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More Ways to Save Money on Utility Bills
Install heavy drapes. Heavy drapes help conserve energy in both winter and summer since they keep some of the air from flowing in and out of windows. In the summer, heavy drapes can keep the sun out, particularly in windows that face south and west and significantly lower your energy bill. In the winter, drapes can be opened to allow the sun to warm your house.
Run a humidifier in winter. Humidity makes the air feel warmer than it really is. Humidifiers use very little electricity but will warm up your house nicely, allowing you to turn the heat down a few degrees, which in turn lowers your heating bill by about 5%.
Paint your roof white. Research has shown that in hot climates a white roof will result in using 40 percent less electricity during the summer months. This translates in to lowering your electric bill $120 per month when it’s hot outside. Most hardware stores carry a product for just this purpose. It is called an elastomeric coating.
Update your thermostat. Updating a thermostat can cost you anywhere from $100 to ??? depending on who you hire to do it. But if you do install a new smart thermostat that automatically reduces the temperature when you are away from home and at night when you are asleep, you can save as much as $300 in air conditioning costs.
Don't set a fire in the fireplace. Fires in the fireplace actually suck hot air out of the home through the chimney unless you have a glass screen or some kind of heat exchanger that keeps the heat in the room. In both winter and summer months, heat and cool air can escape through the chimney if the damper is damaged or does not fit snugly.
Minimal use of your vents. Every time you turn on the kitchen and bathroom vents, you’re letting air outside of your house. The air you are paying to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer is being released outside.
Clean Your Refrigerator Coils. Quite a bit of dust and debris accumulates under your refrigerator and on its condenser coils dragging down its efficiency. Clean the condenser coils and dust underneath the refrigerator and improve its operating efficiency by 30%. Although new kitchen appliances can cost a fortune, they do use about half the energy of old appliances. You could pay for the cost of new appliances with the money saved from lower energy bills.
Home Heating Oil. To avoid price fluctuations in your home heating oil bill, sign up with a home oil company that offers price caps on the price of a gallon of oil so that you won’t have to pay more no matter how much the price of home heating oil rises. Make sure that the contract states your bill will be lowered if the price of home heating oil goes down.
Buy New Appliances. New appliances use significantly less energy than older ones. If your fridge is really old, it would be cost effective to buy a new one since a new fridge would save you about $100 a year in electricity costs. A new washing machine costs about $110 a year less to operate. These appliances pay for themselves in just a few years since new appliances use 10 percent less energy and 20 percent less water than older ones. Find discounted appliances from the major manufacturers at ABT.com. When buying new appliances, consider that front-loading washing machines use less energy and water than top loading machines. Some utility companies as well as state and local governments might give you a rebate for new appliances. Check out what is available at DsireUSA.org. Avoid paying for features you don’t really need. For example, most people just need the basic wash and rinse cycles on their washers and dishwashers – all the other features such as interactive controls and digital displays are unnecessary and just jack up the price. Avoid refrigerators with water and ice dispensers on the outside door since they use more energy and require more repairs.
Get a separate meter for sewage. Your local municipality charges you twice for all the water you use based on the assumption that 100 percent of the water will wind up in the sewage system. But this isn’t really true since the water you use to water your lawn and fill your swimming pool does not wind up in the sewer system. To avoid being charged twice for water, get a separate meter for your sewage if your municipality allows it. It will cost you about $200, but the savings over time will add up.
Get Help With Utility Bills. Low income people might be able to get help paying their utility bills from state and federal programs. Websites such as eere.energy.gov, nationalfuelfunds.org and www.liheap.ncat.org have information about these programs. You can also find information about assistance with your utility bills at Hud.gov or at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/liheap
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