5 Ways to Reduce Your Electric Bill
Electricity is a necessity – but overuse and high utility bills don’t have to be.  Here are five simple ways to reduce your energy usage and lower your electric bill all year round:
1. An energy audit from your local utility company
Take advantage of professional insight. Call your utility company - you’ll find they may offer a free energy audit program. Energy audits can show where energy losses and deficiencies may be present within your home and what type of measures can be taken to best keep your systems operating efficiently and cost effectively.
2. Give your A/C a break and increase the airflow
Cut back on A/C use whenever possible and instead opt for ceiling fans. Adjust the direction of the blades to have them spinning forward (the counter-clockwise direction) in the warmer months and reverse (the clockwise direction) during the cooler ones to ensure temperature optimization. Keep in mind that fans are meant for direct comfort and not constant air circulation and therefore should be turned off whenever not in use as to not waste energy.
3. Unplug your stuff
According to The Balance, seventy-five percent of electronic energy use happens when the devices are turned off! Get into the habit of unplugging items like TVs, microwaves, lamps and other appliances when not in use, or simply connect items that don’t need to be constantly hooked into an outlet to power strips and then you only have to unplug the strip.
4. Get more done at once
Only do laundry when you have enough for full-sized loads, wash in cold water, and be sure to clean your lint trap after every use of the dryer. Or for an even more energy-efficient and inexpensive way of finishing up laundry, consider installing an outdoor clothesline (check the forecast beforehand)!
5. Routine maintenance goes a long way
Change your A/C filters regularly, replace traditional incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), have your HVAC system inspected annually, and stay on top of all other home maintenance! The best and easiest way to stop energy deficiencies is by preventing them from happening in the first place!
Other Resources
Saving energy not only helps stabilize your electricity bill, but the environment as well. Keep your wallet and the world happy by practicing green energy efforts whenever possible! For more tips on energy conservation, visit https://www.gru.com/MyHome/Content/EnergySavingTips.aspx or www.energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-efficiency.
By CAMPUS USA at 11 Oct 2017, 16:10 PM