Whether it’s to lower your carbon footprint or to save a little bit of money, getting that electricity bill to drop is worth your time and effort. A few changes around the house can significantly reduce your consumption, and one big project can even get rid of it entirely.
Check Your Insulation
A well-insulated house consumes up to 30 percent less electricity, so make sure that your home doesn’t let the cold or heat inside. One way the heat or the cold from outside your house gets inside is through air leakage; warm air comes in, and cold air comes out. Make sure that your windows and doors are tightly sealed as the littlest of cracks can be a significant drain. If you live in an older house, get some insulation for your attic. Another way outside temperatures can influence your home is through conduction, primarily through your roof. Adding some form of insulation to your attic will have one of the biggest impacts when it comes to reducing your electricity bill. Exposure to the sun or snow on your rooftop transfers enough heat or cold from the outside into your house, skewing with your thermostat and making your heating or cooling options work a little bit harder.
Update Your Appliances
The older the stuff in your house, the more they consume electricity. From small light bulbs and bedside lamps to your refrigerators and air conditioning units, new technology usually means more energy efficiency. Some of the biggest power draws in your house is your refrigerators and air conditioners, switching to ones that use inverter technology can reduce your electricity bill by 20-30 percent. Get air conditioning units with timers that you can program to shut off during the wee hours of the night until the early morning. You won’t be moving around much when you’re sleeping, and your body produces less heat as you sleep. Even changing your bulbs to ones using LEDs can save a few dollars. The LED lighting provides more light, consumes less electricity, and is cooler than older bulbs. Every change you make makes your house more energy-efficient, reducing your electric bill to the bare minimum.
Make Your Own Electricity
If your electricity bills keep getting higher, just make your own. Solar panels are now more efficient and more affordable than ever. A 3-kilowatt system that can provide the needs of a family of four now costs around $10,000 to $16,000. With the right payment plan, your payments for those solar panels will only cost as much as your monthly electricity bills. Once you’re done with the payments, you’ll be enjoying free electricity for decades. A solar energy system is also the only way you can entirely go green with an electric vehicle. It’s only truly green if it was charged with 100 percent green energy.
The cost of electricity is rising every year. You can make small changes to reduce your consumption or go all-in and get rid of those pesky electric bills outright.