Paying more on utility bills is something a lot of people hate doing, especially electricity bills. Utility bills are one of those annoying sneaky bills that are easily forgotten but when it hits your inbox pesters you to pay up. Cost of electricity nationwide varies greatly usually by state. If you live in Hawaii or Rhode Island or California then you are paying the highest electricity rate in 2019.
The average household in America consumes almost 900 kilowatts (kWh) of electricity every month which means the average bills likely soars over $100 per month for electricity alone. Being proactive with electricity habits can save lots of money, not just monthly, but for the rest of your life. These 30 little changes in combination mean big savings throughout a lifetime.
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Table of Contents
Reduce Standby Power Consumption With Smart Strips.
Get smart power strips to turn off household electronics currently not in use. This allows you to reduce energy waste and reduces the amount you spend on energy. Once electronics switch to standby mode, the smart power strips turn them off instead of trickling electricity. Standby power consumption studies in Australia states that the average standby consumption for 2015 was 92.2 watts per household.
Replace Air Filters Regularly.
For someone who wants to reduce the amount that he or she spends on electricity, it is important that you check your air filters regularly. Dirty filters make the HVAC system work a lot harder in moving air around. Dirty air filters consume extra energy to move the air around, which increases your electricity bill.
Get a filter that possesses a higher MERV rating, as it is more effective and reduces the possibility of you getting illnesses or allergies. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a household can reduce AC consumption by as much as 15% if the air filters are replaced once a month.
Be Mindful With Your Water Heaters.
A lot of consumers wonder how they keep paying a lot for electricity when the consumption is minimal. They forget about things that are set in and initially out of their control. It is important that you are watching your water heater and if you really need it on during summer days? Can you turn it off at night or while you’re away?
Getting a water heater insulation jacket, which in some regions is legally required, can help reduce your electricity bill. The US Department of Energy recommends setting tank-based water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because heating already hot water will only waste energy.
Another option if you are in the market for a new water heater (they average around $1000 to $3000) opt for a tankless heater. Tank-less water heaters avoid the heat losses associated compare to traditional water tanks.
Do keep your water heater above a 140F (according to the Canadian government) to prevent Legionnaires’ disease.
I know the name sounds Lord of the Rings cool but it’s really not and can be a serious bacteria that cause pneumonia.
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Do Your Laundry With Care.
Don’t use your washer or dryer every day. Leave a day each week for doing your laundry, enough for a full load. Once you feed the washer and dryer, put in a larger load of clothes all at once without overcrowding too much. It will go a long way in reducing how much you spend on electricity.
Unless under special circumstances, always wash your clothes in cold water. Hot water is way too overrated and wasteful for everyday use. It also potentially cause more damage to clothes.
Always check the pockets for coins and other objects too because they can damage the washer. In addition, cleaning the lint from the clothes dryer after every load will help you save on your electricity bill.
Use LED or CFL Bulbs.
If you are still using incandescent lightbulbs, then you might want to reconsider changing and upgrading. Incandescent bulbs consume a lot of energy which increases energy consumption. What you should do is to get LED bulbs or CFL to reduce the energy you uses. CFL and LED bulbs require less energy to produce the same amount of light that incandescent bulbs are producing.
Turn Off Lights.
Turning off ceiling fans and lights once you leave the room helps in reducing the amount you pay for your electricity bill. Leaving lights and other electronics on while is just draining energy and adding onto unnecessary spendings. Even with CFL lighting, the general rule of thumb is to leave the lights on if you leave your house for 10 minutes or less. Turn the lights off if you are leaving the house for more than 10 minutes.
Use Adjustable Thermostats.
Adjusting the thermostat or smart thermostats (like NEST) helps to reduce spending unnecessary money keeping an empty apartment cool or warm. Leave your HVAC system off when you leave your house for the work day is a good idea. By adjusting the thermostat to 7 to 10 degrees from its normal setting for 8 hours per day, it will help in adding 10% on your estimated annual savings.
Use a Cashback Card.
My husband and I use Citi Double Cash as a catch-all for bills majority of the time. Citi offers a 2% back on everything as long as you pay it off. According to Citi, all purchases you make earn cash back. There are no category restrictions when using Citi. Occasionally there are rotating categories on our other credit cards that land in utilities for 5% cashback so we naturally hop on that. There are many credit cards out there that let you choose one category every quarter so take advantage of it.
Be Energy Smart in the Kitchen.
Instead of making use of the stove to cook or boil water for a quick meal or cup of tea, you should consider making use of your microwave instead. You can try cooking at night, switching to a toaster oven (instead of the oven stove). In the day time, try to switch off the heat/dry setting on the dishwasher. Cooking using microwave, toaster oven, or even a slow cooker can save as much as 80% energy when reheating small amount of food.
