You Have the Power To Keep Costs Down
Summer brings the heat, but that doesn’t have to mean getting burned by high electric bills. There are some pretty chill ways to keep costs down as the temperature rises.
Perhaps the most obvious hot-weather power hog is the air conditioning system. It has to work overtime if the thermostat is set too far below the outdoor temperature. The Department of Energy recommends setting the thermostat at 78 degrees, 80 degrees, or higher when no one is home and around 72 degrees overnight.
Programmable and smart thermostats allow users to set the temperature to match the needs and schedules of the household. These devices — also available for window units — can quickly pay for themselves in savings.
Air conditioners will get a boost if the house is prepared to block out the heat.
Curtains and blinds aren’t just for privacy; they’re great insulators and should be closed on hot days, especially on the sunny side of the house. Also, properly insulating gaps around windows and doors and making sure central-air vents and returns are unobstructed will help the cooling system do its job. Ceiling fans do a great job helping circulate that cooled air, but they should be used only when someone is in the room.
Sometimes saving energy is as simple as changing a light bulb. Energy Star reports that replacing a home’s 5 most-used light fixtures or bulbs with its certified products can cut about $40 a year.
Slight changes in daily routines can also help. Try cooking outside on a grill and avoid using dryers and dishwashers during the heat of the day. Lower the water heater thermostat to 120 degrees and plug equipment like computers and televisions into power strips to be switched off when the devices aren’t in use. Otherwise, electronics that are turned off still use a small amount of energy by simply being plugged in.
Don’t Forget About the Dryer
1 fresh approach to cutting energy costs is actually a blast from the past — using an outdoor clothesline or indoor drying rack instead of the dryer whenever possible.
If outdoor space is available, installing a clothesline saves on dryer-related costs and eliminates adding unwanted heat from the clothes dryer to the home. Another plus is that air drying is better for fabrics and keeps clothes and linens looking fresh longer.
When determining the best location for a clothesline, keep in mind that a typical load of laundry requires about 35 feet of line. This could be a permanent installation using posts set in the ground, or it can be as simple as hanging the line between 2 trees or other sturdy features.
For those who don’t have the time, patience, or space to let clothes air dry, there are easy ways to make the dryer work more efficiently. The key is to avoid overdrying clothes. If the dryer has a moisture sensor, selecting this feature will automatically turn the machine off when clothes are done. Otherwise, try to match the cycle length to the size and weight of the load. Also, it’s more efficient to dry full loads or reduce drying time for partial loads and to group similar fabrics together so the entire load will dry at the same time. A dryer operating an extra 15 minutes per load can cost you up to $34 every year, according to Energy Star.
A clean lint trap boosts dryer efficiency. Lint buildup means clothes will take longer to dry or may not dry at all. Cleaning the trap before each load is a step that can also save up to $34 yearly.