Reducing Electricity Bills

While I'll run you through all of the basic tips that you could find most anywhere, I'm going to outline for you a way of reducing electricity bills that most of us ignore. The expense save for this tip might surprise you.

I'd heard it before, electrical appliances that are plugged in but not being used consume energy and, therefore, unplugging items can help you reduce your electricity bills. I hadn't really believed that it could make much of a difference until I found a study on standby power conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Labratory that gives you the average amount of power being consumed by everyday appliances when they're off but still plugged in.

I also hadn't realized just how many of these items I had in my home. I figured there were things like my TVs, the computer, the microwave and printer. Running through the list in the study, I discovered I had way more items plugged in and doing nothing than I would have thought. See if any of these ring a bell for you:

Cell Phone Charger
Blackberry Charger
Bluetooth Charger
Power Tool Chargers
Scanner
Game Systems
Cable Boxes
Oven
Garage Door Opener
Watering System Timer
Outdoor Light Timer
Alarm ClocksComputer Monitor
Fax Machine
Nightlight
Cordless Phone
Alarm System
Stereo
Coffee Pot
DVD
VCR
DSL Modem
USB Hub

Granted, they give you a number of disclaimers in the study because it is very difficult to measure outputs of system ready equipment but we know they do draw power and these are the most accurate figures you'll find. The point is knowing what sources in your home are drawing electricity and understanding what you can do to limit that consumption. Reducing power consumption is a major factor in reducing electricity bills.

Photo by Caveman / CC BY-ND 2.0

If you have just one of each of the appliances noted above plugged in and not being used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it's costing you $69.97 a year. This doesn't even include big ticket items like the washing machine, the dryer, and your dishwasher.

Still doesn't sound like a lot, but I have more than one of many of these items. There are five people in my house and multiple TV sets, game systems, iPod chargers, cell phones. I walked around my home and made a list of all of the items and noted whether they were on or off. Some items are on all the time, like my cable boxes for the television and the DSL line for the computer. Some are not on all the time but plugged in constantly like my television sets, my computers, and our chargers.

In total, all of my items and the way I had been leaving them when not in use was costing me more than $419 a year, or $35 a month!

Obviously, I can't unplug many of these items on a regular basis. It would be a hassle to leave my garage door opener unplugged until I needed it or to have my security system off. However, the biggest electricity wasters on this list tend to be television sets, cable boxes and computers and their equipment. Those I can tackle.

Photo by colleague / CC BY-SA 2.0

Some other methods of reducing electricity bills include:

Replace your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Use a programmable thermostat for your cooling and heating systems.

Replace air filters in your home every 30 days to keep the system running efficiently.

Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.

Use ceiling fans or portable fans to stay cool instead of turning up the air conditioner.

Implement a "lights out" rule so that everyone in the family ensures lights are turned off when they leave a room.

More importantly, if you're looking for bigger savings - a way of reducing your electricity bills over the long haul - you should start reading up on how consumers are soon going to really benefit from the use of their own solar and wind systems. Not only are the costs of buying the necessary equipment coming down, but the government expanded their tax credit for these systems with the February 2009 economic stimulus package. Up to 30% of the cost of these systems can be claimed as a credit and there's no cap!

Find out the secret more and more consumers are using to cut their own electric bill today!