10 Little Ways to Lower your Summer Electric Bills

Do you want to see your electricity bills drop this summer without having to do anything drastic? Don't worry; there are lots of little things that you can do to start seeing big changes and start saving money on your energy bills.

Here are ten energy saving tips to help you get started with lowering your electric bills this summer:

1. Clean the air filter on your air conditioner. The cleaner it is, the better it's going to run so it won't have to work as hard to cool the home.
2. Clean and clear away the home's vents. Your AC unit will also be more efficient if the vents are clean. Make sure that you've also cleared all items away from the vents so that the cool air can easily circulate.
3. Put white blinds on your windows and keep them closed. The white color will reflect the sun's rays away from the house, which makes the whole house cooler.
4. Seal up home leaks. Weather-stripping and caulking aren't just energy-savers during the winter months; they also prevent your cool air from leaking out of the home during the summer.
5. Use fans instead of the AC unit whenever possible. It's often the case that we're only in one or two rooms at any given time. Why pay to cool the whole house when you can use a fan or room AC instead?
6. Save chores for nighttime. Generate less heat in the house during the day by not using heat-generating appliances like your washing machine. Your AC has to work too hard when you use these machines and the bills go up when they do.
7. Change out your light bulbs. You can use CFL bulbs or even LED bulbs for much more energy-efficient (and cooler) lighting in the home. There's no time like the present to make that little household change!
8. Eat raw foods. Alternatively, do your cooking outside. This prevents the cost of using in-home electricity and also prevents the need for extra air conditioning from the kitchen getting too hot. Incidentally, making sure to drink enough cool water will also keep you hydrated and feeling cooler so you need less AC around the house!
9. Have no-electronics family nights. Unplug the television, the computers and all of the other appliances that use up so much energy and enjoy some good old-fashioned family time instead. You'll be surprised how much your energy bills go down if you do this once or twice a week during the summer.
10. Plant a tree. If there's one good long-term thing that you could do to reduce energy bills this summer it would be to plant some trees outside your windows. Choose trees with leaves that fall off in the autumn so you'll still get winter sun for the home but the home will be shaded from the harsh summer sun. The less heat that gets in to your house during the summer, the less it's going to cost you to cool it off.

Publish Date: 2010-07-15 09:45:32

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