It’s summer time and that means temperatures are heating up. I’ve got some simple ideas for how to lower your electric bill this summer.
These tips go beyond the typical “turn off the lights” and “turn up the thermostat.” During the hottest days of August I can’t bear to turn up the thermostat to save electricity. It’s miserable outside and I don’t want to be sitting in a dark, hot house either. These are just easy tips you can try to save electricity without sacrificing your sanity.
1. Switch to CFL bulbs – CFLs use up to 75% less energy (and last up to 10 times longer!) than incandescent bulbs do. This isn’t going to yield a huge savings, but it’s enough to make a difference. You can grab CFL multipacks at most stores and occasionally we even see coupons!
2. Use a power strip – Even when your electronics are off, they are still energy-suckers if they’re plugged in. Televisions and video game consoles are the biggest energy hogs, even when turned off. If you plug them into a power strip, you can power off the strip in just one switch of a button instead of unplugging each item.
3. Buy Energy Star appliances – If you see the “Energy Star” label on an appliance, it means it meets efficiency guidelines that will save you upwards of $100 a year on your electric bill just by replacing one appliance. You don’t need to run out and buy all new appliances. Replace them as you can. Also, check to see if your state has tax free shopping days for Energy Star appliances. This can help you save a little more.
4. Wash cold – If you wash your laundry in cold water, you can save $60 or more in a single year! If you are concerned about stains, pretreat them with stain removed and use a cold water detergent like Tide Plus. You can also apply the same rule to our dishwasher. You do need the hot water for washing but you can turn off the heated dry function.
5. Hang dry – We all know that the dryer heats the house up, and it uses electricity. Drying clothes on a line outside can save a nice chunk of change – and keep the house cooler! I washed our blankets and duvets a week ago. Normally these require one and a half dryer cycles to dry. I draped them over the patio table and they were dry in 45 minutes. Drying racks are also fairly inexpensive.
6. Use a programmable thermostat – Set your thermostat to a few degrees higher when you’re not home, but schedule it to turn back up about 30 minutes before you arrive so it’s comfortable when you get home. You can cut your cooling costs by as much as 20% just with this one switch! If you have a security system, some companies will allow you to hook your thermostat up to your system and control it from your phone.
7. Close your drapes – Not only will the sun come up earlier in the summer, it gets hotter faster, too. Closing your drapes can drastically cut heat loss, especially if they have an insulating layer. If you have blinds or curtains without an insulating liner, you can also installing black-out shades on your windows. These run about $10 per panel. Start with the windows that are in full afternoon sun and work around the house from there.
8. Change your filters – Your air conditioner filters need to be changed once every 30 days. Not only will this help with your electric bill, it’ll help keep the air a bit cleaner, too. You can grab a bulk pack at your local hardware store for $1-2 per filter.
9. Lower the temp – No, not on the air conditioner. Lower the temperature on your water heater. Water heaters are one of the largest energy expenses. Set your water temperature at 120 degrees. Headed out of town? Check to see if your water heater has a “vacation” setting.
There are also lots of ways to lower your winter utility bills. You’ll need those tips in a few months!
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Helpfully hints
we live in a trailor its hard to keep warm and cool do have any ideals that will help lower my bills
First, be sure it’s cleaned regularly so it’s running at it’s best. There are lots of YouTube videos for how to do it yourself. Also if your’s doesn’t have a programmable feature, you can set a mechanical timer at the AC outlet where the air conditioner plugs in. Grab one inexpensively at Home Depot. Set the unit to the “On” position and set the mechanical timer to turn on when you arrive home and off when you are away.
Bev, I live in a trailer that is older than I am, I feel your pain! I don’t know about newer untie, but the older ones were poorly insulated and it has broken down over time. I would suggest re-caulking around windows and do what you can to stop drafts around doors. If you are like me, in an old unit that has ‘paneling’ stapled up as your interior walls, I would suggest carefully taking it down and re-insulating if you can. In the winter time we’ve been known to stay bundled up under blankets.
I have seen and read several places that bubble wrap can change the rating of a single-paned window from a 1 to a 2, and you are supposed to be able to cut pieces to fit the window, spray the window with water, and it should stick. That never works for me–I always need to re-tape. The added benefit is that light still comes through, but you still have privacy and less heat/cold exchange. I would at least do that to the windows–it is extremely inexpensive and easy to remove, plus you can reuse the pieces.
Definitely re-calk and take care of any holes, as Ashley says. I’ll bet you could even bubble-wrap other parts of the trailer. I have heard that you can fill the bubbles in with colors and make them into faux stained-glass windows, too, which could be fun.
Also, insulated curtains would be helpful over the windows.
Don’t underestimate the extreme helpfulness of hot water bottles (seriously, they work great and stay warm under the covers all night). You can refrigerate/freeze them, as well. Good luck!
I understand that using blackout drapes will help keep your house cooler but won’t you be using more energy because you’ll then have to use lights during the day verse the sunlight? Or are you just talking about when you’re not home? Thanks.
We use blackout drapes in the West facing rooms. Those get so, so hot on summer afternoons. We use the drapes and close the door to those bedrooms so the warmest air stays contained. Then we hang out and play in other areas of the house. At bedtime the rooms are significantly cooler than when we don’t use the curtains. This practice wouldn’t work if your hottest rooms are your main living areas. However, I still think you would save a significant amount of energy because using a few energy efficient light bulbs is much less expensive than having the AC system cycle constantly. HTH!
Nice Nine Tips….I’ll try to try at least some of them…. Thanks for making this post.
these are some great tips! i have opted to use cold water and line dry most of my clothes, it has been a huge help in savings – especially with the amount of laundry i do! pinning & sharing 🙂
Buy reflective window tint to do all of your windows and storm doors. There’s some on Amazon called Decorative window film. We bought the darkest mirror tint. We can see out, but you can’t see in. There are lighter tints, also. Our metal doors would be very hot to the touch all summer, but with the tint, they are just warm. The tint goes on with a good glass cleaner and a squeegee. Easy. It’s made a huge difference at our house!
My best tip is to keep 1 to 3 dry towels in your dryer, then just toss your clothes in to dry as usual. This seems to help get the loads dry quicker, I doubt its a huge savings but every little bit helps right. Thank you for your tips!
My husband is a air conditioning mechanic. The filters in some homes, like older homes, homes on dirt roads, homes with pets, need to be changed more frequently than once per month. Also, having your unit checked (preventative maintenance) before the summer starts can prevent problems before they become costly. Clean filter=$2, cleaning a coil because the filters stayed dirty=$350. Also pour a cup of bleach down the drain lines monthly for less than a buck a month, because it will cost you $100 service fee if the lines get clogged. These little tricks can save your energy bill also, as a clogged drain line or clogged coil strains your unit, causing it to not run as efficiently, ultimately causing the unit to stop working altogether if the problem is not fixed ($5000 for a new unit not under warranty). And you’ll void said warranty if it is deemed your fault (not taking care of your unit).
Saving on your energy bills is not only great for your wallet but for the environment too. A lot of these tips are basic, but really great. We don’t often think of these things on a daily basis. Thanks for sharing!
pretty good hint but if u unplug things that u do not use every day will cut your bill atleast by $25.. unplug the strip plug as it still has electric to it and still costing u $$$ . I want to go solar
Moving your thermostat up or down a few degrees will save you hundreds of dollars each year. Especially if you use electric heat anywhere in your house.