How to Slash Your Electric Bill

Growing monthly expenses is a huge problem with most families and can leave you feeling tight and financially upset. It just doesn’t make sense to spend hundreds of dollars a month on electricity costs that can be avoided if simple precautions are taken. Here are some low cost examples of how living frugally can be rewarding, in more than one way. With these tips, you can help save the environment as well as keeping your hard earned money in your pocket.

1. Invest in a quality, programmable thermostat. Most families are not home throughout the day so using a programmable thermostat to cut back on heating or air conditioning during the “work” period can help cut bills by nearly a third. You can potentially save anywhere from 6 – 8 hours of energy by utilizing a thermostat that you can pickup at any hardware store for under $100. You could save that money in a 4 – 6 month period, easily.
2. If there are rooms in your home that you don’t frequent regularly, consider closing the heating or air conditioning vents to those particular rooms to basically downsize the square footage on your house. Not having to heat additional hundreds of square footage can amount of hundreds of dollars in a year’s span.
3. Invest in a power bar for your major devices. A power bar is an extension of an electrical outlet that has a power button on it. When appliances are plugged into it, it can control what is referred to as “phantom power”. Bigger electronic devices such as televisions, computer, and stereo systems drain energy even when powered off when they are still plugged into the electrical sockets.
4. Always turn off the light when you leave a room. It wastes far more electricity to leave a light on than it does to turn it on and off. The old myth about it wasting energy is just that, a myth and completely untrue at that! Another way to use less energy is to invest in energy saving light bulbs. They last a long time and will help keep costs down.
5. Heating and maintain heated water is another significant factor in your monthly electricity bill. Slash the monthly cost by investing in a hot water jacket, insulation for your water heater. It helps keep warmth in without having to electrically warm it and is very easy to install.  
6. Maintain your refrigerator. Since it is the largest appliance that is constantly being used, make sure to upkeep it with annual checks. Make sure there that the settings are appropriate and there is no debris caught anywhere.