Ways To Lower Your Electric Bill Today Part One
Working from home should be comfortable, but we all know having more people home than usual during the week can wreak havoc on the electric bill. With our customers and Redondo Beach residents in mind, we’ve compiled a two-part list of simple ways to reduce your energy or electric bills in the upcoming months.
Make your thermostat work for you
Often as the most significant at-home expense, heating and cooling your home shouldn’t be a chore. If you can invest in a programmable thermostat to make life easier, great! Having the thermostat pre-programmed helps with energy efficiency at home during the hours when you’re home or away.
If you cannot invest in a new programmable thermostat right now, an age-old trick is adjusting your thermostat to 80 degrees in the summer and 62 degrees during the winter when no one is home. If your family is home more often than not, we suggest looking into a programmable thermostat like the Google Nest Thermostat for $149.99.
Add more insulation and air circulation
Insulation throughout a home helps maintain heat during the winter and cools during the warmer months. Poor insulation can be the cause of high electric bills and is a simple fix when detected early. Insulation areas of the home include the walls to the pipes and plumbing of your home. Wrapping extra insulation around pipes makes the water heater have to work less and also prevents pipes from freezing.
During hotter or humid days, insulating specific areas of the home helps create a barrier to prevent heat from entering and cold air from escaping. Most people don’t realize how much air we lose from our homes during warmer months, and air circulation is super essential to keeping the house cool.
Some useful tips include:
opening windows at night for cool weather to enter without taxing the air conditioning
circulating air with fans when in the room
turning all non-essential appliances off when not in use
putting water or ice under a fan to allow more cool air to circulate
Replace air filters
Air filters are often overlooked as a means of saving on energy and electricity, but by changing them regularly, you’re helping the clean air better circulate throughout the home. The whole purpose of an air filter is catching debris, lint, pollen, and dust particles. Without regular replacement, not only is your system circulating dirty air, but it’s also trying hard to circulate that air.
Here’s a quick guide to air filter replacement:
A single occupant or vacation home, no pets or allergies: every six to 12 months
The average suburban home, no pets: every three months
House with one dog or cat: every two months
House with more than one pet or someone with allergies: every three to six weeks
If you’re ever left wondering if your insulation or energy savings are efficient in your home, contacting a local electrical contractor can help ease your mind and save money on your electricity bill sooner than later. Look for our next exciting blog for more ways to save money on your electric bill!
When you need a licensed electrician for commercial or residential electrical needs, call Zimmerman Electric at 310-378-1323.