Your Summer electricity bill doesn’t have to burn you! Temperatures are rising out there, as Summer hits us….but that doesn’t mean your electricity bill has to go up, too! Here in Texas, energy efficiency is necessary, so we can run our A/C units, without paying ridiculous electricity bills. With these simple tips, you’ll be able to save a nice chunk o’ change on your electric bill, with very little effort. No need to budget more money for your Summer expenses – just follow these easy steps to keep cool without sacrificing your savings!
10 Simple Ways to Keep Your Summer Electricity Bill Low
Change Filters Regularly – The harder the air has to push to flow through, the more energy it’s using. Change your filters in your air conditioner (and furnace!) monthly to avoid clogging it up. You’ll be surprised how efficiently the A/C runs with fresh filters! HomeDepot.com has some great prices on filters, as does Amazon.
Stockpile Freezer – If you’re a stockpiler and like getting items – lots of them – for cheap, you probably have a deep freezer in your home. This saves tons of money by freezing the items you can purchase in bulk for cheap! Here’s a tip- put that extra freezer (or refrigerator) in the basement, if you have one. It’s much cooler down there, and it won’t have to work so hard (use so much energy) to keep cold. Check out some of the items you may not have known you can freeze – to save time and money, HERE!
Power Strip – If your small appliances have transformers on them (little black cube at the end of the cord), you may want to avoid plugging those into the wall sockets. Even when you believe your appliances and devices are turned all the way off, the power may still be on if it’s plugged in. This uses unnecessary energy and makes your bill rise, and it really does make a big difference. Either be sure to unplug when not in use, or grab a power strip and plug all of them into it. That way, when you are ready to turn them off, you can just turn the power strip off. Just be sure these aren’t items that require extra work to re-program.
Replace Appliances – Have you owned any of your major appliances or air conditioners for more than 10 years? If so, they are draining your wallet by using excess energy! Purchase new appliances with Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) of 10, and you’ll potentially cut the cost of running them by almost 50%! When you purchase new appliances, the out of pocket cost can be reduced by watching for sales, using rewards and checking the deals we post frequently. In the long run, you’ll be saving money by replacing out -dated, older appliances.
Dial to Comfort – Keeping your thermostat at a constant temperature may seem like a great idea, because you assume your electric bill will be lower since you aren’t moving the dial. But what you might not realize is raising and lowering the temperature can save you a ton of money! If you aren’t home during the day, turn it up. If you sleep better when it’s cooler in your home, turn it down. Adjusting the temperature to fit your daily schedule will make sure you aren’t “wasting” that amazing cool air you want to feel when you need it most.
Keep it On- You may believe that turning your A/C off when you leave the house, is saving you money. That’s a common misconception – because when you turn it off, the energy it has to use to cool the entire house again is much more than you might think. Simply turn it up when you leave the house, instead of “off.” When you get home, you can turn it down again, and your unit won’t have to work as hard to cool the area all over again! In fact, it’s a great idea to invest in a programmable thermostat. This way, you don’t have to worry about fluctuating the temperature manually, and can rely on the program feature to do that for you!
Fans – Fans won’t “cool” the air around them, but they do circulate the air, creating a breeze that makes the room feel cooler. When you have fans running, turn your thermostat up. Not only are they already using energy by being plugged in, you won’t need the cooler air from the A/C anymore. Placing fans on opposite sides of a room can also help create a nice tunnel of cool air that will be expelled and distributed nicely.
Laundry & Dishes – Washing dishes by hand will reduce the use of your dishwasher, which isn’t anything shocking. But, when you use your dishwasher, you’re putting out more heat into your house, causing your A/C unit to have to work harder to compensate. Grabbing some paper plates and plastic utensils for the hotter months, will help you avoid having to wash too many dishes and save on that hot air being expelled from your machine. You can also opt to purchase a rinsing agent (like Jet Dry) that will take the place of the heated dry mode. Your dishes will be clean, and you’ll just need to dry them off as you take them out and put them away. On the same note, wash your laundry in COLD water, if you can. When you wash intimates, bedding and towels, be sure the load is full before using your hot water. As for your dryer, be sure there’s room in there for the hot air to do its job. Packing the dryer with as much as you can will likely take longer to get the items dry.
Sign up for Energy Ogre – This may just be the best tip you’ll receive from this list. Why pay what your energy company requires, when you could be getting a better rate? Energy Ogre finds those better rates for you. Plus, they are able to report that most of its customers have been able to save between 40% and 60% after enrolling in the program. All for about the cost of a monthly Netflix membership. If you live in a deregulated area, you’re in luck! Go HERE to see what your potential savings can be, and use the code MYDFWMOMMY to get your 13th month FREE! I (Jeni) signed up 2 months ago and have already saved nearly $200 – Energy Ogre cut my bill in HALF! Go HERE to read more about how Energy Ogre works.
Heavy Drapes – Instead of opening the curtains to allow for the sun to come through, consider closing them to keep the heat out. Heavy drapes can also help in keeping the sunny side of your house or apartment cooler. Don’t want to sacrifice the sunlight? Grab some DIY window film! This will allow you to see outside, and will let some light in – but keep the heat at bay. In fact, it will help reduce the amount of heat that gets through your windows by about 30%!! Check out some options HERE
With these tips, you’ll help keep your home energy efficient, and your electricity bill lower than normal during the hotter months. Even better – you won’t have to sacrifice comfort, and you’ll be saving money!
How to you manage your Summer electricity bill? What are your tips for keeping your Summer electricity bill low?
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Great tips. We use a Dallas based electricity provider that offers free electricity, and for over two years we’ve qualified for free energy. Rather than pay for traditional marketing, they use referrals. I called friends/family and asked if they could do me a favor. I told them it would be a blessing to our family, and if it didn’t save them money, I don’t want them to do the favor.
After 15 people said “yes” to trying this company, those bills are averaged each month, and that amount is deducted from our bill. We have a 2400 sq ft home and all I paid last year was $255.01 (almost all was Oncor fees and taxes)
Details are on their website,
http://freeenergyus.myambit.com/rates-and-plans/ambit-advantages/free-energy