Owning a house can be very expensive. From the mortgage to the taxes, it seems like it is a never-ending series of expenses. So, when it comes to saving money, you’ll need to get creative to find some solutions.
The first place that you should look is at your energy consumption. Both how much you use and how you can use cut down to reduce your bills. Many times, even when we are using sustainable energy sources, we can still reduce our usage and save some money.
In this article, I will go over several ways you can reduce your energy bills and save some money.
Photo by Dan LeFebvre
1 – Use technology
The best way to reduce your bills is to use a smart system that intuitively uses only as much energy as needed and only as often as it is needed. This all works thanks to advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The AI portion will make a determination based on how you use your energy and then act accordingly. The IoT comes in by allowing different devices to communicate to allow things to work on their own.
You can use a smart system to protect your home and heat and cool as they are all connected.
You can have the system put the blinds down automatically when the sun is shining brightly and that will reduce the need to use the air conditioner to cool the space. Or, it can turn the heat on automatically when your smartphone app picks up that you have left work so it isn’t heating your home all day but will be warm when you arrive.
These things reduce your usage and end up saving you money while being more energy efficient. Smart thermostats can even turn on when they are connected to the weather forecast, or only heat the areas of the house that are used most.
2 – Wash your clothes wisely
It’s very common to just throw clothes in the washer without thinking too much about the settings. Instead, pay close attention and set the temperature lower than you usually do. This will add up to significant savings as you don’t always need to use very hot water to wash your clothes. As an added bonus, your clothes will last longer and save you more money there.
Also, try to avoid using the dryer. This is very energy intensive and is not usually necessary. In the summer, your clothes can dry on the line in no time, and even in winter, you can hang them up in a room that is warm and they will dry quickly.
3 – Install efficient water fixtures
When you run your shower, you are using much more water than you really need to wash up. When you swap out your old shower heads, and replace them with low flow ones, you can save many gallons of water per shower. This results in thousands of gallons over the course of the year per person.
This also applies to your dishwasher, washing machine and other faucets. There are new versions that use a lot less water and can add up to significant savings on your water bill. Not only that, but you are helping the environment by using less water that is becoming more and more scarce every year.
4 – Replace your lights
If you are still using incandescent lights, then you are throwing money away needlessly. Both in terms of energy usage and in terms of the cost to replace the bulbs.
Replace them with LED lights that sip energy and use a fraction of what a traditional light bulb uses. They also last more than twice as long before they need to be replaced so you end up saving money by their longevity.
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