Ways to Save Money on Your Electric Bill

We all want to save money. Yet, we don't always know how to cut down those bills. Here's some hints on how you can at least cut down on one of your bills, your electric bill.

We all use electric. We rely and depend on it. We can not imagine how people from previous generations lived without it. And when it goes out, we all feel lost and deprived.

Yet, it is one of our most expensive utility. I am sure we all would like to learn how to cut down on it. After all, if we use less electric we save money.

Here's a look at some basic steps we can take. See how many you all ready know. You might be surprised to know that you know most of them. You just don't take the time to put them into action. No, you are not the only one. We all are to blame. But let's look at them again and actually start thinking about doing them.

What is your biggest electrical use? Your heating and cooling appliances. For that reason this is where you need to take the most care. To do this, try the following suggestions.

1. Lower your temperature down by 1 to 2 degrees in the winter and raise it 1 to 2 degrees in the summer months. (especially at night when you are sleeping)

2. Don't run your heat as high or your cooling system as low whenever nobody is at home.

3. Make sure all air filters are clean, all year long.

4. Heat/cool only rooms that you are using. Close the vents and doors to unused rooms/

5. Install storm windows or install inexpensive plastic sheeting on the inside to control temperature efficiency (especially in winter)

6. Make sure all your doors and windows are sealed with weather stripping strips and or sealants, such as caulking.

7. On a windy day feel for leaks around windows and doors, make sure you get them all sealed as quickly as possible.

8. Check for holes in your roof and in all heating/cooling pipes, vents.

9. Never allow furniture or rugs to block needed vents.

Although heating and cooling aretwo major electrical expenses, there are also a few other things we should do.

Lighting is another major electric expense. One way you can save money on lighting is to replace a fourth of your lights that you use the most with fluorescent lightning. If you do this, you can save about fifty percent of your lighting energy bill.

You can also save on your lighting expense by using dimmers, timers and motion detectors outside. And, of course, you should always shut off lights that you are not using.

A few other ways you can save money on your electrical bill is by turning off appliances no one is using. You should also unplug all your television sets, vcr's and other entertainment devices that has a light on all the time into a surge protector with a shut off on it. Then when they are not in use you can easily shut off all of them. You would be surprise just how much electric that little timer on these advises costs you per year.

You should also try to have a full load when washing clothes and dishes. You can also save money by washing your clothes in the cold water cycle. They even make special detergents now for the cold cycle.

When buying appliances, look for the energy star label. This label shows that the government rates this appliance as being energy efficient.

I know some of these steps seems very small. But every little bit that you do, can save you money in the long run. Besides the less energy we use the more energy that we will have tomorrow.