The little expenses in our household budget add up to some rather large amounts that could be applied to other wants and needs. We can’t really complain that our electric bill for the all-electric condo is on a budget for around $100 a month. At the expense of reading by candlelight and pounding laundry down by the riverbank, it’s kinda nice to turn on a switch and have light or getting the coffee to brew. That’s when value trumps price. It doesn’t mean that it is wise to waste time, money or energy so there are a few ways to save a few bucks and here are some of them…
Did you know that around 17% of the average household energy bill comes from lighting?
Today’s LED and compact fluorescent bulbs have come down drastically in price from when they were first designed, making it so that the investment to replace the incandescent or halogen bulbs is a very quick return on investment with the savings of energy and the replacement bulb prices. Over the life of the bulbs, energy customers will save more than $30 per bulb. How many bulbs do you have in your lamps, ceiling fixtures and outdoor floodlights? The cooler operating temperatures of these LED and CFL bulbs also give savings in home cooling costs. Win-Win.
Take a look at dimmers and motion sensor light fixtures. Keep your eyes open on daily deal web sites, clearance sales and using promotion codes to score these fixtures for much less money than retail. Much like the light bulbs, they will pay for themselves over time, especially for those in a hurry who may forget to turn off lights that can burn energy for hours. Timers are another way to conserve energy and can be used on thermostats as well as individual sockets and plugs.
Think about using battery operated touch lights and task lighting for more concentrated lighting needs where overhead ceiling fixtures are not always necessary.
Keep your light bulbs and fixtures clean to get 100% efficiency from them. Just a quick feather dusting will take care of most bulbs.
Do you have fixtures with multiple bulbs? Consider unscrewing a few of them when not necessary or replacing them with lower wattage equals to still have adequate lighting for living.
Many electric companies will provide free energy audits for their customers upon request. Many states now allow customers to choose energy suppliers, reducing killowatt per hour rates, and the electric company’s web sites may offer additional ways to save time, money and/or energy.
Combinations of these tips could save you 20% or more, and when you add the savings to natural gas, plumbing, HVAC and automobile energy “swaps,” you can have more by paying less.
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