Tips to keep your Electric bill down during the summer months

Tips to keep your Electric bill down during the summer months

I have done a lot of research on what helps a household keep their electric bill down during the summer months. I live in Phoenix and know the meaning of hot summers and high electric bills. Below, I have organized the tips based on no or low cost items versus investment based activities. I tried to list All the practical ideas I have come across in reducing electricity useage. So the list is a little long.

Low or No Cost Options to reduce your Electric expenses: 

-Turn your Thermostat up; I have read that if you run your home at 78 degrees vs 70 degrees, you cut your A/C cost in half.

-Routine maintenance on Air Filters; Replacing or cleaning your air filters monthly can save you as much as 10% on your electric bill by not restricting air flow allowing you air unit to not have to work as hard.

-Use of Ceiling Fans; As with the wind chill factor, you can keep you house temp 3 to 5 degress higher by using your fans and not notice the difference.

-Turn off lights when not in Use; As my mother said, turns off the lights when not in a room. As we all know, lights give off heat as well as use electricity.

-Use your Oven Less in the Summer; Summer is the time to barbecue. The less heat in the kitchen the less A/C needed to cool the room.

-Keep Windows and Drapes closed; Windows account for about 50% of the heat that enters the house. Obviously, the less heat...the less need for your A/C to run.

-Wash Clothes and Dishes at Night; Using these appliances at night can help you conserve energy because these appliances are not competing with the A/C as much during these hours.

-Unplug Small appliances and Video systems; Many appliances draw power even when not in use. I also read that your childs video sytem is not designed to save power when just plugged in.

-Investigate your Utilities "Time of Use Plans"; Most folks can save significantly by moving most of their energy use to Off peak hours usually at night and weekends. By understanding what plans your Utility provides can allow you to schedule high energy activities to these off peak hours. Also, you can sign up for budget billing that spreads your payments more evenly over the year.

-Set Thermostat Higher if going to be gone; Setting your thermostat a few degrees higher when you expect to be gone for a extended period will save you money.

-Make sure your dryer is vented; This seems obvious, but make sure you dryer is vented outside.

-Defrost foods in the Frig; Utilizing you refrigerator versus your microwave to defost food will save you $$ as well.

Investment options to reduce Electric expenses; These suggestions do have a cost, however,  have a relatively short payback before you start seeing the Electic savings minus the initial investment.

-Buy a Programable Thermostat; Even for an investment of a couple of hundred dollars, a thermostat that changes setting as the day goes along based on your personal habits /schedule, and your time of use plan can save you up to 20% on electric useage.

-Invest in Shade Screens; Now here is an investment. You can spend easily $300-$400 per window. But remember, 50% of the heat that enters your homes comes in through your windows. By placing these screens on the south side of the home and those that are not sheltered, will repay your investment before you know it.

-Plant Shade Trees; Some things people don't think about...Although you won't save any money until fully grown. You can save up to $50 a year when the tree has reached maturity. Also many utilities have programs to support the planting of trees at no or low cost to the consumer.

-Recycle that old Refrigerator or Freezer; I found this out myself. I replaced my old freezer with a new one and dropped my electic bill by $40 a month. What is nice, is that these appliances show energy useage on the label and you can calculate you savings and thus payback period before you buy.

-Invest in a variable speed pool pump; This is the same concept as the item above. These new pumps are so much more effecient. So you may want to investigate your payback period based on your pool and the pump you currently have to calculate your savings.

-Install weather stripping; Especially where I live in the phoenix area, houses are well constructed, but over time with the cold and heat expansion / contraction, your house starts creating small gaps on windows and doors where heat can enter.  Based on the problem, either weather stripping or caulking will solve the problem.

-Give your Home a Energy check up; Almost all the Utilities will offer you a home energy audit for a nominal charge ($100 in my area). They will go through your house with an expert who will detail where you issues and savings with repairs might be.

-Change to Florescant light bulbs; Last but not least, when a bulb burns out investigate these new technology bulbs which have a higher cost but burn cooler and have a longer useful life.

Here is the Bottom Line.

If you just tried a couple of these ideas and dropped your bill by only $1 per day, I sure you could find a good use from the $365 you just saved. I have personally used a fair number of these myself and was able to drop my bill from an average of $400 a month down to $185 over a twelve month period (3200 sq foot home). A 54% savings ........ Take that to the bank.

Shirley Coomer

Keller Williams Realty

602.770.0643

If you are looking for a home in the Phoenix area, click on the link to Locating a Home for Sale in Phoenix and come over to my website and check it out.