If you are someone who always pays up their auto insurance, makes sure to check the lock twice before you go to bed, and always gets the most comprehensive car insurance that you can get, its time to start looking at other ways to protect yourself. Your utilities bills show up every month, so take a moment to consider how you can make sure that these bills start going down, especially during the hard winter months.
10 Tips to Help You Cut Down on Your Utilities
1. Turn it off.
When in doubt, just turn off whatever device you are using. Whether it is the light, the computer, the garbage disposal or the washer and dryer, just turn it off. A surprising amount of cost in terms of home utilities come from things that are just left on as a matter of course.
Make it a point to turn things off no matter where you are going or how long you will be gone. Encourage the people in your household to do the same. It can even be a game for young children to see how conservative they can be with the lights.
2. Install low-flow shower heads.
Plenty of people think that they can save water by taking a shower instead of a bath, when the truth of the matter is that they are saving very little water, if you are saving any at all. A low-flow shower head allows you to take a shower using less water and produces a significantly lower water bill.
The purchase of a low-flow shower head can prevent water loss, and though it seems an expensive prospect at first, it will pay for itself within a month or less.
3. Insulate your doors.
Cold drafts come into your home around your doors and heat leaves the home the same way. Fill up a few neckties with rice or sand and lay them across the doorways for a whimsical way to keep things warm. You can also leave lay some weather stripping around the door to keep things toasty.
Remember that the attic door is one place where heat is lost. Insulate it with weather stripping or simply glue a sheet of insulation to the back of the door, where no one will see it.
4. Invest in an energy efficient washer and dryer.
Older washer and dryers use a great deal of water and power to heat the water. Over time, this creates a perceptible drain on your resources. Instead, research which models have received a good Energy Star rating and which are doing well in terms of keeping costs low.
While this seems like an extravagance, a good washer and dryer, like a low-flow showerhead, will pay for themselves in relatively short order, while also keeping your clothes significantly cleaner.
5. Install a programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat allows you to control how warm your house is and when. For example, when you know you are going to be out of the house for most of the day, set the thermostat to keep the temperature low. Then it can bring the temperature up slowly when you get home.
You can also tell the thermostat to drop at night, when you are going to be sleeping and less invested in keeping the entire home warm. This is a great way to drop the utility bills when the cold rolls in.
6. Put out some rain buckets.
If you have a garden, you can save some real cash on your water bills in the summer by putting rain buckets under your gutters. Catch the water as it funnels off of the roof and then use it to keep your garden in good shape. This is a perfect way to teach
your children about making use of natural resources.
Do cover up the water, however, as this can lead to mosquitoes. You may choose to store the water in garbage cans with lids or you may simply use the water very quickly.
7. Wear a sweater.
During the winter, heating costs go way up. People are not only more likely to take warm showers over cold showers in the winter, simply sitting around the house is more comfortable if you are warm. Instead of raising the thermostat, put on long underwear and a sweater, and keep the home relatively cool.
This is a simple, but extremely effective way to make sure that the utility bills stay low when they are usually the highest. Use fingerless gloves to keep up your dexterity. Even a small thing like this can save you on your heating bills in the winter; remember that every little bit helps!
8. Unplug the things that are charging.
Many people are guilty of leaving the things that they are charging plugged in even after they are fully charged. This leads to both more wear on the item and more power being drawn from the home supply.
Keep an eye on how your charging items are doing and then remove them as soon as they are done. This will also help you keep your home organized.
9. Use energy-saving modes.
If your electronics have energy-saving modes, use them. Many people leave their computers on all the time, simply because they return to them so often. The truth of the matter is that leaving these items on all the time can drain your home significantly.
If you don’t want to turn these items off all the time, use an energy-saving mode. This is typically available in the power settings area.
10. Dry your clothes outdoors.
When the weather permits, take your clothes outside and dry them on a line strung between two trees or your home and a tree. Not only is this eco-friendly and a fun vintage way to dry your clothes, it also gives your clothes a wonderfully fresh, friendly smell.
Take a moment to consider how you can reduce your utility bills throughout the year. Through a series of small and simple tasks, you can take control of how much energy your home uses. Be mindful of this process by putting to use these 10 tips to help you cut down on your utilities and you’ll see that there’s plenty of cash left in your wallet at the end of the month!
