12 Ways to Save on Electricity Costs

I received my electric bill last week. It was $281! I don’t know what the average family of 4 pays these days, but this is a crazy amount for us. We are two adults only and we have been obsessed with saving electricity to help save money for a few years now. We had an average bill between $125 and $175 for a long time. It got to $210 in August because of air conditioning. We had heard that rates were going up…but this is excessive. So, we are going to be even more aware where we can. Here is a list of a few simple things you can do around the house to save electricity. We are doing most of them, but will be doing more. Some may seem simple, but you may not have thought of them or put them into everyday use. Try just a few! Add your own in the comments! 1. Turn the thermostat down on the hot water heater and be sure it is wrapped with an insulation blanket made for hot water tanks. Use a timer and heat when needed. Turn off when on vacation. 2. Use hot water less by taking shorter showers, using cold water wash for laundry, and making sure the dishwasher is full before running it (we don’t have one). Also, skip the heated dry cycle on a dishwasher and let the dishes air dry inside the dishwasher. 3. Do not use a clothes dryer. Use clothes drying racks, hangers on shower rod, and outside clotheslines. 4. For light fixtures that use more than 1 light bulb, remove all except one. 5. Unplug as many “vampire” items as possible. These are things that use electricity even when off…microwave clock, tvs, clock radios, phone chargers. 6. Turn lights off when you leave the room. Also, don’t automatically turn lights on when you enter a room if you don’t really need them. Open the curtains so natural light can be used during the day. Watch TV in the dark for a theater experience. 7. Put a timer on a stand-alone freezer. They can keep things frozen running for 12 hours on and 12 hours off . Even having it off for 4-8 hours overnight will help. 8. If you are cooking with an electric stove, don’t wait until an item is done cooking to turn off the burner or oven. The heat remains for a few minutes so you can turn it off as the item is finishing up. 9. Instead of turning lights on in the middle of the night, use motion control nightlights. 10. Put outside lights on a timer or motion sensor. 11. Use outdoor solar lights for indoor evening lighting and bathroom night lights etc.. Just put them where they can recharge during the day in front of a bright window or outside. These work well for a power outage too! 12. Be sure heating and air conditioning temperatures are not set to extremes. Try to tolerate a few degrees cooler in winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer. Get a programmable thermostat so you can have the temp adjust to your needs right before you get home.