Save Money on Your Utility Bills

I am fortunate enough to have the heat and gas bill included in my rent.  But now as summer approaches I have to worry about a skyrocketing electric bill from my air conditioner.  I have been toying with the idea of cancelling my internet or cable, but I would be so sad and bored without The Real Housewives and this blog.  So I looked into other ways to save money on my utilities.


ELECTRIC BILL:
1. Have your fan spinning in the right direction.  I always forget which direction the fan is supposed to go in the summer and which way it goes in the winter.  Therefore, I looked it up again.  In summer, the fan should be rotating counter-clockwise, helping to get a bit of a breeze and therefore making it feel cooler.  In the winter, the fan should rotate clockwise, to help circulate warm air.  Remembering to do this with the change of season can ease up on your air conditioner or heat use.  However, I found that you should not leave the fan going while you are gone because it does not actually heat or cool the room.  

(Photo: acservicerepairmiami.com)

2. Properly use the air conditioner:  Turn your air conditioner OFF when you leave or at least turn the temp up.  I was surprised to find this out.  This is because air conditioners work best and most efficiently when at full pace.  Therefore, if it has to turn on and work a full speed when you come back home, it is working most efficiently.  The air conditioner will most likely last longer than if you were to leave it at the same temperature all the time.  Also, note that you save 3-5% for every degree warmer you have your air conditioner set at.  


3. When to turn the lights off.  Incandescent lights should always be turned off when you're not using them.  The general rule for fluorescent lights is to turn them off whenever you will be gone for more than 15 minutes.  Fluorescent lights are more expensive and the less you turn them on and off, the longer they last.  

4. Turn everything off when not in use.  There is no reason to have your microwave or coffee machine plugged in all day and night, unless your cat likes to have a latte and t.v. dinner while you're at work.  So save yourself some dough and unplug them when you're not using them.  Be careful with televisions though, because some of them work harder and use more energy to turn on.  So turning then on and off in a short period of time may be more costly.  




 GAS and WATER BILLS:



(Photo: http://www.norcalblogs.com/)



1. Turn down the hot water heater.  If you live in a house or an apartment with the hot water heater in unit, you can turn down the temperature of the water.  This will lower the temperature that the water is kept at, in turn using less gas.  This is a good idea during the summer as you probably do not have the hot water turned up all the way when showering and therefore don't need to have the heater set as high.  Then when winter returns, you can turn it up if needed.

2. Use your dishwasher.  Generally, dishwashers are more efficient than hand washing.  It uses less soap and water, which means you're using less gas and saving money on soap.  How much you'll save depends on how energy efficient your dishwasher is.

3. Other ways to use less water.  As we learned in grade school, remember to turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth.  It's good for the environment and your wallet!  Taking shorter showers and not having your shower water warm up for longer than necessary helps too.


References:  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/built-in-dishwasher-vs-hand-washing-which-greener.php, http://housewares.about.com/od/coolingheating/f/ceilfanrotation.htm, http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=12280, http://www.rodale.com/efficient-air-conditioner-use?page=0%2C1.