use 75% less
energy than ordinary light bulbs. These have a longer life and
contribute to great savings.
7. Use energy efficient appliances. These use less energy and
believe it or not a high efficiency refrigerator uses less
electricity than a light bulb.
8. When you are away even for a few hours or days you should turn
off and unplug all electrical appliances and turn settings on the
thermostat, water heater, and refrigerator to the lowest setting.
9. Ensure that you use a water-saving shower head. Water heating
costs for a family can be lowered by at least US$ 250 a year.
10. Weatherize your home. This helps reduce heating bills by 20% and
cooling by at least 10 percent. Even when building a home or
decorating it use weather friendly materials—those that are not good
conductors of heat and cold. Install windows and glass panes in the
roof in such away that you use sunlight to light up the rooms during
day light hours. Make an effort to switch off lights and fans when
leaving a room. Ensure that the filters in air conditioners and
heaters are always cleaned and free of clog and dust.
If you live an energy efficient lifestyle you will see the numbers
on the energy bill actually reducing. The power to cut energy costs
is well within your control. It is as simple as only washing full
loads and that to in cold water. Use the hot wash option only for
very dirty clothes. Cook food only just before you are ready to eat
that way you can save reheating costs as well as refrigerating costs
of storing the food. Turn the thermostat of the refrigerator to
minimum in cold or cool weather. Switch off freezers if they are not
in use. Small contributions can all add up to significant amounts of
power saved. And, power saved means money in the bank.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be
found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube