As a fellow Southwest Florida homeowner, I know how important it is, especially during the summer, to find those little ways to keep the electric bill down. And while our energy costs aren’t through the roof here in SWFL, I’m sure you can agree that every little bit of savings helps. Well, now that it’s the middle of the summer, I know some of you are probably wondering how you can shave some money off that power bill. Every one of these tips are simple, easy to do, and are guaranteed to help.
Wash Your Clothing in Cold Temperatures
Imagine how much electricity you use heating up all the water your washing machine needs. But in reality, if your clothing isn’t super dirty, cold water will do just fine. You may even have noticed that many detergents have introduced cold water versions in the past few years. By making this small change, you’re likely to save about $.50 for every load of laundry you do.
Air Drying Your Laundry
Speaking of laundry… I know a couple that almost 100% air dries all their clothing. Can you believe that! Now, you might be thinking about how that harsh Florida sun might bleach out all the colors in your clothing, but this couple got creative. By creating a small space in the wash area of their Southwest Florida home, they’re able to hang their clothing out of sight, but indoors. Their AC does most of the work, and their clothing actually lasts longer as it’s not being thrown about by the dryer. Their savings are also about $.50 for every load of laundry.
Fill Your Freezer for the Summer
It might seem a little counterintuitive, but when you fill your freezer up, you’re actually giving it a chance to run more efficiently. This means that it takes less power to keep those items frozen. If you’re like me and you love fresh, you can also use a couple of plastic water bottles to fill the empty space. It’s as easy as that!
Perform an Energy Audit of your Southwest Florida Home
When you’ve been at Home Depot or Lowe’s, you may have noticed that there are a lot of fancy, but affordable tools for checking your home’s energy situation. For example, thermal leak detectors are really good at finding those areas of your home that may be leaking out AC, costing you plenty. The best part about this one is that often it’s as simple as installing some new weather stripping or other items to close off the leak. With the amount we use the AC during the summer here in Southwest Florida; you can probably imagine how fast this one really adds up and saves you on your bill.
As a Realtor in Southwest Florida, I know all about those little ideas to save on your electric bill. Shoot me an email, and I’ll send some more!
Terry Records
Records Results Real Estate, Broker / Owner
Residential Sales and Property Managements Service
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