Making 1 or 2 small changes in how you use electricity might not have a huge impact on your electric bill, but the cumulative effect of lots of changes can make a big difference.
Here are 10 tips to help put you in charge of your electric bill:
- When you use your printer, print on both sides of the paper. This saves ink, power and paper.
- Invest in a single power strip to tuck behind your entertainment center. Plug devices into it then switch off the power strip when you’re not using those devices.
- Wait until your dishwasher is full before running it. Don’t wash dishes by hand; that uses up to twice the water and energy as the dishwasher.
- Wash clothes in cold water instead of hot to save on water heating costs.
- Lower your water heater’s temperature by just 2 degrees. You probably won’t notice the difference in the shower but could see a difference in energy savings.
- Keep your freezer and refrigerator moderately full. It takes more energy to cool an empty space than a full one.
- Hang an outdoor clothesline. Pull nearly dry clothes out of the washer and hang them out to dry naturally. That will cut the number of dryer cycles you use.
- Slide your refrigerator a couple of inches away from the wall. Pressing it up against a wall limits air circulation behind it and makes the appliance work harder, which uses more energy.
- Skip the hair dryer. You’ll save energy by air drying rather than blow drying—and your hair will be healthier too.
- Turn things off when you’re not using them: lights, ceiling fans, space heaters, the TV, your computer—anything that’s electric.