Saving Money on Electricity

So many people are complaining about the cost of electricity when saving money on electricity is not hard. Now, are they just complaining for the sake of something to complain about? Yes, electricity is expensive, but how many times have you arrived home late at night or in the early morning hours and seen houses lit up like the carnival?

Let us take a closer look at the houses. It does seem, in certain neighborhoods, they are either having permanent celebrations or there is a competition going on for the brightest houses - similar to the people that play who-has-the-best-garden. There may be "security" lights on at the porch, by the front door, the back door, over the garage and on various other parts of the buildings and property. Are they trying to light the way for a thief? It sure seems like they are making it so he does not trip and giving him a great view of the layout of the property? Maybe someone in the family will patrol inside the house in shifts look at the lit areas. Possibly someone is after their valuable "weeds." Maybe they hate their neighbors and hope the light will keep them awake at night.

Whatever the reasons for this contradictory behavior, it would help everyone if the outdoor light shows were either reduced just plain do not use them! A logical alternative if you really believe you do need this type of security and/or convenience is to utilize motion detection illumination.

Going with that line of thought and away from friendly thieves and bad neighbors, there are many other easy ways go about saving money on electricity. Programmable thermostats can reduce the heating or cooling of a house when there is no one at home or during the night. According to various statistics, there are some of these thermostats that could save you in the region of 20% to 40%, of your heating and cooling costs. I would check out Amazon.com reviews of programmable thermostats for ideas on what model to get. I've linked to a search and filter for your convenience. Usually I read the reviews of the first handful of items and then select the cheapest one with good enough reviews.

The second largest energy user after the thermostat, are cooking, various appliances, and our old favorite, lighting. (Carnival house owners please note.) If the refrigerator is not taken into account, this usage can account for approximately 30% plus of your average utilities account. Looking at the offending appliances, the refrigerator is probably your greatest energy consumer, especially if it is an older model, possibly over 15 years of age. This can account for about 9% of your household energy costs. If it is old, you can look into buying a new one or, if that's too expensive, you can vacuum the dust from the tubes in the back to increase its energy efficiency.

Number three on the energy consuming hit parade, is water heating. This can be a 14% to 20% user of you total energy costs and, this is another easy way of saving money on electrity. A hot water jacket is an example of an item that is not expensive, but can significantly reduce your water heating costs. For those not with me on this one; no they are not something you put on in cold weather. I would probably look at Amazon or just go to my local hardware store and pick the one that looked the best. Here is one on Amazon that has good reviews. Staying with the water situation; low flow faucets and showerheads can be an effective means of controlling your hot water usage and help towards reducing the heating costs.

Here are a few other little tips that might help you in your saving money on electricity efforts. They may seem insignificant, but take them all together and the savings could be worthwhile. Match the pot size to the hot plate of your stove and use a microwave to cook or reheat small portions. Ceiling fans can help in hot weather and reduce costs of the air-conditioning, as can installing energy saving light bulbs.

Wash laundry in cold water wherever possible and check the house for gaps created by service pipes and wiring conduits into the house from outside. This is in conjunction with the roof and if you do not have insulation, then definitely get some.

There are still many saving money on electricity activities that you can do. It really is generally a matter of discipline and using a lot of common sense. many people spend several hundred dollars a month on our energy costs and, with just a few easy modifications, they could dramatically reduce their spending in this area. That's more money put into investing! Every bit counts.

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