by Eva Pronovost

Created on: February 20, 2009

Whether the economy is booming or busting, utility bills should never be a burden. There's no sense in paying more taxes because of wasted power, water, and heat, and these twelve tips will lighten the financial load and reduce a home's environmental footprint. It's a win-win situation!

Electrical Bill

1. This one is easy - switch incandescent light bulbs for long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They use approximately 75% less energy, last five years or longer, and cut greenhouse gasses by reducing the demand placed on power plants. Just be aware that CFLs are no good in dimmer switches, and because they contain mercury they must be disposed of at an eco-station.

2. Turn off the lights when you're not home. Why waste money lighting rooms when nobody is there to appreciate it? Put out-door lights on motion sensors so that the back yard is only lit if you're taking out the trash or if there's a prowler.

3. Kill vampire electronics. TVs, DVD players, radios, printers, coffee makers, microwaves and cell phone chargers continue to suck up energy when they're not in use. A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that homes generally have between 10 and 50 vampire devices plugged in and drawing power for an 'instant on' at any one time. Cut the connection with a power bar or strip, or simply unplug them, and there will be a significant drop in the electric bill.

4. Turn your computer off or put it in stand-by when it's not in use. A computer will draw the same amount of power when it's on and in use as it does when a screen saver is running, but that power is reduced to peanuts when the computer is put on stand-by or sleep, or turned off all together. An even better way to reduce power is to replace a tower with a laptop, as they draw a fraction of the power.

Water Bill

1. Stop flushing all that water down the toilet! A typical toilet uses 3.4 gallons (13 litres) every flush, so place something in your toilet tank to reduce its volume - a rock or a capped milk jug filled with water will do.

2. Set up a rain barrel in the back yard and use the collected water to water flowers and vegetables. When the lawn needs watering, water it in the evening or at night to minimize evaporation. Don't run the sprinkler for an hour, either - most lawns only need an inch of water once a week to stay healthy and green.

3. Run the dishwasher and washing machine only if there's a full load. For additional savings, hand wash dishes more often and line-dry clean laundry.

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