Five Ways to Save on Your Energy Bill

Paying your energy bill is never an exciting moment, but it shouldn’t be like pulling teeth.

If you’re anguishing over the service fees you’re incurring from month to month, something has to change. Luckily, you have the power to make things a little easier on your budget.

Here are five of the simplest ways to cut back on your energy bill:

1. Use less. It sounds silly – I realize that. Obviously, the less energy you consume, the smaller your energy bill. Sometimes, however, we forget how much unnecessary energy we use on in our daily goings-on. Be meticulous. For example, how are you managing your computer’s power usage? If you don’t have its power management settings turned on, make a point to turn them on. A computer that’s been put in standby mode uses far less power than one that’s fully operating. Allowing your computer to run all day without ever shutting down or shifting to standby mode can suck up a lot of energy.

2. Seal any cracks. Heating and cooling take up a huge chunk of a typical household’s energy costs. In the instance that you have any leaks in your walls, flooring or insulation, it could cause your heating and cooling systems to work harder in order to moderate your house’s temperature. Of course, that means more you’ll have to spend on their energy usage. You nip the problem in the bud by doing a thorough search around the home and patching up any punctures that may have accumulated.
3. Change your bulbs. If your light fixtures are still equipped with incandescent bulbs, you could be spending a fair bit more on your energy bills than you need to be spending. CFL and LED bulbs are far more energy efficient, and not particularly expensive to buy. Go all out – replace all your incandescent bulbs with CFLs or LEDs where you can. You’ll benefit from the same amount of illumination for a fraction of the energy costs.

4. Buy a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats have been a revolution in the HVAC industry – they give you total control of your home’s climate with the help of a Wi-Fi connection. And even better, they allow you to set schedules for your home’s heating and cooling agenda, so you can avoid using energy when no one’s around the house.
5. Switch your electric supplier. In deregulated areas, homeowners usually have the ability to choose their energy supplier. Like with any competitive industry, some suppliers can offer more affordable prices than others. It’s worth your time to shop around a bit – you could end up stumbling on a great deal or a promo code that could help you save on your energy bill almost immediately.

Take these tips to heart; it’s not hard to shave a little off your energy bill if you cover all your bases. Put a little effort into it, and you could be saving more than you’d ever imagined was possible.

Kristina Ross is a blogger at Save On Energy. While frugality is a top concern of hers, she’s also a regular contributor to various environmentalist publications. Outside of pen and paper, her two favorite household items are her stovetop and her salad spinner.