Top 10 Ways to Save Money on Gas & Utility Bills

Monthly Utility Expenses Let’s face it, most all of us have become spoiled with the many advances made in technology over the last few decades. Plasma TVs, video games and our smartphones have long since taken over our lives. Where once we might have had one TV in the living room for the entire family to enjoy – fight over. Now we have one in almost every room and either a cable/satellite system, high-tech video game consoleor bothconnected to them all. Homes are much larger to accommodate the larger number of family members this era is now seeing. All of this puts more strain on our pockets if we are to continue the supply of electricity, heating/cooling and water. Besides our monthly rent/mortgage and auto expenses (payments/lease/insurance/upkeep), our utility costs can account for much of the burning pile on money on our lawns every month. If we are to save money on our utilities however, the entire household needs involved and each member has to do their part to conserve. This doesn’t mean we have to post a guard over every room’s light switch or have a conniption over the length of time the door on the fridge is open. It simply means being a little more budget savvy by paying for only the electricity, heat/cool and water we actually need, rather than being forced to pay for those we don’t. Pay only for power/water you Actually Use! 1.The TVs, computers and similar devices we have are equipped with a“sleep mode.”This means even when we are not using them and their screens are blank, it is extremely likely there is an indicator light on somewhere within the device. No, the light itself isn’t the culprit of your family’s financial crisis, but it does “indicate” the device is still in operation and only in “hibernation.” Set these devices to “turn off” or “power down” after a couple minutes of inactivity. While this might not allow a trip to Maui, it will add up to several dollars each month. 2.Save money byunplugging devicesyou are not currently using. While not all devices “hibernate,” some do use small amounts of electricity even when unused. Cell phone chargers are a prime example. Even when there isn’t a cell phone or mobile device attached to them, most drain energy regardless. Chargers for these “smart” devices typically “pulse” electricity through them almost like our heart pulses blood through our body. So when not being used – unplug the darn things! 3.Turn down water temperature on hot water heater just a few degrees to avoid it continuously running at maximum energy consumption. No, you don’t have to freeze the family with ice water showers! But a few degrees here or there makes little difference in water temp and a lot of difference in energy use. 4.Install low-flow shower heads to decrease water consumption. If your water bill is connected with garbage and sewage, you might also consider having a separate outdoor meter installed. See, most cities bill you on the amount of water going down the drain and into the city’s sewage. Makes littlecentsto pay this added expense for water used to wash cars, water lawns or gardens which is being absorbed into the ground. Having an extra water meter calculating only water used outside greatly impacts the added sewage fee. Reduce your Heating/Cooling bills: Quite a few of us adults grew up believing that the only way to conserve electricity when cooling the home was to wait until it became so excruciatingly hot in the living room your grandmother could bake biscuits on the coffee table. While this might seem logical for the small homes many of us sweated in while young, the larger homes of today require a different approach. 5. One of the best way to save money on utility bills is keeping thethermostatset at a comfortable 72 degrees (cooler/warmer as is comfortable to you), or turning on the window ACs much earlier in the day means it will take less energy to cool the home over the long run. ACs drain a considerable amount more energy while their cooling condenser/pump is operating than they do when only the fan is operating to maintain the temperature. Waiting till it has already begun to get uncomfortable means the AC will be forced to run at full capacity much longer to reach and maintain a comfortable climate. To increase operational value of your cooling unit, while decreasing the amount of costs required to operate it, allow it to begin reaching comfortable temps much earlier. We need look no further than our kitchen’s refrigerator to see the concept at its finest. This works the same way for heating throughout the winter months. Allow the heating units to begin their warming affects earlier rather than waiting till the family is all huddled together beneath blankets in front of the TV, and even the actors of your favorite sitcom have begun to shiver through the television before allowing the heat to kick on.