You may not be able to control the cost of some of your monthly expenses, but you CAN control how much you spend on your energy bill. Try these 5 tips to help you save money this spring:
1. Soften those rays
Closing the curtains and lowering the blinds on the sunny side of your house will help keep you cooler on hot days. If you don’t want to obstruct the view, consider applying window film to the glass. Both the do-it-yourself cut-and-stick type and the professionally applied films will reduce radiant heat while allowing you to see through them. Similarly, the Rocky Mountain Institute suggests using outdoor awnings and, if you live in an area that is warm all year round, even painting your house a light color to reflect heat away.
2. Get your annual checkup
Your house’s biggest electricity guzzler is the air conditioner (and heating in the winter), accounting for as much as half of your energy bill. Make sure your systems are running at their highest efficiency by having annual professional cleanings and checkups. To help you remember, schedule a service call either when you set your clocks forward in the spring or back in the fall.
3. Landscape for a cooler home
Keep the greenery trimmed around your air conditioners for more efficient air flow. Similarly, if you have a central air conditioner, sweep away any leaves or other debris that accumulated near it over the winter.
4. Touch that dial
Don’t keep your thermostat at a steady temperature. When you’re away at work or asleep, turn it up so your air conditioner doesn’t click on as often. Better yet, get a programmable house thermostat or a timer on your window units. That way you can come home to a cool house without running your air conditioner all day. Do the same in winter with your heat. Raising or lowering the temperature can save as much as $100 a year. Heat pumps are one exception to this rule. “A heat pump is more electrically efficient if it is kept at a constant setting,” according to George Lewis of the energy company PPL Corporation.
5. Replace your light bulbs
Fluorescent bulbs may be more expensive initially, but they are definitely worth the investment. A single standard incandescent light bulb can cost the same to operate as six to 10 fluorescent bulbs—and the fluorescents last about 10 times longer. There are lots of new shapes and types, including attractive compact units that give off a pleasing, soft illumination like traditional bulbs. But “be sure your electric eyes and timers are rated for fluorescent,” says Alan Muenzel, owner of DAM Home Inspections, Salt Lake City.
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