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12 EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR ELECTRIC BILL How can you save money on your electric bill without making major sacrifices? These 12 money saving tips can possibly cut your electric bill in half. 1. Turn off the lights This should be a no-brainer. It’s one of the easy ways to save money on your electric bill. When you leave a room simply turn off the lights. This may take some doing to be comfortable with at first. Don’t leave the lights on in the bedroom for hours when you’re away in other rooms. You can also adopt the 2 light rule which means there shouldn’t be more than 2 lights switched on. By turning off lights when you don’t need them, you will notice a big difference in your electric bill 2. Invest in LED light bulbs Compared to regular bulbs, LED bulbs are a bit more expensive but they are so much more economical in the long run. LED light bulbs consume much less energy and they last for years to come. Switch your incandescent and CFL light bulbs to LED bulbs. You don’t have to change them all at once, change them one by one. You will also need fewer of them because they concentrate light in a certain direction meaning they are much more effective. 3. Unplug your electronic devices Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. Small things like unplugging appliances such as your TV, computer, and chargers when you are not using them. You may think they aren’t consuming any energy when switched off but, they are even when they are unplugged. Try this for a month to see the difference in your bill. Think of it like this, you have nothing to lose and you could end up saving money on your electric bill. 4. Use a power strip As mentioned earlier, electronics still consume energy when still plugged in, even though they aren’t being used. The power strip automatically powers off devices which aren’t in use. This could come in handy because you can’tjust unplug all your appliances. 5. Wash your clothes with cold water Washing your clothes with warm or hot water means that you are using energy to heat up the water. This will add in making your electricity bill higher. (Is your electric hot water heater set down to 120 degrees?) Cold water is actually better for your clothes and they will last longer. Warm or hot water can make some clothes shrink. (Depending on the fabric.) All you have to do is to make sure you are using the right laundry detergent. ---PAGE BREAK--- 6. Air dry your clothes A machine dryer consumes a great deal of energy resulting in your electricity bill being appreciably higher. Why not air dry your clothes? If you have some space you can do it outside, but if your space is limited you can use a foldable, long lasting drying rack. It’s a great alternative and you can even use it for heavier items such as sweaters, jackets, and jeans. 7. Cook in bulk This is a great way to save money on your electric bill. You will save a lot of with this trick. You can cook meals in batch for as much as two weeks, then freeze them in separate freezer containers. Afterwards, all you will be doing is defrosting them as needed. Your slow cooker uses a small amount of energy and you can cook larger amounts of food at once! 8. Wash and dry your dishes manually The dishwasher is another house appliance that uses so much energy. If you can, why not wash your dishes manually and use a dish cloth to dry them. Remember to wear gloves when you clean them. You can put them in a utensil rack to dry. If you can’t do your dishes manually, you can wait until your dishwasher is full before cleaning. 9. Take a cold(er) shower. The same logic in point 2 applies here. Heating water is very expensive. This is obviously not for everyone but it’s one of the ways you can save money electric bill. Also, try to pop out of the shower a few minutes early. 10. Install Faucet aerators. Aerators arc devices used to conserve water’s energy by restricting its flo and reducing water splashing from a thucet. A faucet aerator is usually attached to the end of a faucet. Water usage experts agree that the use of faucet aerators is one of the most inexpensive et effective means of reducing water consumption and saing energy in the home. 11. Use blinds or curtains on your windows This is so simple. Open the curtains during the winter season to let the light in and close them during warmer days. (Remember to use lighter colored material as not to absorb heat from the sun.) Solar screens in the summer will also cut down noticeably on air conditioning. 12. Change your air filter This one is often ignored. Your heat/cooling pump will have to work that much harder due to the dirty air filter causing it to consume all the more energy. Rev. 6/2019