I reduced my own power bill by a huge amount and I did it without using any solar panels. Most people think that if you want to lower your power bill, you must install solar panels. This is just not true. My power bill dropped by 20% after I did the steps below and now I'm going to show you exactly how I did it.
Insulate Windows - Making sure that your windows insulate correctly is probably the single best thing you can do to lower your monthly energy bill. If you have single pane windows your money is literally going out the window. Single pane windows are really bad insulators. Changing to double pane windows will save you a ton of money but they are expensive. You can put up heat sealing drapes in the summer and storm windows in the winter. This will save you a ton of money. You may want to take a room by room approach. The first room you should do this in is the family room.
Ventilation In The Attic - Your attic stores an incredible amount of heat. If your air vents get clogged with dust, too much heat will build up in your attic and make your air conditioner run much too long. You need to clean the vents in your attic and make sure they are allowing hot air to escape through them. If you have an attic that doesn't have vents, you need to have some put in. Go to your local hardware store to find attic ventilation kits.
Filters For Your Air Conditioner - If your air filters are dirty, your air conditioner will work too hard. You should change your air conditioner filters once every month if you want to save money off your monthly energy bill.
Change Your Stove Fan Filter - The fan that is located above your stove will get backed up with grease quickly. Fortunately, there is a filter in this fan that catches all that grease. The problem is that most people do not know that this fan even has a filter so they never change it. When this filter is clogged with grease, your fan has to work twice as hard costing you even more money.
Watch Those Lights - Lower the wattage of all the light bulbs in your home. Turn off lights when you are not in the room. Do not leave lights on at night. Just one outside light that is 60-watts will cost you about $10 a month. Dimmer lights do not save you very much. The best lights to use are fluorescent lights.
Learn How To Calculate Energy Costs - You need to learn how much the things in your home are costing you in terms of energy cost each month. The formula is wattage / 1000 x hours used per day x your kWh charge (found on your monthly bill) / 30 days in a month = total cost of energy per month for that appliance. Let us do an example problem. If you are using a central air conditioner for 10 hours per day during the summer, it is costing you: 4000 / 1000 x 10 x 0.15 x 30 = $180 a month.
Insulate Windows - Making sure that your windows insulate correctly is probably the single best thing you can do to lower your monthly energy bill. If you have single pane windows your money is literally going out the window. Single pane windows are really bad insulators. Changing to double pane windows will save you a ton of money but they are expensive. You can put up heat sealing drapes in the summer and storm windows in the winter. This will save you a ton of money. You may want to take a room by room approach. The first room you should do this in is the family room.
Ventilation In The Attic - Your attic stores an incredible amount of heat. If your air vents get clogged with dust, too much heat will build up in your attic and make your air conditioner run much too long. You need to clean the vents in your attic and make sure they are allowing hot air to escape through them. If you have an attic that doesn't have vents, you need to have some put in. Go to your local hardware store to find attic ventilation kits.
Filters For Your Air Conditioner - If your air filters are dirty, your air conditioner will work too hard. You should change your air conditioner filters once every month if you want to save money off your monthly energy bill.
Change Your Stove Fan Filter - The fan that is located above your stove will get backed up with grease quickly. Fortunately, there is a filter in this fan that catches all that grease. The problem is that most people do not know that this fan even has a filter so they never change it. When this filter is clogged with grease, your fan has to work twice as hard costing you even more money.
Watch Those Lights - Lower the wattage of all the light bulbs in your home. Turn off lights when you are not in the room. Do not leave lights on at night. Just one outside light that is 60-watts will cost you about $10 a month. Dimmer lights do not save you very much. The best lights to use are fluorescent lights.
Learn How To Calculate Energy Costs - You need to learn how much the things in your home are costing you in terms of energy cost each month. The formula is wattage / 1000 x hours used per day x your kWh charge (found on your monthly bill) / 30 days in a month = total cost of energy per month for that appliance. Let us do an example problem. If you are using a central air conditioner for 10 hours per day during the summer, it is costing you: 4000 / 1000 x 10 x 0.15 x 30 = $180 a month.
About the Author:
By Todd Dornan. To see more ways you can save money off your monthly power bill visit solar panels
