The average American household spends a little over $2,000 on energy bills every year. That usually covers the costs associated with everything from running a heating and cooling system to keeping electronics like TVs and computers turned on.
But if you’re not careful, you could end up spending a whole lot more than $2,000 on your annual energy bills. You should take the time to learn how to save on energy bill payments to make your costs more manageable.
Would you like to cut your electric bill down to size so that it doesn’t take too much of a toll on your bank account from now on? You can reduce your energy bill in a variety of different ways.
Here is a homeowner’s guide on how to save on energy bills.
Turn Off Lights When You’re Done Using Them
Does your family routinely leave almost every single light in your house on when you’re at home together? This is costing you a lot more money than you might realize every month.
One of the easiest ways to cut your electric bill is to turn off any lights in your home when you’re not using them. You’ll see some immediate savings when you get into the habit of only keeping a few lights on in your home at one time.
Additionally, you should consider using LED lights throughout your home as opposed to incandescent lights. They use up less energy and last for way longer. It’ll save you money on both your energy bill and the bills you rack up at your local home improvement store while buying new light bulbs.
Unplug Electronics and Chargers When They’re Not in Use
Just because you’re not using something that’s plugged into the wall does not mean that it’s not wasting energy. Whenever you have an electronic or a charger plugged into an outlet, it will drain at least a tiny bit of energy.
You probably have all kinds of things plugged into outlets scattered throughout your home at this time. From the aforementioned TVs and computers to gadgets like smartphones and smart speakers, the typical home is filled to the brim with electronics.
Some of these things, like the smart speaker in your living room, might need to stay plugged in almost all the time for you to use them to their full potential. But if you know you’re not going to be using an electronic item any time soon, unplug it to save yourself some money.
Invest in a Smart Thermostat
We know that we just told you that it’s a good idea to unplug as many electronics as you can throughout your home. It might make the idea of us telling you to go out and buy an electronic to plug in sound strange.
But buying a smart thermostat and powering it up right away is one of the smartest energy-saving decisions you’ll ever make in your home. When you’re trying to learn how to save on energy bill payments, using a smart thermostat is a fantastic way to do it.
A smart thermostat will allow you to maintain better control of your heating and cooling system. You’ll be able to adjust the temperature from almost anywhere in the world so that you’re not wasting energy heating or cooling your home when you don’t have to.
Replace Your HVAC System’s Air Filter on a Regular Basis
Purchasing a smart thermostat is one way to make your home’s heating and cooling system more efficient. But there’s an even easier way to ensure your HVAC system is running as efficiently as it can each and every day.
You can start replacing your HVAC system’s air filter on a regular schedule. You should try to do it at least every three months, if not sooner based on the specific air filter that you use and the indoor air quality in your home.
A clean air filter will help your HVAC system run better than it would otherwise. This will, in turn, reduce your energy bill since your system won’t have to work too hard to heat and cool your house.
Hang Up the Right Window Treatments
Do you have thin, virtually non-existent curtains hanging up over the windows in your home and allowing too much sun to come in during the day? It could cause the temperatures in your house to spike in the summer and send your cooling system into overdrive.
Or do you have thick, heavy shades hanging up over the windows in your home and not allowing enough sunlight to enter your home during the day? You could be missing out on a huge opportunity to heat your home with the sun in the winter and force your heating system to have to make up the difference.
Think about buying new window treatments that will allow you to use the sun to your benefit day in and day out, regardless of what season it is. You should also consider using window tinting to your advantage if your goal is to stop the sun from making your home too hot. Read more to find out how it could help you.
Learning How to Save on Energy Bill Payments Puts More Money Into Your Pockets
If you’re always leaving all the lights in your home on or running your heating and cooling system 24/7, you’re hurting the planet in the process. You’re wasting perfectly good energy for no good reason.
You’re also wasting money every month when you pay your energy bills. You could be handing over hundreds and, in some cases, even thousands of dollars that you could be keeping for yourself.
Now that you know how to save on energy bill payments in a few different ways, put them to the test. You might be surprised to see how much lower your electric bill will be from now on when you test out some of the energy-saving tips found in our guide.
Check out our blog to learn even more about how to cut your electric bill.