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Use Trees To Cool Down.
When it gets to peak summer, we have to keep the air conditioner on so the house will not overheat and try us mad. We spend a lot on energy bill trying to cool down the temperature of the house. You can help reduce your energy bill by planting the trees to act as a shade for your house or backyard. This will save your A/C from doing a lot of work.
When we were buying our property, it never occurred to us how much a nice shady tree could save. Landscaping and planting trees aren’t only important for its aesthetic value. It can also be used for energy conservation by reducing the work your AC had to do using natural ways of cooling down the temperature.
Don’t Use Heat Dry on Your Dishwasher.
This setting in your dishwasher is known to consume a lot of energy. Switching this feature off will help a lot in reducing energy consumption. According to Home Guides, air drying your dishes can save up to 15% of your total dishwasher’s energy use.
Exploit Off-Peak Rates.
Some places and landlords are known to give their residents more affordable electricity rates in hours when people rarely use energy, especially at night. If your locality offers this, you can use that time to do your laundry, use the dishwater, and even cook. According to Save On Energy, this technique is even more useful during summer and winter when energy use increases due to extremely hot or extremely cold weather.
Upgrade Energy Saving Devices.
If you are using devices that are more than ten years old, there is a great chance that they are not energy efficient. You should think of having them replaced. Opt for appliances that use lesser energy. The Energy Star program which is created by EPA regulates energy requirements in the majority of appliances. By using Energy Star certified products, it can help you save energy in the long run.
Use Low-Flow Showerheads.
Instead of going for regular shower heads that may be cheaper at first, consider opting for low flow showerheads. Naturally, it saves on water but another part of the logic is needing less water to be heated which reduces your energy consumption. To maximize water efficiency, the US Department of Energy recommends using a showerhead with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm. Depending on the county or state, your local government may send you free low-flow showerheads or offer government rebates and subsidies for you to switch.
Get More Blankets.
Instead of increasing your thermostat during the cold night to warm yourself, you should consider getting more blankets. This will save the money you spend on the electricity bill. In addition, if you live in a very cold climate, try a heated mattress pad or thermal blanket, it’s a more efficient and energy-saving way to warm up during the cold winter months compared to heating the entire bedroom continuously.
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Clear Lint From Dryer.
Remove the lint from the dryer after each load. This ensures that the dryer is efficient in the long run. You can clean the lint with the soapy water. You should not forget to brush it regularly to wipe off any extra lint. Washing the trap also helps in controlling odors in your machine.
Use Dryer Balls.
If you want to reduce the time that your clothes spend while drying, you should consider tossing dryer balls. You can save energy and energy by decreasing the usage time of your dryer. It causes a cut in energy used by up to 25%.
Get a Tankless Water Heater.
If you are thinking of getting a new hot water heater, you should think of getting the tankless one. They help to reduce the amount of energy that the heater consumes by half. According to Petro, tankless water heaters are 22% more efficient than gas-fired, storage-tank models.
Insulate Switches and Outlets.
Get electrical outlet sealers, and ensure that they are placed on every switch and outlet in the house. This is particularly an energy saver during winter days, as it reduces unwanted airflow inside the house. According to Conservation Mart, a household experiences 2-5% heat loss because of uninsulated outlets and switches.
Get Storm Doors.
To prevent your house from losing energy a lot, you should consider installing them on every exterior door in your apartment. A storm door can reduce up to 50% of energy usage. However, it is discouraged to get glass storm doors if the exterior door gets direct sunlight several hours a day.
Wipe Coils of Your Refrigerator.
I know this one is crazy, right? Once the coils in your refrigerator become dirty, they tend to do a lot more work trying to get your foods cool. It won’t be a bad idea to run regular maintenance on your refrigerator. HuffPost recommends using the vacuum’s hose attachment in order to get all the dust from the coils. You should also leave some space between the fridge and the wall so it doesn’t overheat.
Utilize Residual Heat.
If you notice that your food is almost ready, turn the stove or oven off. With the heat that has built up already, it will get the job done. It is recommended to turn off the stove or oven 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking time.
Get Motion Sensors.
Motion sensors would be a great investment. It helps to auto-turn on and off lights when you enter or leave a room. Motion sensors are also good property crime deterrents too. Using sensors may seem like it saves pennies – and you would be right – 15 pennies per month per light to be exact! Hey, you’ll be 15 cents per month richer until the end of time!
Get Solar Lights For Outdoors.
Solar lights aren’t a bad idea to exploit the sun and use it to power your energy needs for outdoor. Solar lights get to absorb the energy from the sun, and it works even at night, without the sun. The US Department of Energy recommends this method as well, about 10% of the average home’s energy spendings go to lighting. Redirecting some load to the sun’s natural energy will save a considerable amount of energy.
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Get an Attic Fan.
Getting an attic fan helps to add cool air to your apartment and take out the hot air, without expending a lot of energy. It works better when the sun officially sets, since heat rises, the attic gets super hot. Get an attic fan, aim it near the window and you can feel the hot air blow out as it pulls in cooler air.
According to Constellation, attic fans help reduce cooling cost by the increased efficiency in air ventilation. What’s make this option more viable is that there are solar-powered attic fans available in the market.
Close Curtains & Blackout Curtains.
It won’t be a bad idea to try to shield your apartment from the scorching sun by closing the blinds and curtains on those parts of your house that the sun is entering through. To save more energy, consider getting a tinted window film installed. During the warm weather, light-colored curtains reflect sunlight and make the house cooler.
There are also blackout curtains that are really good at keeping a room cool and dark. You shouldn’t be paying more than $20 for blackout curtains because I have not noted much quality difference between single panels that cost $5 vs $20 per panel (you need 2 panels usually.)
Get Ceiling Fans.
Instead of relying solely on AC, you should consider opting for ceiling fans. The average cost of running a ceiling fan is about 1 penny per hour. These cheap fans can reduce the AC’s job by helping the AC cool the room.
Line Dry Your Clothes.
Well, a lot of persons would frown at this because it will make them feel that they are on the set of a 1930s movie. If you are dedicated to reducing your energy consumption, you should try and allow the sun to dry your laundry itself. Erect a clothesline. Air drying your clothes can save up to 45 minutes of dryer usage.
Run an Energy Audit.
A lot of utility companies are known to offer an audit free of charge to clients, to allow them to know what and what is consuming a lot of energy. If your utility company offers this, you should take it with both hands. If the firm doesn’t offer this, you should consider doing your own energy audit. This will allow you to know the aspect that energy consumption should be reduced. Preventing air leaks alone can save from 10% to 20% per year.
According to Michael of Financially Fit, you could potentially qualify for lower utility rates if you can prove you have a medical device.
Get Dimmer Switches.
Saving energy is quite possible if you decide to opt for dimmer switches that allow you to make use of the light you need for ambiance. In addition, dimmer lights produce lesser heat, which in return, can help in cooling down during hot weather.
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Great list, Lily! Saving energy is definitely a nice way to save a little money and be mindful at the same time.
Did you know that you may be to access lower energy rates from your utility company if you have a medical device that qualifies?
Added and I’ll send them your way haha! Thanks!
These are great tips! I love my dryer balls. I also get up early and open up the house to let cool air in. Helps to reduce the need for AC during the day.
Oh Janet I literally just bought them today after taking my own advice! They were just $3 for 2 balls at Ross – a lot cheaper than Amazon! Can’t wait to try, it says it could reduce drying time up to 25%.
I have definitely employed some of these methods and they do help. I put in a geothermal unit in 09 and it really makes heating and cooling the home more efficient.
I still have a decent monthly electric bill for a 3150 sq foot home (300-450/mo) but a lot of that is charging my Tesla so I would not say its too bad when you factor not paying for gas for my car.
Funny you should mention refrigerator coils. My fridge started having a hard time maintaining temp. It was slowly creeping over the normal setting. I vacuumed the coils and lo and behold, it went right back to normal. Amazing how dirty coils can tax a system.
Great to know doc! I was surprised about the fridge coils – such a little thing that barely anyone knows about.
Yeah, proper blackout curtains make a huge difference in the summer and can compensate while you’re waiting for that tree to grow outside 🙂
Haha, yes blackout curtains are AMAZING investments!
Great list – it feels like nickels and dimes (and maybe it is…) but it adds up fast. Double check your water heater cost – I think the average for a tank water heater would be $1,000, not $10,000. We’ve investigated a tankless (and maybe that’s the $10K quote?) but they’d need to retrofit our gas pipes to have a big enough gauge to fuel it – it’s sadly prohibitively expensive. Thanks for the tips!
Oh my god you are right, it’s $1k or $3k for tankless? Our home inspector told us we were lucky because our house came with a brand new water heater since the old one broke when the previous owner was trying to sell. He said $8000 to $10000 which I remember looking at my husband opened mouth like fish. Maybe the added cost of installation? Or I heard wrong, but I was dead sure he said 10 grand.
Tankless can get pretty pricey, and $10K would be easy to get to if you had to replace the natural gas line from the meter with a wider pipe (many houses don’t come with big enough ones for a tankless heater) – I imagine that’s what the quote was for. I’ve paid <$1,000 for a tank heater, and I've never heard of one over $2K (unless it was a dishonest contractor…). But no worries for you – enjoy your new heater while it lasts! 🙂
Great list. Our duplex is pretty drafty. We need to get an energy audit and plug up those heat losses somehow. I did some, but it still seems very drafty. The old storm windows aren’t that great.
Wow! This is pretty comprehensive. I think my favorite is “get more blankets”. It is funny that in the winter people want their house a nice even 70 degrees and unwilling to dress for the weather! Happy Sunday!
Max OOP
Nice List
On the subject of dryer lint, people should also be sure to have their drier vent cleaned professionally at least once every couple years. Most homes these days have drier vents that snake their way to the roof. Plenty of bends and plenty of places for drier lint to accumulate. This chokes down the flow and makes your drier work harder to get your clothes dry. The result, more energy usage, more stress on your appliance and a potential fire hazard.
It costs about $80 to get a drier vent cleaned.
Open your windows! I live in an apartment and I can’t believe how many people around me are turning their A/C on full blast already when it’s only 60-65 degrees outside, or even sometimes when it’s in the 50’s! They’re racking up huge electric bills when they could just open their windows and take in the “free A/C”. Plus who likes being cooped up in the house with the windows closed all the time anyway? I guess a desire for fresh air is becoming an old fashioned thing…
We are 100% off grid solar and wind. My mother inspired me to go self sufficient when I was 15. I had saved $10,000 by age 20 working in fast food and a nursing home. At minimum wage. I looked through the United Farm Catalogue (now United Country) and found 80 acres for $21,000. I had it paid off by age 23. Lucky bills were very low in Santa Cruz. But my new 80 acres were on the east side of the sierras, and high desert, windy, dry, short growing season (June-Sept), cold winters (my first winter was -25 F). So not the choicest of places to move. Santa Cruz was mild, almost year round growing season, with the help of unheated cold frames in january/February.
So moving to the high desert was a challenge. Plus I couldn’t buy a job here. I worked what I could , minimum wage jobs until I faced the music and realized I would have to go back to school and get my nursing degree. I got my AS in vocational nursing, but towrd the end of my class got married and my hubby refused to let me go one more semester to another school (200 miles away) and get my RN. ANd that has caused us amazing suffering. We have lost a lot of hopes and dreams and solid finances because of that. LVN’s/LPN’s are being phased out of the acute care hospitals, and I really needed that RN to be able to do anything and get work closer to home. As an LVN/LPN I have had to travel up to 125 miles one way to work. if I had my RN the closest option is 40 miles one way, and 60 miles one way to the south with more options. I love living rural but in hindsight, I should have gotten that RN.
SO I have no electric bills at all, and all our heacy loads are cooking (an hour or so, so not all day) and pumping water (deep well, we can run it all day to irrigate). We have a garden, fruti trees, rabits in an open pen for meat, chickens for eggs and meat, turkeys for meat, geese for grass trimming, and meat, ducks for meat, goats for milk and meat, Sheep for wool and meat. I am working on a combination of soil remineralization (William Albrecht) and pasture based recoup of the land. No herbicides or pesticides. The minerals enable the plants to produce protiens and hormoines that help with their defense of insects and disease, remineralization also deters weeds. Weeds are experts at thriving in mineral deficient soils, So things like toxic Round Up just encourage them. Look up “Dr Huber, Grassfed” on Youtube. Round Up is causing a nationwide destruction of bees, crops, livestock poultry and humans through the binding of minerals making them unavailable to the plant or to animals. It is destructive of beneficial bacteria, causing fusarium wilt in crops and gut dysbiosis in bees and livestock and humans, IBS, IBD, celiac, gluten intolerance, Perisitant ulcers, gastritis, perforated bowel, etc. and birth defects, infertility, and stillbirth.
So we can live cheaply by growing as much as we can, but we have to be careful when buying feed from outside as most of those are conatminated wioth Round Up, as are all grain products, wheat, oats, barley, rye, as Round Up is sprayed on them to make a quick harvest. Eating out is a crap shoot. What we buy off farm has to be organic.
Great list of tips. I came across another unique one recently when the AC guy came to fix my unit.
He mentioned that AC costs are cheaper depending on how many neighbors you have. If all of your apartment walls (and ceiling) are surrounded by neighbors, less heat/cold can sneak in.
Makes perfect sense but I never thought about it before!
Great suggestions here. Several I have never thought of. We will have to do several upfront costs in order to make true efficiency happen. We don’t have curtains in our new place yet, we don’t have energy-efficient appliances because we bought all of ours used on Craigslist, etc.
We have a bill that breaks down the way we use the most electricity. For us it is hot water at 14%. I’m curious to see if this goes down once we are done cloth diapering. We are spread evenly between several other categories (kitchen, electronics, etc.). I’m not sure exactly how they gather their data but it is interesting.