Lower Your Utility Bill Without Sacrificing What You Love
No one likes an expensive electric bill or pricey electrical contractor. However, there are few things you can do about the price unless you want to make large sacrifices like getting rid of your television or sweating through the summer. Or are there?
Surprisingly, there are ways you can reduce the costs of your utility bills without making any drastic changes or sacrifices to your lifestyle. Here are a few changes you can make to your home life without sacrificing your comfort:
- Unplug your electronics when they’re not in use – Unplugging your electronics may cost you a couple of seconds, but unplugging has a number of benefits. Not only will you stop phantom-energy from being sucked from your computer or gaming system (up to 75% of energy electronics use is consumed when they’re off), but you’ll also be protecting your tech setup from any data loss should you have a power surge.
- Keep your vents open – One of the biggest costs listed by an electrical contractor on a person’s electric utility are their air conditioning and heating costs. This is often because we change the temperature of the room as soon as we’re uncomfortable. However, the problem may not be the HVAC system. Check that your air vents are open and clean before you turn the temperature up or down on your thermostat. Closed vents and collected dust can restrict heat or cooling.
- Use cold water to wash your clothes – The heat used to wash your clothes and dry them afterward can keep you from having cheap electricity bills. By washing your clothes in cold water, not only do you reduce the amount of heat you use, but you can reduce the number of loads you have to wash. Cold water doesn’t cause the color of your clothes to run, so you can wash lights and darks together without fear of ruining your favorite shirt.
- Don’t cram your clothes into the washer – Cramming your clothes into your washing machine can cause damage to your machine and may result in it not wash your clothes efficiently. But most importantly, it’ll add up on your electric bill because you’ll most likely have to run the load through the dryer more than once.
- Don’t scrub your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher – It’s fine to rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher in order to ensure no crusty pieces will be leftover on your pots and pans. But if you have to scrub your dishes to feel secure about your dishwasher, you may as well wash them in the sink. Your dishwasher is there to do the washing for you so it doesn’t make sense to do it more than once.
You don’t have to make huge sacrificial changes in order to save money on your utility bills. By making the smallest of changes that are good for your lifestyle as well as your bill, you can save a surprising amount of money every month. For a bigger change that’s no less beneficial, consider switching your electrical contractor to Amos Electric Supply for cheaper energy solutions and lower electricity rates.