The cost of energy is rising all the time, and no one is immune to those rate increases. It doesn't matter whether you are a renter or a home owner; finding ways to cut back on water and electric usage will save you a substantial amount of money. It isn't necessary to buy elaborate equipment or make huge sacrifices.
By learning how to be more conscious of the energy you use and to develop some easy to learn habits, you can cut your energy bill by quite a lot. Here are some suggestions.
*Turn the thermostat on your hot water heater down -
Turning the hot water heater thermostat down won't mean that you don't get enough hot water or that the water won't be as hot. It simply means that the water heater won't have to work all the time heating the water. You use what is already in the tank and the heater will heat the water as you need it.
*Wash clothes in cold water -
Many brands of laundry detergent have tailored their product to work better in cold water. It isn't necessary to wash anything in hot water to get it clean. Using cold water will lower both your water and electric bills by quite a lot.
*Clean your dryer vents regularly -
One of the biggest reasons that dryers start to become inefficient is that the lint traps and vents aren't cleaned properly or often enough. The vent should be cleaned every three months or so. The lint trap should be cleaned out with every use.
*Don't waste water -
There are several ways by which people waste water without even thinking about it. Most of us leave the water running as we wash our face and brush our teeth. If we turned the water off until we needed it, we'd be wasting a lot less water. This is especially true if you are running hot water.
Don't leave the water running when washing dishes. If you've got a bunch of dishes to wash, fill a dish pan with soapy water and wash with that. Turn the water on only when you need to rinse the dishes.
Take fewer baths. It takes many times more water to fill a bathtub than what you use when you take a shower. If you are running hot water to fill the tub, you are emptying your hot water heater pretty quickly. That will mean that the hot water heater will have to work more to make more hot water, and you are paying for the electricity to heat the water and the actual water.
*Turn your thermostat down -
Rather than turning your thermostat up to make your house warmer, make sure that you've sealed off all windows and doors properly. If you can afford to do so, purchase double paned windows. If not, purchase some transparent film or drapes that are designed to keep the heat in.
A programmable thermostat will keep your home at a fixed temperature. In addition, you can set it to a lower temperature for night. There is no need to turn the heat up to 75 degrees when you can wear a sweater. Turning the heat up simply means that your heating system has to work that much harder and that much longer. You are using huge amounts of electricity this way.
*Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs -
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs cost more initially, but they last many times longer and use much less electricity. There is no compromise in the amount of light that they generate. They come in varying sizes so you can use smaller ones for lamps.
*Don't leave lights on -
Many people are careless about leaving lights on. They leave a room without thinking about turning off the light, or they leave lights on so that they can see when they return from work. A programmable timer is very inexpensive and that will allow you to set lights to go on at a certain time and go off at a certain time.
*Don't leave other electrical appliances on -
Many people leave their televisions, computers and other electronic equipment on - even when they aren't using it. By turning these things off and actually unplugging them from the outlet, you can save significant amounts of money.
If you normally leave a coffee maker or other appliances plugged in, unplug them. Even though you aren't using them, they still consume some energy and this adds to your electrical cost without your even realizing it.
These are pretty simple things that any of us can do to cut back on water and electricity usage. If we do these things and become more mindful of exactly how we are using energy, we can all be more careful about the amount of energy we waste. If you use a dishwasher, turn the heated dry off. That will save you money. Put your appliances on a water saver setting whenever possible.
We can do a lot for our budgets, our communities and our environment as a whole by being a more careful utility user and by actively looking for ways to save energy. When we do, the savings we see in our utility bills will convince each and every one of us that are actions were more than worth the effort.