4 Tips To Help Lower Your Energy Bill

It is estimated 13 percent of residential energy consumption in 2014 came from home space cooling. Because you spend so much money on paying for energy use to heat and cool your home, you should do all you can to save money by reducing your home's consumption during the summer and winter. Here are three ways you can save money on your energy bill.

Make Small Adjustments to Your Thermostat

If you live in an area with a hot summer climate, you probably keep your house temperature around 70 degrees F. Keeping your home's temperature this low will cost you a great deal in extra energy costs when you can still be comfortable in a warmer environment. 

Try adjusting your home's thermostat three to five degrees F warmer than you are accustomed to. You can even make the change slowly over a few days so your body can adjust to it better. One family found they saved $30 per month during June, July, and August when they adjusted their home's temperature from 71 to 76 degrees F day and night, and they were still comfortable. 

Having a programmable thermostat can help you save on energy costs during winter or summer. Program your thermostat to lower your heating temperature down and raise the cooling temperature up while you are at work and during the night. During the winter, you can save 5% to 15% a year on your heating bill when your thermostat lowers the temperature 10 to 15 degrees while you are at work. This can save you as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. 

Making smaller more permanent adjustments can help as well. If you normally set your furnace thermostat temperature to 72 degrees F, slowly lower it down to 68 degrees F over one week. If you are home during the day, you may not notice the change in temperature while you are active and moving during the day. Then, if you get cold while reading or watching television, keep some blankets on your couch to snuggle under when you get cold.

Turn Your AC on Later in the Summer

Because your air conditioner can use a lot of energy, there are several things you can do to keep your home cool in early summer without it. Especially if you live in a dry climate that has lower temperature during the night, you can get away with delaying using your air conditioner for several weeks after summer begins. 

Keep your windows open at night and set box fans in several of your windows to pull the cool night air into your home. Then in the morning, shut your windows as soon as the temperature outside warms up and keep the heat outside. Then, close blinds or curtains on windows that get direct sunlight to keep out the heat created from the sunlight. Even if your home warms up to 80 degrees F during the day, you can open windows and turn on your fans to cool it back down during the night while you sleep and not have to use your air conditioner. 

Dry Clothing Outside During Summer

By not using your clothes dryer, an average household doing seven and a half loads of laundry per week can save $196 per year. Instead, hang your clothes outside to dry. If it is nice weather, you can hang them in your backyard or on your balcony on a clothesline. If it is rainy or bad weather, hang them inside on a laundry room clothesline. 

If you don't have space to dedicate permanently to an indoor clothesline, hang one you can take down when you are not using it. Or you can get a fold-up or hanging drying rack to use in a small space. Then, you can use almost any room in your home to dry clothes.

Drying clothes outside in summer heat can dry clothes much quicker than in a dryer. And, the sun has a sanitizing effect on your clothes and can bleach your whites clean.

Use these three tips to help you save money on your energy bill. For more ideas, contact a local energy services company like Energy Service For Less.