Last Updated on June 24, 2019 by Ellen Christian
I’m sharing a few ways to reduce your electric bill that Marty and I have been looking into. We have a number of projects that we need to work on around the house this year and in order to do that, I’m trying to spend a bit less each month. We don’t have any debt to deal with so I’ve been looking into things like the cost of our utilities. I noticed that our electricity costs have been inching up little by little each month, and I’ve made it my mission to get that cost under control. This post has been sponsored.
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The Best Ways to Reduce Your Electric Bill Quickly
There are a lot of long-term projects you can do to lower your electric bill, but that takes time and money. I tried to focus on ways to reduce your electric bill that we could do easily right away, without investing much money to accomplish them. We have the larger projects planned for the future, but right now, I just want to see my electric bill go down a bit next month.
- Switch to CFL light bulbs or LED light bulbs. We switched all of our bulbs to CFL light bulbs years ago and if you still have incandescent bulbs, that can save you quite a bit of money. But, did you know that LED light bulbs use less electricity than CFL light bulbs? I’m looking into switching the lights we use most often to the LED style. No matter what type of light bulbs you have, remember to turn them off when you aren’t using them.
- Use an energy saving shower head. With four adults in our home, you can be sure that we take a lot of showers. I just got a new energy saving shower head to install in the shower. I’ll be sharing a post this month on how I do it. Switching to an energy saving shower head can help lower the amount of water you use. If you use your own well and pump like we do, that will have an impact on your electric bill.
- Change the temperature of your furnace or air conditioner. We don’t own an air conditioner. I prefer to simply open all the windows in the house. But if you do run an air conditioner, you can save quite a bit of money by lowering the temperature. I was amazed to find out that 5% of all electric costs in the US are from running the air conditioner. Turn it down if you absolutely must run it, or when possible keep it off and open the windows instead. Add a ceiling fan if you need to have cooling all day long. They are much cheaper than air conditioners.
- Turn off your computer. I know. This one kills me. My computer is on at about 5:30AM and off at about 10PM. No, I’m not on it all that time. I just turn it on and then leave it on all day. Turn off the computer, entertainment systems and other appliances like the television when you aren’t using them. Even on “sleep” or “standby” mode, your computer is using power.
- Get smart. We are slowly replacing older technology with new smart technology that can turn on and off by itself. Our bedroom light is motion activated because we kept forgetting to turn it off. One of our future projects is to install a smart thermostat that can raise and lower itself as needed. You can also find smart coffee pots and slow cookers that will turn themselves off as well. For those of us that multi-task, that can be a great option.
If you’d like to learn more ways to reduce your electric bill, check out this handy infographic below. I was surprised to find a few ideas that I hadn’t thought of before. Check out this article for more information.
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
I’m big on turning off all lights when not in use. I use one CFL bulb at night in my apartment, but I am on the computer and really don’t need to see much beyond my screen! I am fortunate I live in a mild climate. I have air conditioning and heat but never turn them on–saves a bunch, I’m sure. I also hand wash my lightweight clothes and undergarments, and air dry them. They used to dry quickly in the dry climate of Colorado but in Cali, it takes longer.
You are so good! I do hang clothes when we can but it’s harder in the summer with the humidity and the bugs!
These are great tips.
Thank you!
I have been watching my electric bills for years and worked at a place related to Efficiency Vermont. I now as of a year ago moved to Virginia. As you may know heat pumps are used for heat and central A/C. I saw some very high bills. The refrigerator that was in my new home made noises and the house in 13 years old… Finally the ice maker was not right, I replaced the refrigerator, they definitely use a lot more electricity if they are not running right. I know that for a fact. Then I have always hung my clothes up to dry.. The dryer is one of the most item that uses electricity. I always did that. Then I looked into the new Mitsubishi Heating/cooling system. I bought one and it is so energy efficient!!!! It costs under more then half of the old one.
They have a web page of Facebook. They are incredible. My bills have gone down a lot:):) I live with my little dog, so I do not have a family. But the house I am in has 2 bedrooms. I have been hanging my clothes for 30 years. In the winter I used to drape them over my couch as I had hot water heat. I am putting them out on my deck on a metal clothes hanger and the breeze is great!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks, Kathleen. That is good to know!