How to Lower Electricity Costs
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How to Reduce Energy Costs
Summer is here! Warm weather, summer activities, family vacations ... there's nothing better. Of course, summer also brings with it heat and humidity, and all that heat probably means you'll be cranking up the old air conditioner just for a little relief. So what can you do to keep those high cooling bills down in the summer months? Does summer even have to mean high air conditioning bills? And what else can you do around your home to reduce summer electricity costs? Believe it or not, summer is a great time to take stock of your electricity costs in order to find ways to save money. Summer's longer days give you extra time to check over your home inside and out for electrical waste. And you'd be surprised at how your home is being unnecessarily drained of its precious electricity.
Here comes the sun
One of the simplest things you can do to save money on monthly electricity bills during summer is to close the curtains. Even if you're someone who loves to bring in as much sunlight as possible, there's no reason to heat your home with it during the daytime when you're at work. If you keep curtains and blinds drawn while you're out, your air conditioner will be happy that it doesn't have to work overtime to cool down a sweltering house. After all, your house doesn't want to get overheated in the summer any more than you do!
There goes the breeze
Unless you've already insulated your home thoroughly, chances are pretty good that your house is leaking air through open cracks and crevices. Hey, you don't need to be spending money to cool down the trees and birds outside your home. In order to keep the cool air inside your house during summer, head to a home improvement store for some cheap plastic film. Plastic film is a great insulator, even in summer, and it can be used to cover all those nooks and crannies that are allowing precious cool air to escape. Try some caulking or foam to seal up holes in attics, around windows, and around door frames. Because plastic filming is inexpensive and easy to use, it's a very cost effective way to help keep your home cool in summer.
Simple Ways to Reduce Energy Costs
energy Saving Light Bulbs
unplug
dark Curtains
Vampires vampires everywhere!
Is there anywhere you can go these days that you're not bombarded by vampires? Answer ... nope! Vampires are everywhere ... even inside your home. Look out behind you ... there's one now! It's called 'vampire power,' and it's almost as scary as Dracula himself, especially if you're trying to save money on your electricity costs. Vampire power is that power drain that happens when electrical devices are in hibernation mode, meaning they're plugged in but not being used. These electrical gadgets are just sitting there, waiting until the next time you need to use them. The problem with that is, they're still using electricity because they're plugged in. If you've got electrical appliances such as hair dryers, hot rollers, curling irons, toasters, and microwaves plugged in at all times even when you're not using them, you're wasting money on electrical bills. Unplug them, and stop letting vampires suck the energy out of your home!
Cruel summer
If you've got one of those old energy-draining air conditioners, your summer cooling bills are going to be painful. Sure, purchasing a new air conditioning unit can be costly, but if your system's old, you're wasting money and you didn't even know it. Older air conditioners, especially central air units, can overburden your electrical system and waste precious electricity, and that always means higher electricity costs. Additionally, units that are too big for the area you're cooling are also a drain because they're 'conditioning' air that isn't there! Try switching out an older air conditioning unit that gobbles up energy for one of the more efficient models. Look for labels that contain the 'ENERGY STAR' label. This standard, now used internationally, was started by the Environmental Protection Agency in order to test energy efficient consumer products for their ability to conserve energy and save consumers money. It may even make sense to consult an electrician in Omaha and have them take a look at your AC and other appliances to see where else money can be saved.
Predictions are that this summer will probably be a scorcher. There's no need to trade off between squandering money and sweating all summer. Apply a few of these simple tips to your summer electrical usage, and sit back, relax, and watch the savings heat up!