by Pat Fox

Created on: October 23, 2008

In today's economy we all need to lower our bills and the electric bill is a great place to start. Everyone can do something to reduce their electric bill. There are no cost behavior changes; there are low cost options; and there are high cost steps you can take.

The first step is to understand how you use electricity. Everyone uses it differently. Some people simply use it to power lights and appliances, some use it for hot water, and some heat their whole house with it. Whatever your usage, there are ways to reduce your bill. You can lower it a little each month or you can just about eliminate it. You need to decide what is right for you. Here are some suggestions.

No cost options
1. The first rule of thumb in saving electricity and reducing your bill is to turn things off when not in use. Turn off the TV and lights when you leave the room and turn off the computer when you're done.
2. One step better than turning things off is to unplug them. When your TV is off' it uses up to 40% as much electricity as when it is on; it sits in standby mode waiting for you to hit the remote. Plug it into a power strip and when you are done watching simply turn the power strip off.
3. If you heat with electricity turn your thermostat down a couple of degrees.
4. If you have an electric hot water heater, decrease the temperature by a few degrees. Most households can be served well by a hot water heater that is set to 120 degrees.
5. Remove screens from windows in the winter. This can increase the solar heat gain coefficient for your windows as much as 10%.

Small cost options
1. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). Have you ever noticed how hot your incandescent light bulbs can get? This is because an incandescent light bulb only uses 10% of the electricity it draws for light; the rest is wasted and given off as heat.
2. Eliminate air leaks in your house by increasing the insulation. If you heat with electricity, this could save you a bundle.
3. Install a programmable thermostat so your heat is automatically lower when you are in bed or during the day when you are not home. You can then set it to heat up your home when you typically get out of bed in the morning and when you get home in the evening.

More expensive options
1. If you have a south facing roof that is not affected by shade, then you could install a PV (photovoltaic) system to generate electricity from the sun. This can significantly reduce your electric bill and, if you generate more electricity than you use, you can sell it back to the electric utility in your area.
2. Install a tankless hot water system and only heat your water when you need it.
3. Again, if you have a south facing roof, you could install a solar thermal hot water system which can be very effective at heating water even when the day is a little cloudy.

There are lots of options for reducing your electric bill and, if you want to pursue one of the options that costs some money, there are rebates and incentives in many states. For more information on incentives for your state go to www.dsireusa.org .

The first step is to take some action. Get started today. You can reduce your electricity usage. You can reduce your electric bill and, as an added benefit, you can reduce your carbon footprint.

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