A good way to save money every month is to reduce the amount of electricity that you use. While this may seem like a tedious task, you’ll find that with a bit of dedication, you can develop habits that will not only save you a bunch of dollars on the long run, but you’ll be also helping the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. Follow these easy steps to reduce your monthly electricity spending.
Get Rid of Incandescent Bulbs
While incandescent bulbs are less and less common every day, you’ll be surprised that millions of Americans haven’t switched over to CFL’s or LED lighting yet. If you’re still reluctant to make the change, you should know that by switching over to CFL’s you’ll be saving on average $84 per year just by making the switch. Despite the fact that CFL and LED’s are generally more expensive that incandescent bulbs, they tend to last much longer which means they pretty much pay for themselves after a year or two.
Seal your HVAC ducts
HVAC ducts that are not properly sealed result in efficiency loss when it comes to cooling down your house. Most Americans tend to simply seal their HVAC ducts with duct tape, which tends to result in a minor efficiency increase. If you want to take things to the next level, seal your ducts with paint-on putty, and patch holes with aluminum tape. Pay special attention to elbows because this is where pressure builds and the air tends to escape through here. Properly sealed ducts result in average savings of $9 dollars per month.
Upgrade your windows
Regular, single-pane windows are extremely inefficient at keeping the cold out during the winter and should be replaced with double-glazed windows that do a better job of insulating your home. The beauty of these windows is that with the proper tools and a bit of self-learning they are a breeze to install. One low-e storm window runs for approximately 70 dollars and will result in savings of approximately 2-3 dollars per month, per window. While this may sound fairly low at the beginning, keep in mind that it might take 20-25 years before they need to be replaced and the savings will quickly add up.
Unplug appliances
Unplugging small electronics will usually not result in a significant decrease in your electricity bill. However, certain energy-hogging appliances like TV’s, DVD players, cable boxes and computer can quickly increase your energy bill if left plugged for long periods of time. Unplugging these devices will result in a significant decrease in your bill and can result in savings of up to $100 a year for most families. An easy way to manage your devices is to connect all the energy hogging devices to a power strip that can then be easily turned off and on again as needed. Keep in mind though, that most modern devices might need to be reprogrammed if left unplugged for extended periods of time.