Simple Ways to Save Electricity, Save Money, Help the Environment

Saving electricity saves money and natural resources. As a nation we've become so dependent upon electricity that we sometimes forget how easy it is to save money. Saving money is an obvious benefit to our budgets, but consuming less electricity also means consuming less natural resources. Just a few minor changes in your routine can add up to significant savings every month.

Replacing all of the light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFL bulbs require more energy at start up but during their run time consume up to 75 percent less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. CFL bulbs do provide a different color light and are dim at first but that's a small price to pay for the savings. CFL bulbs are coming down in price rapidly and each bulb can save up to $30 over the life of the bulb making them an investment. Stock up when they are on sale or buy in bulk to increase your savings. CFL bulbs are not designed for use under fifteen minutes so they are not practical for closets or other places where the light will only be on a few minutes.

An incandescent light bulb can use as much as $5 of electricity per month. Multiply that by the number of light bulbs in your house and you will see how much you can lower your bill just by shutting off lights. Get your children in the habit of turning off all lights when leaving a room and not to turn in a light when the sun is out. If there is an area you want to keep a light on all the time such as a porch light or hallway light switch to a CFL bulb or a lower wattage bulb to save money.

The sun makes a great stain remover and free dryer for your clothes. Drying a load of clothes at home can cost over fifty cents per load. At one load a day that is $15 for something the sun can do for free. Yes it does take more effort to dry clothes outside, but there is just something about the smell of clothes dried by the sun. If you are not able to use a clothesline consider a drying rack or hanging clothes inside. By hanging up even half of your clothes you can see a big savings. If your clothes feel stiff you can dry them for ten to fifteen minutes before hanging to help reduce wrinkles and soften clothes.

A microwaves uses much less power than an oven or even the stove top. When possible use your microwave to cook and avoid turning on the oven at all. Slow cookers are also more energy efficient and can help reduce your electricity bill.

Many small appliances also draw power while turned off. Plug everything you can on power strips and turn the power strip off when you leave the house or go to bed. Unplugging your TV, laptop and computer at night can help you see significant savings. As your appliances wear out or break and need replaced consider more energy efficient models even if there is a slightly higher price tag. The monthly savings will recover the extra cost and you'll continue to have lower bills.

Reducing your household's energy consumption does not require much extra work and only a small initial investment. The effect you can have on the environment will be great and if we all work to reduce electricity we can help save valuable natural resources. Teaching children these simple steps now will make it easier for their generation to conserve energy.