by John Messina

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 13, 2008

With the US Economy getting worse each month by the high cost of gas prices, food, electric, among other things, we need to start saving wherever we can. Below I have outlined some cost effective ways that can reduce electric cost.

Energy Efficient Air Conditioners is money saving factor right here. If you are still using window air conditioners that are more than two years old, take a look at the EER rating of the unit. If your AC does not have an EER rating you can calculate it very quickly. The formula is EER=BTU/power in watts. Example an AC unit that is rated at 10,000 BTU and consumes 1200 watts of electricity has an EER of 8.3 (10,000/1200). An EER of 10 or more is considered economical.

Ceiling Fans can increase your comfort level summer or winter. In the winter time you want the ceiling fan to blow the rising heat back down to your living area. Where as in the summer time you want to set the reversal switch so that all the warm air is drawn up to the ceiling. Many people may not even know about this little reversal switch on the side of your ceiling fan unit but this is what it's used for.

Energy efficient electric heaters can be a big money saver in the winter. If you use portable space heating units in the winter months you may want to check out some of new money saving heaters now available. These heaters use less electricity and radiate heat more effectively. You can research these heaters on line just by looking up "high efficiency electric heaters".

Floor heating is another way to increase the comfort level in your living area. If you ever consider replacing any of your floors with a laminated wooden floor, you may want to consider installing heating pads under the floor. They are designed to radiate the heat through the floor and keep the room comfortable.

Compact light bulbs are another energy cost saver. Compact fluorescent light bulbs, also know as CFL, will pay for it self in the long run. CFL put out the same amount of light as incandescent lights but consume much less electricity. A CFL consumes one fifth to one quarter the power than an incandescent bulb putting out the same amount of light.

A household that spends $90 to replace 30 lights in their home would save on average $440 to $1500 over the five year life span of the CFL. The exact amount would depend on the cost of electricity in your area.

For any additional information you may want to know on any of these suggestions just go to your favorite search engine. Information is only a click away.

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