A look at your monthly energy bills might cause your jaw to drop. If your energy usage (and overall costs) are significantly higher than you expected, you may wonder how to bring those numbers down.
After all,you don’t want to spend a fortune on energy bills-especially if you have other expenses and fun activities you need to pay for.
By adding efficient appliances to your home is the best way to reduce your consumption. But if you can’t afford these sometimes-costly appliances, you may wonder if you can even lower your bills at all.
Reduce your building’s energy consumption and bills at little or no extra cost!
Avoid bill shock by following AJ Palmer Electrical hot tips!
1. Use Your Ceiling Fans
If your home or office has ceiling fans, use them. In the warm summer months, this extra breeze allows cool air to circulate regularly throughout each room. As a result, your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to cool down your building.
Likewise, you can change the direction the fan turns so they can circulate warm air in the cooler months. Simply flip the switch on the fan and turn the device on.
2. Properly Fill Your Dishwasher
Dishwashers stand as one of the best modern conveniences we have. But they can also use more electricty than
expected. Unless you replace your dishwasher with an efficient model, you won’t reduce the amount of electricity this appliance uses.
However, if you properly fill your dishwasher before you run it, you won’t have to use it as much, reducing the amount of energy you use to wash dishes. Avoid running the dishwasher when it’s only partially full. Stack your dishes methodically so you can fit more pieces inside the trays. Then, run the dishwasher once it’s been completely filled. The fewer loads of dishes you wash, the less energy your building uses.
3. Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water
Likewise, washers consume a lot of energy. Specifically, washers use a lot of electricity to heat water up each cycle. But if you wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot, you’ll easily reduce your consumption.
If you must wash clothing in warm or hot water, try to use your washer later at night. Some energy companies may offer discounted rates for using energy during non-peak hours (typically after 10pm.), so you may just save some money by doing laundry in the evening.
4. Unplug Unused Items at Night
Even if your electronics and appliances are turned off, they still use energy if they’re plugged into the outlet. Before you go to bed each night, walk through your home and unplug any electronics and appliances that aren’t being used, including:
- Blenders
- Electric can openers
- Hair appliances
- Laptops (specifically their chargers)
- Phones and the chargers
- Slow cookers
- Toaster ovens
If you have certain appliances or electronics that can’t be unplugged in the evening, set them on a timer so they use less energy.
For example, if you watch TV just before you go to sleep, you can set a timer so that the device shuts off at a certain hour. Even though it will still use energy as it’s plugged in, it won’t consume as much energy as it would if it had been left on all night.
Ready to cut your energy consumption and save on energy costs? Use the tips above to get started. Once you make a few small changes around your home or office, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save on your energy bills.
For larger changes, talk to a local electrician and a contractor. These professionals can tell you which items best work for your property type. They’ll also make any modifications to your building so you can keep everyone inside safe from any potential risks.
To learn more about how an electrician can help you improve your home or office building, read our other blog articles.
