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How To Save Money On Utilities:
1. Call your local utility company to see if they offer energy audits. Many offer free or low cost inspections and free information booklets on home energy savings. They will also recommend inexpensive ways to cut energy costs that will more than pay for any costs involved.
2. Change regular light bulbs to fluorescent (or halogen) bulbs where appropriate. Fluorescent bulbs cost about 5 times more than regular bulbs, but they're 3 times more energy efficient, 4 times brighter, and last 10 times longer meaning that you'll save money in the long run.
3. Check for window air leaks and repair them. If at all possible, install double-pane windows in your house. Single pane windows or windows that are improperly insulated can account for up to 15 percent of your heating and cooling costs.
4. Decorate your walls with light colored paint or wallpaper. Light colors make the light in the room appear brighter. This will allow you to use bulbs that emit up to 50 percent less light, but still get the same lighting results as a dark colored room.
5. Don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth, shaving or doing the dishes by hand. You can see just how much water (and money) you are wasting by plugging the sink and letting the water run while doing these activities.
6. Get that dripping faucet fixed. If you have a faucet leak that drips one drop every second, it will add up to approximately 2,700 gallons of water over the year.
7. If you aren't using an electronic device, unplug it. Electricity trickling out of dormant electronic devices wastes approximately $3.5 billion every year and accounts for anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent of the average home's electric bill.
8. If you have a choice in the way you prepare your meals, choose to use your microwave instead of your conventional oven whenever possible. Microwaves save up to 50% in energy costs for cooking meals compared to ovens.
9. If you have a dual hot and cold faucet, make sure that the faucet is always all the way to the cold side. If you turn on the water with it to the hot side, it will fire up the water heater wasting energy even if you have the faucet on for only a short time and the warm water never reaches the faucet.
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10. If you never use your fireplace, have the chimney flue plugged and sealed. Even with the flue closed, most still leave plenty of space to let heated air escape. If you do use your fireplace, check the seal on the flue damper and adjust so that it is as tight as possible.
11. Make sure lamps and appliances are not near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat can sense the heat from these appliances making the air conditioner run longer and harder than necessary.
12. Purchase an inexpensive motion activated security light for outside your house. The savings you gain from not leaving a light on all night should pay for the security light in about half a year.
13. Reducing your energy bill can be as simple as changing the time of day you do things around your house. Contact your energy company to find out their off-peak hours. Then simply make sure that you run major appliances such as your washer, dryer, oven and dishwasher whenever possible during these times to significantly reduce your energy bill.
14. Save water by watering your yard when the sun will not evaporate it. Watering in the early morning or evening will do the same job with less water than doing so in mid-afternoon.
15. The average family wastes 40 gallons of water down the drain each day just waiting for hot water to reach the faucet head. This not only wastes your time waiting for the hot water to arrive, but also water, energy and money. Consider installing a rapid-delivery hot water kit. After installation, you should get hot water to your faucet in less than 15 seconds.
16. To get the best heating results from your fireplace, consider installing a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. This will keep the room much warmer meaning you can lower your thermostat and save money.
17. Use cold water when operating your garbage disposal. Not only does this save you money by not heating the water, it will also extend the life of your disposal, sink and pipes. Cold water is recommended since grease solidifies in it making it easier to grind-up and keeping your drainage system clean.
18. Use your ventilating fans in the kitchen, bathroom and other areas with care. Accidentally leaving one on can clear out a houseful of warmed or cooled air in about an hour. Be sure to turn off these fans as soon as they have done their job.
19. When cooking for yourself, use small electric pans or toaster ovens for meals instead of your stove or oven. Toaster ovens only use one third to half as much energy as a full sized oven.
20. When cooking, it is often unnecessary to preheat the oven. For cooking times less than an hour, 5 minutes of preheating will usually do. For cooking times over an hour, there is no need to preheat.
21. When doing major house cleaning, don't forget to dust off light bulbs and fixtures to improve light output. Dusty light bulbs give off up to 50% less light.
22. Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater a few degrees. Not only will it save you money on your monthly energy bills, it will also help to make your water heater last longer.
23. It is common in some areas to pay a deposit on your utilities when you move into a new home or apartment. If you have been there a year and have made all your payments on time, check with them to see if you can have your deposit money refunded. While this money is usually kept until you move, some utility companies will refund it after a year of on-time payments.
