When the weather outside reaches sky-high temperatures or degrees in the single digits, your home’s energy bill often pays the price. You may not be able to completely rid yourself of that monthly bill, but you can learn why your energy costs are so high and what solutions you can use to decrease them. Not only will you be paying less to the utility company, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made your house as energy efficient as possible for the environment.
1. Stop wasting energy.
In both older and newer homes, wasting energy is easy if you don’t think about how your routine affects your electricity bill. Here are some common energy suckers and how you can combat them.
Leaky walls and windows with bad insulation
Seal the drafts around window frames with caulk and step up your insulation game in your walls and attic. These simple fixes can save you 20% in the long run on heating and cooling costs.
Standby power
Unplug those unused appliances! It’s estimated that standby power, the power an appliance uses when plugged in but not turned on, eats up to 10% of your home’s total energy usage. Keep “energy vampires” like coffee makers and printers unplugged until you need to use them.
Radiant heat
The sun is powerful, especially during Summer. Keep the blinds closed in rooms that get direct sunlight. Otherwise the sun’s rays will heat that room and cause your air conditioner to work harder to maintain the same temperature.
Warm water
Using the hot water cycle in your washer uses 90% of the total energy needed to wash your clothes. Switch to the cold water cycle to decrease the amount of energy spent on this simple task. Also, go right to the source. You can easily lower the hot water heater to 120 degrees to save money without sacrificing comfort.
2. Upgrade your energy systems.
There are quite a few easy updates you can do throughout your home to lower your total energy costs significantly. Take advantage of scientific improvements to energy efficiency and reap the rewards.
Replace older appliances
If your appliances don’t have the energy star label, they could be costing you a lot of money. Energy star appliances can save you 30% in total energy costs over time! It’s time to go shopping.
Switch out lightbulbs
You may have been hesitant to purchase LED lights before due to their cold hue, but improvements in technology make it hard to tell a difference anymore! Replacing all lightbulbs in your home with energy efficient models can save you 80% in energy costs compared to your previous bulbs.
Install a programmable thermostat
If you’re still operating on an older system, it’s time to make an upgrade. Programmable thermostats allow you to control the temperature over the course of a day, lowering the temperature when you know you’ll be home and letting the air conditioner rest when you’re at work. It’s estimated to save as much as 10% on heating and cooling costs and can be found easily for less than $50.
3. Service your systems
One of the biggest energy drains is when your HVAC system is dirty or in need of repair. When your system is fighting through the dust, grime, and malfunctioning pieces, it will have to work harder to heat or cool your home – meaning more zeros tacked on to your energy bill.
We recommend an Air Conditioning service and tune-up annually in the spring followed by a Heating system service and tune-up annually in the fall. These tune-ups make sure that they are clean and running at top performance, especially before the brutal winter or summer months.
It’s likely that a combination of the above culprits are causing your energy bill to reach new heights. Make sure you identify what energy draining practices you may be guilty of, what upgrades you still need to do, and when the last time your HVAC system was serviced. When you discover why your energy bill was so high, you can fix it and move on to enjoying your home.