6 Easy Ways to Save on Your Utility Bill

As life progresses expenses and responsibilities invariably increase. In order to keep up with the pace, it’s important to find new ways to be more efficient with your money.

When it comes to owning your first home, for example, people tend to focus on the mortgage, while things like cable, incidentals, and utilities are often not properly accounted for. Once reality sets in and you’re able to calculate your true cost, the next mission is to cut that down as much as possible and ensure you are living an efficient lifestyle, not only for your wallet but in order to reduce your carbon footprint.

When you’re not footing the bill, it can be easy to overlook all the wastefulness involved in your daily routine. Once you’re out on your own and that wastefulness translates to lost income, you can be left perplexed as to how to manage it. Here are several simple ways you can cut down your utility bill without drastically changing your lifestyle:

1. Avoid Peak Times

Running appliances such as your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer use up a lot of energy. While other chores may be time sensitive, these appliances do the work for you. Establish a routine where you run money draining appliances during an off-peak time, like in the evening or at night when costs are up to 50% less.

2. Replace Air Filters Regularly

Dirty air filters cause your system to work harder. By replacing it every 3 months, you ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible. There are also different ratings for various filters you can purchase. The higher the rating the smaller holes on the filter. In essence, the better the filter is, the harder your system works.

3. Update Your Appliances

The green revolution has precipitated a boom in the production of energy efficient appliances. You’re obviously not going to update every appliance tomorrow, we’re looking to save money and appliances are expensive. However, when your appliances eventually break down, source an adequate replacement.

4. LED’s and Dimmers

The cost of LED bulbs have gone down and will continue to do so. Regardless, the cost is offset; They last 10 years and only use about 15% of the energy a standard incandescent bulb does.

Dimmers are not only great for ambiance and mood. In addition to creating a serene environment, they use far less energy in the low settings that you will likely have them on.

5. Programmable Thermostat

It’s difficult to remember to turn off your system during business and school hours when nobody is home. With a programmable thermostat, you have it done automatically and even adjust it when desired from your smartphone.

6. Ceiling Fans

Many people wonder why ceiling fans spin both ways. In the summer you obviously want the air circulating downward, however, in the winter you want the air going upward. This allows the warm air to circulate throughout the room. Fans allow you to keep your system on a lower setting due to the increased circulation.

Original article found at: http://dreamcasa.org/money-matters/6-ways-save-energy-utility-bill/