How to Save Money on Electricity Without Much Effort

Most electric companies have a service that includes a home visit to help you find out how to make your home more efficient. Some of these fixes can be inexpensive and pay off by saving you money on each bill, especially during the summer and winter months of peak use. These professionals can point out windows that can be better insulated, or other areas where heat and air are bound to escape. Take advantage of any free service the utility offers to help you lower your bill.

Also, check with the utility if you think your monthly bill is too high. Most utilities can compare your current month's usage to the previous year's usage for the same billing period. If something is "off" you can look into getting your heating or air conditioning system fixed. When my home needed a new system, the result was an amazing reduction off the outrageous winter bills. Especially if you are renting a home, make sure you talk to your landlord about the steps you both can take to lower these bills and increase efficiency.

Little things do add up. For example, does your coffee pot have a built-in LED clock? How about your microwave oven? I don't know about you, but there are at least five digital clocks in my kitchen that I don't need, don't use and certainly don't need to have "on" 24 hours each day.

Here's what I have done with my counter-top microwave to give you an idea about how you can go about reducing the number of "on" appliances you have in your home. First off, a disclaimer: I use my microwave only a few times a day and that is to warm up my coffee for about 30 seconds. Other than that, having the clock on all the time was truly annoying. I purchased a small outlet strip with a cord that is long enough so that the strip sits atop the microwave. The strip has an on/off button so that I can turn on the microwave with that switch, zap my coffee, and then turn the entire microwave off. The appliance does not have a warm-up time, so it's very quick and easy. After only a few days, it was an established habit.

I also have an established "charging station" for phones, iPad and my laptop that again uses a small outlet strip and is placed conveniently so that I can turn it on and plug everything in. Nothing stays powered beyond the actual charging time.

Look around your home and find all of the appliances and machines that can be powered down and shut off/unplugged when not in use. I have a home printer that I use maybe once each week, so I've gotten into the habit is shutting it off when until I need to use it.

Everyone does laundry, but are you doing it in the most efficient way and saving money while you're at it? First, look at the time of day you're running your machines: early in the morning or late at night is the best. Don't make your machines work hardest during the heat of the day.

Washing and drying is going to happen but first make sure you're filling the washer each time and using the appropriate water-fill amount for the batch. Next, switch to washing/rinsing etc. in only cold water. Seriously, you won't know the difference except that you'll be saving money on heating water. That, you'll notice. Your clothes will still look great.

The next important thing to do is make sure you use the wash-time setting that is the lowest amount of time. My washer has options for each minute in length up to 14 minutes. I keep mine around the 5-8 minute length.

Once your clothes are washed, move them to the dryer and be careful about your dryer settings. First, do you really know how little time it takes to get your clothes dry? My current washer has a sensor and I can decide whether I want them "more dry" or "less dry" and anything in-between. Give yourself a practice load and start somewhat close to the "less dry" side of the dial. If you don't have this sensor option, start with 10 minutes, check the clothes and add more time. The key is to figure out how little it takes to get your clothes dry and not heat them for one minute longer. I am telling you that you'll be shocked at how quickly they dry.

Before you put the load in the dryer, make sure you will be home and awake when they are done so that you can immediately get the clothes out of the dryer and then fold them or hang them up and put them away. A big waste of energy is re-drying dry clothes to remove the wrinkles. Avoid this bad habit and you'll save more money.