Today is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day and with the year just starting, now is a great time to get in the habit of making better decisions to help you save money on your utility bill each month. Here are a few simple ways you can save on energy costs:
Avoid Phantom Loads:
You may not realize this, but a good amount of energy is used even when your appliances are turned off. These are called Phantom Loads and it is the energy that is used to maintain the settings for electronic devices such as TVs, computers, and clocks. To avoid these costs, turn your items on sleep mode when they are not being used. Another smart way to avoid them is to plug in your electronics into power strips, and then turn off the strip’s switch when you aren’t using them.
LED Lights:
Regular incandescent lights use a ton of energy. You can save on your monthly utility bill by simply switching out your old bulbs for new LED ones. While LED lights are generally more expensive than incandescent lights, they use around 90% less energy, decreasing your electricity bill significantly.
Laundry
A good way to save on energy costs is to be more mindful of how you do your laundry. You can start by only washing full loads. When you do this, you are lowering the number of times you use your washer and dryer a month. You can also use cold water while washing your clothes. Most of the energy that is used in a washing machine is being used to heat the water. With cold water, you will be using about half the amount of energy than you would with hot water.
Buy a Programmable Thermostat
Programmable thermostats are easy to use and can be purchased at low prices. With these thermostats, you can choose from customizable settings to ensure that you are not using more energy than you have to. You can even preset the settings for periods of time for when you won’t be home, cutting down on expenses while you’re away.
Energy Star Appliances
Swap out your old appliances for Energy Star appliances. These products are designed to last longer than regular appliances and are more efficient with the amount of energy they use. On average, Energy Star appliances use 15-30% less energy and come in a variety of products such as purifiers, washers, dryers, refrigerators, and more. These appliances can be found at places like Sears, Home Depot, and Walmart.
Take a look at these deals below to help you get started:
- Lowe's- free shipping on orders of $49+, plus 1% cash back
- Appliance Parts Pros- $8.95 flat rate shipping, plus 7% cash back
- GE Appliances Warehouse- 4% cash back
- Home Depot- up to 50% off daily deals, up to $500 in Instant Savings on appliances
- JCPenney- 15% off site wide and free shipping on $99+ with coupon code, 50-8-% off clearance, plus 3% cash back
- Sears- $35 off $300+ with coupon code, plus 3% cash back
- Target- up to 60% off Target clearance sales, plus 2.2% cash back
- Walmart- up to 80% off clearance electronics, free shipping on orders $50+, plus 4% cash back