Saving on Utility Bills Means Money in the Bank

Whether we are in a bad economy or not, I have always tried to be conservative in my use of water, electricity and other utilities in my home. Not only to save money, but it just makes good sense to do. With the ever threatening energy crisis in this country, gas prices going into the $4 and $5 dollar range, the choice to save money changes, to a need to save money and doing everything possible to save is absolutely necessary. It is counterproductive to just use it and not at least make an attempt at saving.

We practice saving in all aspects of utility usage. We live in Southern Colorado, so air conditioning is not necessarily needed but we also have harsh winters, which increases our heating bill. We have learned that putting on some extra clothes allows us to turn the thermostat down. It is also better for breathing here in the dry air of Colorado. We turn the heat down as low as we can during the night. It has been proven that sleeping in cooler air gives you better nights sleep. Our heater doesn't run more than once all night.

During the day, I start with opening the blinds on the East side of the house. Our house sits East to West, so heating in the winter is offset by using the sun as much as possible. Afternoons we open the blinds on the West side. This provides much "free" heat for a lot of days during the winter. We also use our fireplace as much as possible. A cord of firewood goes a long ways to help on the heating. Servicing your HVAC system is also a great idea to help save. Making sure these are in top shape ensures great operation during the winter and summer.

In order for you to get the most from free or reduced heat sources, you have to seal up your house. If you can't afford to or choose not to replace your windows with energy efficient windows, then you have to check each window for leaks. Best advice would be to caulk all of the windows and doors. Caulking is easy to do with a little practice and it saves big. We did the older windows and re-caulked the doors. You would be surprised at the amount of heat escaping through the doors and windows. Doing this has reduced our heating bill by $360 yearly.

Another great way we save money on utilities is by hanging our clothes outside to dry. Anybody that lives in Southern Colorado knows the wind blows much of the time. It is extremely dry here and clothes dry in a few hours. They smell great and are almost wrinkle free if hung properly. I have an almost new dryer and it has not been turned on but 4 times in 4 years. I don't know why I keep it. The wind is also useful for the summer months and provides a constant source of a cool breeze coming in the windows. Instead of using AC, we have ceiling fans and we open the windows.

Light bulbs are another intelligent way to save money on your electric bill. According to: www.energystar.gov

An ENERGY STAR Qualified Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL):

• can save more than $40 in electricity costs over its lifetime
• uses about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 10 times longer
• produces about 75% less heat, so it's safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling

We replaced all of the light bulbs inside and out , including the garage and porch lights. I love these bulbs. They are a neat shape and they really cut down on the bills.

Turning things off that are not necessary for day to day operations, has become a habit. Our granddaughter has also become as aware of this, as we are and will go back and turn her light or TV off, when she is leaving or going outside. Using power strips and turning them off helps minimize the work involved in keeping things off.

Probably one of the best savers for us on our water bills and storm water charges is putting a bucket in the shower. Not a big one, but one that will catch a percentage of the water. We use the water we catch for plants and watering the grass and plants outside. Water used for tub baths, which does not happen very much here, gets scooped out and used for the plants as well. Showers are short and conservative as well.

The soap in the water doesn't hurt houseplants or your grass. Also water used for washing vegetables or other kitchen sink jobs can be gathered in bowls placed under the faucet. Though there is some effort to doing this money saving task, it is worth it. When you look at how much water goes down the drain, how much you are charged for that and how much can be saved, it doesn't seem like too much trouble. We save about $300 yearly by doing this.

There are many things you can do to save on utility bills if you look around your house. In this economy being frugal is necessary for most families to get by, but when you see how much money you can save by putting out a little extra effort, it just makes good sense to do the things that help you do that.