Ways to Save Money on Utilities
We all want to live comfortably but these days, that comes at a price. It will be challenging since money is a big issue but there are ways to save money even on utilities.
When we think of utilities, we are referring to things like electricity, water, cable and the phone. Will switching or canceling be the only answer? The answer is no because you cant switch sometimes and there are ways to lower that.
First, conserve energy by making sure appliances and lights are turned off when there is no one in the room. You might think putting the television on sleep mode is good enough but it isnt so turn off the power switch or better yet, unplug it.
Next, replace your light bulbs with those fluorescent. It does not consume that much power and when you go out shopping for them, make sure that they maintain a Kelvin temperature of 2,600 to 3,000. These may be more expensive than incandescent but they will last ten times longer so it will be quite awhile before you change this with a new one.
Do you use a water heater at home? If you do, then you know quite well that it takes time before hot water comes out of the faucet. Until that happens, you waste water so if you want to speed up the heating process, better reinsulated the pipes that are connected to the heater.
If you have a heater at home, better have it turned every couple of years. This could save you 10% on your electricity bills.
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, you save about 5% of your electricity bill if you lower your heat down one notch. You can do this manually or install a machine that is designed to do that so choose which one you want to do.
Should you feel cold, perhaps something is coming inside the house like a draft. To take care of that, you need to buy and install weather strips around the frames of your windows and doors.
Did you know you can save money when you wash your clothes using cold water instead of hot water? Yes you can save up to 50% of energy and the same goes for your dryer when you decide to use the moisture sensor and not the timer.
Since we are talking about laundry, make sure you do your laundry on a full load. This also applies if you have a dishwasher.
Do you sometimes forget to turn the lights off when you leave the house in the morning? Well that should not be a problem anymore if this is wired to a timer.
When you brush your teeth or take a shower, turn off the water when you are not washing up yet. When you take a bath, maybe you should replace the shower head with one that does not consume that much gallons per minute.
Lastly, get rid of those leaks. If you live in an old home, chances are the pipes are old so have this replaced by the plumber.
There are many ways to save money on utilities so you should consider those that were mentioned and get to work. If you are able to do so, you will see a significant drop in the amount you pay for all your bills.
