Whether you are remodeling your home or simply moving furniture around, resolve to make a change that will save money on your electric bill. Choosing to make your home energy-friendly will go a long way toward putting more money in your pocket while helping out Mother Nature!
Here are a few tips on how to save energy at home. Some you can do right now, while others are great to incorporate into your next home improvement project:
- Get the “curly bulbs.” Switching to these low-impact bulbs will cost only pennies on your bill, and they last up to ten times longer than incandescent bulbs. Best of all? The low-impact bulbs are easier on your electric system, pull far less power, and bring your bill down much more than you might think.
- Program your thermostat. Do you really need all that heating and cooling when you’re gone for the day? Program your thermostat to reach a comfortable temperature about thirty minutes before you are due to come home for the day. Turn it down at night to save on electricity, too.
- Use light-blocking curtains. Curtains that block the light with an insulated panel are great for keeping the house cool during the summertime. In the wintertime, they keep cool drafts out.
- Seal your windows. If you can afford to replace your old single-pane windows with double-pane windows, great! If you can’t, seal your old windows as best you can with shrinkable plastic, careful caulking around the glass, and other draft-dodging methods.
- Install low-flow showerheads. When you’re getting a shower, it’s not the volume of water that feels good on your skin — it’s the intensity. You can get the same water pressure but use much less water by installing a low-flow showerhead. They are available for 20-30 dollars at your hardware store and install in just a few minutes.
- Consider geo-thermal heating and cooling. If you are building a new home, consider installing a geothermal system. This system pulls warmth from the ground during the wintertime, and during the summer, it makes good use of the earth’s insulating properties to help keep your home cool. Best of all, it costs an eye-popping amount less than traditional electricity.
- Unplug everything! It might seem like a small task, but unplugging everything in your house that you are not using will cut down significantly on your electric bill. Even when your household items are turned off, they still pull a small amount of electrical current. Over time, that small amount adds up to a big bill. Simply unplug appliances, cell phone chargers, and electronics when they are not in use and watch your electric bill drop.
