Slash Your Electric Bill

With our economy on a decline people are looking for quick ways to save money by cutting down on expenses. One of the best places to save money is on your electric bill. You won't have to sacrifice comfort in order to shed dollars off your bill every month. You will have to take a couple extra minutes each day to get in the habit of not wasting your electric.

The amount of electricity wasted each day by the average family is dependent on the amount of devices they leave plugged in. If your family is a "tech family", you may be surprised at how much of your electric is wasted powering devices that may not be used often, are on stand by most of the day, or drawing power when turned off. Televisions are notorious for drawing power while they are turned off. The only way to stop this is to unplug them.

If your family uses the television frequently then it may not be worth the time to unplug it after each use just to save a few dollars a day. However, if your family is like mine and only watches television once a week or less than you would do better to unplug it after each use.

Lets look at some other ways to lower your electric bill.

1. Home energy audit. Most electric companies will provide a home energy inspection for little or no money. The person preforming the audit will show you where you waste your electric and offer ways you can cut down. They will help your family make a plan to cut down your electric bill.

Try conducting your own energy audit. No one knows your family better than you. Take a walk around your home and look for ways you can save on your electric bill. Be ruthless. Do you leave you cellphone on charge even after its fully charged? Try to unplug chargers after your devices are fully charged. Look at your appliances. Do you have a toaster oven, electric can opener, or maybe a CD player you only use a few times a week? Why not unplug it until you need it. Be sure to inspect your child's room too. Children may not think about the electricity they are wasting leaving their cellphones, i pods, gaming consoles, or other electric gadgets plugged in at all times.

2. Home heating and cooling. Does your family leave the heat or air conditioning running while nobody is home? I know it is unpleasant to come home to a freezing or stuffy home but think of the money saved if you turned the thermostat up or down by 10 degrees while you were out. The more you turn it up or down, the more you save. The same logic is true at bedtime. If you'll be under the covers why not turn the thermostat down? Nobody is saying you must freeze or sweat to save some money, just adjust the thermostat when your family will not be around to notice a small change. If you can get in the habit of turning the thermostat down while your out and asleep you will save over 15% of your electric bill just on heating and cooling your home more efficiently. Remember to keep drapes closed during winter to keep in the warmth.

3. Check all insulation in the house. If you increase attic insulation to around 12 inches the electricity consumption will reduce by 20 percent.

4. A little outside help. You may want to plant more trees around the house if your property is lacking large trees. Large trees will cool the house in summer by providing shade and insulate the house in winter by blocking winter winds. You will have to wait a few years to reap the benefits but it will be worth it if you plan on staying in your home for years to come.

5. Have all electricity wires and outlets checked for leakage. Check all fuses and appliances.

6. Switch your light bulbs. Fluorescent light bulbs are energy efficient. They use 75% less energy than ordinary light bulbs. These have a longer life and contribute to great savings. Now I'm not saying to rush out and spend a ton of money to replace all your current light bulbs. Try buying a box or two when you have the extra money and as each old light bulb goes out, replace it with an energy efficient one.

7. Use energy efficient appliances. These use less energy and believe it or not a high efficiency refrigerator uses less electricity than a light bulb.

8. Save money while you vacation. When you are away from home for a few days you should turn off and unplug all electrical appliances and turn settings on the thermostat, water heater, and refrigerator to the lowest setting.

9. Ensure that you use a water-saving shower head. Water heating costs for a family can be lowered by at least $250 a year. If you watch for sales you can find water-saving shower heads for under $15-$20. If you can not find a good sale in stores search amazon.com or other online discount websites for 'water saving shower head'.

10. Weatherize your home. This helps reduce heating bills by 20% and cooling by at least 10 percent. Even when building a home or decorating it use weather friendly materials-those that are not good conductors of heat and cold. Install windows and glass panes in the roof in such away that you use sunlight to light up the rooms during day light hours. Make an effort to switch off lights and fans when leaving a room. Ensure that the filters in air conditioners and heaters are always cleaned and free of clog and dust.

If you can train your family to moderate your electricity usage you will see the dollars start to fall off your electric bill. Imagine the satisfaction of watching your electric bill drop $10, $20, or even $50 or more in just a few months. The power to lower your electric bill is well within your control. It is as simple as only washing full loads of clothes in cold water. Save the the hot washing for very dirty clothes. Turn the thermostat of the refrigerator to minimum in cold or cool weather. Switch off or unplug appliances if they are not in frequent use. Small efforts can all add up to power saved and power saved means money in your pocket.