Ways to Lower Your Water and Electric Bills (continued)
Lower Your Water Bill. As water becomes scarcer it is becoming more expensive and you can save a bundle by doing the following:
(1) Fix all water leaks and install water saving low-flow showerheads, which will save you 900 gallons of water per year per person and $15 per year per person on your water bill.
(2) Place a plastic container filled with water or sand, or a brick or other heavy object in the toilet tank to use less water every time you flush. The average person can save $100 per year and 16 gallons of water every day by doing this.
(3) Water dripping from a faucet can cost you as much as $40 per year, particularly if water is dripping from the hot water tank. You can fix this yourself by watching do-it-yourself plumbing repair videos online.
(4) Check to see if your toilet is leaking by pouring a packet of dry drink mix such as grape or cherry-flavored Kool-Aid or food coloring in the toilet tank. If the water in the bowl turns the color of the Kool-Aid (without flushing), you have a water leak that you can easily be fixed by installing a new seal or flap yourself. You can watch videos online that show you how to do this yourself.
Do full loads of dishes and laundry. Your water heater is the second biggest consumer of energy in your home. Dishwashers use a lot of hot water -- it might be a better idea to just wash the dishes the old-fashioned way. If you do use the dishwasher, skip the pre-rinse cycle as it is unnecessary in most circumstances and can save you 6,000 gallons of water per year or $7 a month. Washing a full load of clothing is the most economical way to use your washing machine. Use cold water whenever possible since it will save you about $70 a year. Washing your clothes and dishes when the machines are just half full costs the average American household $700 to $900 in added utility fees each year. Skip the pre-rinse cycle on your dishwasher and you will reduce your annual consumption of water by more than 5,000 gallons and reduce your water bill by about $75. Studies have also found that using less soap in dishwashers and washing machines actually extends the lives of these appliances, plus you save money on soap.
Custom Search
Custom Search
Ways to Save Money
Conservative Use of Your Dryer. The clothes dryer is the second biggest energy hot in your home after the refrigerator, but you can save as much as $400 per year by doing just a few things differently. For example, if you always use the high-speed spin cycle when doing your wash, your clothes will come out drier and need less time in the dryer. Your dryer also uses less energy if you dry groups of clothing one immediately after another because your dryer is already hot from the last load. If you clean the lint trap after every use, you can save about $30 a year in electricity costs. If you put a dry towel in the dryer with your wet clothing, you can reduce the dryer’s operating time by 25% since the towel will absorb some of the moisture and this will save you about $150 per year on electricity. If you can, air dry your clothing on a clothes line to save even more.
Use a power-strip to turn off electronics when not in use. Your television, DVD player, game consoles and such are sometimes called “Dracula” appliances because they continue to use electricity even when they're turned off. Plug all of them into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you’re not using them and you can save $150 per year.
Switch your TV and Computer Settings. Most televisions are set to vivid mode when you purchase them. If you change the setting to standard mode you can reduce the power they use by about 20%. Make sure that your computer is functioning in the power save mode so that you can shave another $80 off your annual electric bill. Users of Windows can find it under "power options" and users of Apple can find it under "energy saver".
Change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent. Lighting accounts for about 10 percent of the energy used in the typical home. Compact fluorescent bulbs are expensive, but they last significantly longer than a standard light bulb and use 75% less electricity. The average savings for a typical home is $225 per year.