1. Call your local utility company to see if they offer energy audits. Many offer free or low cost inspections and free information booklets on home energy savings. They will also recommend inexpensive ways to cut energy costs that will more than pay for any costs involved.
2. Change regular light bulbs to fluorescent (or halogen) bulbs where appropriate. Fluorescent bulbs cost about 5 times more than regular bulbs, but they're 3 times more energy efficient, 4 times brighter, and last 10 times longer meaning that you'll save money in the long run.
3. Check for window air leaks and repair them. If at all possible, install double-pane windows in your house. Single pane windows or windows that are improperly insulated can account for up to 15 percent of your heating and cooling costs.
4. Decorate your walls with light colored paint or wallpaper. Light colors make the light in the room appear brighter. This will allow you to use bulbs that emit up to 50 percent less light, but still get the same lighting results as a dark colored room.
5. Don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth, shaving or doing the dishes by hand. You can see just how much water (and money) you are wasting by plugging the sink and letting the water run while doing these activities.
6. Get that dripping faucet fixed. If you have a faucet leak that drips one drop every second, it will add up to approximately 2,700 gallons of water over the year.
7. If you aren't using an electronic device, unplug it. Electricity trickling out of dormant electronic devices wastes approximately $3.5 billion every year and accounts for anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent of the average home's electric bill.
8. If you have a choice in the way you prepare your meals, choose to use your microwave instead of your conventional oven whenever possible. Microwaves save up to 50% in energy costs for cooking meals compared to ovens.
9. If you have a dual hot and cold faucet, make sure that the faucet is always all the way to the cold side. If you turn on the water with it to the hot side, it will fire up the water heater wasting energy even if you have the faucet on for only a short time and the warm water never reaches the faucet.
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10. If you never use your fireplace, have the chimney flue plugged and sealed. Even with the flue closed, most still leave plenty of space to let heated air escape. If you do use your fireplace, check the seal on the flue damper and adjust so that it is as tight as possible.
11. Make sure lamps and appliances are not near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat can sense the heat from these appliances making the air conditioner run longer and harder than necessary.
12. Purchase an inexpensive motion activated security light for outside your house. The savings you gain from not leaving a light on all night should pay for the security light in about half a year.
13. Reducing your energy bill can be as simple as changing the time of day you do things around your house. Contact your energy company to find out their off-peak hours. Then simply make sure that you run major appliances such as your washer, dryer, oven and dishwasher whenever possible during these times to significantly reduce your energy bill.
14. Save water by watering your yard when the sun will not evaporate it. Watering in the early morning or evening will do the same job with less water than doing so in mid-afternoon.
15. The average family wastes 40 gallons of water down the drain each day just waiting for hot water to reach the faucet head. This not only wastes your time waiting for the hot water to arrive, but also water, energy and money. Consider installing a rapid-delivery hot water kit. After installation, you should get hot water to your faucet in less than 15 seconds.
16. To get the best heating results from your fireplace, consider installing a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. This will keep the room much warmer meaning you can lower your thermostat and save money.
17. Use cold water when operating your garbage disposal. Not only does this save you money by not heating the water, it will also extend the life of your disposal, sink and pipes. Cold water is recommended since grease solidifies in it making it easier to grind-up and keeping your drainage system clean.
18. Use your ventilating fans in the kitchen, bathroom and other areas with care. Accidentally leaving one on can clear out a houseful of warmed or cooled air in about an hour. Be sure to turn off these fans as soon as they have done their job.
19. When cooking for yourself, use small electric pans or toaster ovens for meals instead of your stove or oven. Toaster ovens only use one third to half as much energy as a full sized oven.
20. When cooking, it is often unnecessary to preheat the oven. For cooking times less than an hour, 5 minutes of preheating will usually do. For cooking times over an hour, there is no need to preheat.
21. When doing major house cleaning, don't forget to dust off light bulbs and fixtures to improve light output. Dusty light bulbs give off up to 50% less light.
22. Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater a few degrees. Not only will it save you money on your monthly energy bills, it will also help to make your water heater last longer.
23. It is common in some areas to pay a deposit on your utilities when you move into a new home or apartment. If you have been there a year and have made all your payments on time, check with them to see if you can have your deposit money refunded. While this money is usually kept until you move, some utility companies will refund it after a year of on-time payments.
. I am guessing i depends on your oven or something.
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