How to lower your utility bills

Utilities are expensive and the cost for electricity just keeps increasing. A normal family can spend well over $1500 per year for utilities. The cost of utilities has doubled in the last few years. Utility bills will only get higher if no measures are taken to reduce consumption of utilities. However, there are some great ideas and simple things that can be implemented to reduce energy consumption and in return, lower utility bills. Many of these things are inexpensive to do. If it saves money on utilities it is worth it.

Economical Ways to Lower Utility Bills

Replacing standard light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs will not only last longer, but they use far less energy, reducing the cost for electricity. Matter of fact fluorescent bulbs should last as much as 10 times longer than standard light bulbs and only use just one quarter of the energy. Besides fluorescent lighting casts a warm glow and creates more light. Even though fluorescent bulbs cost considerably more they are still a good long term investment.

When appliances are plugged in even if they are not on they are still using energy. Turning off equipment and appliances when they are not in use and unplugging them from the electrical outlet can reflect a small decrease in utility bills. While it is a minor amount, overtime the savings could be significant.

Learn to shower efficiently. An easy way to lower utility bills is to take shorter showers. Not only will reducing the duration of a shower reduce the electric bill, but it saves money on the water bill and water heater, as well. See a drop in electric bills just by lowering the water heater temperature. Just by lowering the temperature to approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit can save energy. Additionally, it is possible to reduce water consumption by 60 percent by installing a low flow shower head.

Readjusting the thermostat setting can reflect significant savings in utility bills. To lower utility bills set the thermostat a few degrees lower when no one is at home and a few degrees lower at night when everyone is in bed. The majority of individual who do this notice no change in their comfort level, but it will lower your utility bill. A programmable thermostat makes this simple to do. Although they can be expensive they offer significant savings.

Make repairs on all faucets that leak. A small leak may not seem like a big deal, but it can waste a considerable amount of water, driving utility bills higher. Repairing leaky faucet can save a lot of money over the long run and therefore lower the utility bill.

Small loads of laundry definitely waste both energy and water. Maximize the cost of doing laundry and lower utility bills, by only doing laundry when there is a full load of laundry to wash. Only use hot water to wash if needed since cold water will get most clothes just as clean. In addition, hanging clothes outside on a clothesline to dry or air drying indoors is more cost efficient than using an electric or gas dryer, which will save money and lower the electric bill. For efficient drying when using an electric dryer empty the lint filter after each load.

Great Resources for Lowering Utility Bills

Slash electric bills by getting an energy audit consultation. Home energy consultations are generally offered for free by local utility companies. They can provide ideas and offer suggestions on where improvements can be made in the home to lower the cost of utilities.

The Energy Savers Guide is a wonderful resource that provides the latest information on energy savings and numerous tips on saving money. This wealth of energy saving information can be found at http://www.energysavers.gov/tips.

This website has a variety of inexpensive ways to save money on utility bills. See all the various ways to lower utility bills at http://www.doughroller.net/smart-spending/20-inexpensive-ways-to-lower-your-utility-bills.

Using natural light is a fantastic way to help lower utility bills. The trick is to use natural light in without heat gain in the summer or heat loss in the winter. For more on using natural light to help lower utility bills, see http://www.hometips.com/buying-guides/daylighting-techniques.html.

Bio: Tom writes for HeatingOilShopper.com, a leading source of information on a range of topics related to heating oil and home heating options, enabling consumers to find the best Worcester heating oil prices in MA.

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