8 Ways Common Household Items Can Help Reduce Electric Bills.
Author: https://blog.stamfordadvocate.com/ Date Posted:1 February 2021
A recent survey found that 31% of American households would benefit greatly from lowering their electric bill. Having less of your paycheck tied up in bills is a great way to start putting money into the things you need or want–or bulk up your savings.
You might be surprised at how all of those little things you turn on, plug in, or keep running on a daily basis can start to add up. You might also be surprised at how little changes to your energy consumption can reduce electric bills by quite a bit.
If you want to save money on electricity, you don’t have to start sitting around in the dark or unplug every appliance you own each night. Instead, you can take advantage of some basic household products and shift the way that you use electricity in your home.
Read on to learn eight common household products that, when used correctly, can reduce electric bills and save you money.
1. Ceiling Fans In Warmer Months
You would be surprised at how much electricity your ceiling fan uses in comparison to your AC unit. (The short answer? A lot less.)
When things start to warm up in the spring, it’s tempting to turn down the thermostat by a few degrees just to make yourself a little more comfortable. However, the amount you’re spending to lower the temperature by a degree or two isn’t worth it.
Instead, turn on your ceiling fans and get the air flowing. If the ceiling fan is enough to keep you comfortable in warmer months, don’t touch that thermostat!
2. Rugs In Cooler Months
Hardwood floors are beautiful, but they don’t do much to retain heat. One of the biggest culprits of massive electric bills in the winter is inefficient heating. In other words, you may be cranking the heat more than you need to because your house isn’t doing enough to retain all that warm air.
Throw down some rugs on your hardwood floors to keep things toasty in the winter. That way, you don’t have to turn the heat up as high to feel comfortable.
3. Power Strips
We’re all attached to our electronics at this point, which means that we’ve got tons of stuff plugged in at all times–even when we don’t need them. Rather than plugging things into your outlet, start using power strips. That way, when you don’t need all of those chargers, you can flip the power strip off and essentially unplug all those unneeded tools at once!
4. Energy Efficient Lightbulbs
If you’re still using incandescent lightbulbs, it’s time to make the switch. Energy efficient lightbulbs tend to cost a bit more than old school lightbulbs, but what you get in savings is worth it. Look for energy efficient lightbulbs that use up to 75% less electricity than standard lightbulbs and start saving money every night.
5. Laundry Racks
One great way to save money on electricity is to find little ways to use less of it. Laundry racks or outdoor laundry lines are small investments you can make that can result in big savings!
Every time you do a load of laundry, think about whether or not it needs to tumble dry or if air drying will do the trick. Some textiles, like cotton, may actually benefit from air drying, as a heated drying cycle can cause them to shrink or warp. Other items that can be air-dried include towels, sheets, and most under garments.
6. Programmable Thermostats
There are a lot of times when we don’t need our HVAC systems running on full steam–or at all. However, remembering to change the thermostat throughout the day isn’t always easy. Plus, we may not like coming home to a hot or cold house after the unit has been off all day.
Using a programmable thermostat makes temperature control much easier. For example, if you know you leave the house for eight or more hours each day around the same time, you can program your thermostat to react accordingly. You can even set it to turn back on 30 or so minutes before you come home so that your indoor air is comfortable from the moment you walk through the door.
7. Laptops
At this point, most of us have a laptop or tablet, but some of us are still hanging on to our desktop computers, as well. Unless you need a desktop computer for a specific reason (like work or gaming), it may be time to get rid of it.
Laptops use up to 80% less electricity than desktop computers. The best way to maximize these energy savings is to unplug your laptop (and the charger cord) and let it run off of its own charged battery for a few hours several times a day.
8. Outdoor Motion Sensors
Maybe you don’t like walking up to your front door in the dark or you prefer to be able to see who’s approaching your property after sundown. Rather than leaving outdoor lights on at all times, invest in outdoor motion sensors. That way, any time you or someone else gets close enough to trigger the sensor, the lights will turn on–and when you don’t need them, they’ll turn off, saving you some extra dough.
Take Advantage of These Household Items and Reduce Electric Bills
If you’re looking for ways to reduce electric bills without having to massively overhaul your lifestyle, try some of these tricks using eight common household items. The more you implement these tricks on a daily basis, the more you’ll see those savings start to add up!
