How can I save on my electricity bill?
Question:This might sound like a silly question, but I want to save on my electricity bill. I open my curtains to use the daylight, but the sun shining in just makes it hot and I think it's defeating the purpose, by making my a/c work harder. What should I do?
Answers:
You AC is what probably makes your electric bill high. I open my windows at night to let the cool air in, and then shut them in the morning to trap the cool air. I use high effeciency lighting and I turn off everything I'm not using. Also if you have an old air conditioner or refrigerator for that matter and replace them with newer high effeciency models it will save you money in the long run. Also consider getting a fan. Only open up your curtains when you don't have direct light coming through the windows.
Buy the cost saving lightbulbs..I couldnt believe what a difference that made. They are expensive.but make a huge difference!
Quit playing the interest and play chess instead.
You should have enough light coming through during the day so that you shouldn't have to open the curtains, keep them closed, or maybe open one to get a little light, your biggest bill in the summer is air conditioning, and opening the curtains is one of the biggest ways heat will enter. Also, use a fan instead of the air conditioning when possible.
Keep your lights off, your curtains closed, and when it gets dark open your curtains, and DON'T have your A/C on! That takes up way too much electricity
try to at least avoid using utilities that uses motors, compressors, and similar such as oven, toasters, dishwasher, laundry machine, flat irons.
when appliances are not in use please unplug it...plug appliances even not in use, it still generates/runs your power meter
You could try putting lower wattage bulbs in your lights. Make sure any lights or TVs are turned off if no one is in the room. Open drapes on the shady side of the house and keep them closed on the sunny side. Personally I keep my drapes closed all the time to keep the cool air in. I keep only 60 watt bulbs in my lights and I don't have a lot of lights on at any one time. Bright lights hurt my eyes so this is easy for me. I like things dim.
I just remembered I heard recently that the clothes dryer is one of the biggest electricity users in the home. Run it as little as possible. Don't run to big of loads, it has to work harder to dry all that at once, and keep the lint trap clean. Also make sure the dry cycle on the dishwasher is set to Energy Saver.
Set your thermostat to 78 degrees. Leave the fan on so that air circulates. Keep your curtains closed except for windows that are on the shaded side of the house (or apartment). Use a florescent lamp for extra light, and turn off when not in use. Do not use your oven during the day, but do try cooking several meals at a time so all you have to do is heat up in the microwave. Do your laundry at night when it is a bit cooler.
Close the blinds/drapes, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, use a programmable thermostat to reduce cooling when nobody is home, shut off unneeded appliances, and replace older appliances with newer high efficiency appliances.
Close your curtains as you are correct the sun is heating your house in the summer, open them in the winter when you want the heat. I would leave the curtains only cracked a bit if you want the light and want to reduce the heating effect.
Also replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent twist style bulbs. While these bulbs are more costly to purchase, they will pay for themselves and save you money over the life of the bulb. Most incandescent bulbs last for about 600 hours while florescent bulbs have a life of between 5000 and 8000 hours on average.
You will be surprised by how much you can save by raising the temp. on your A/C by just two degrees during the day time and then you can cool the house down by two degrees once the sun starts to set. It is much easier to cool at night than it is during the day.
Be sure you change your A/C filters every month, this will make your unit run more efficiently. Also the pleated filters do filter the air better, but the old style spider web type of filters allow for better air flow and improved air flow will improve the operation of your A/C.
For less than $20.00 you can but a insulated blanket for your hot water tank and this is typically the 2nd most hungry energy eater. Your house is typically 20 or so degrees cooler than your hot water supply. Also turning the temp down on the tank will save you money. Water does not have to be as hot as you think to santize dishes with todays dish soap.
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