How to Save Money on Your Electric Bill

Electric bills seem to have gotten higher and higher over the past few years. Cutting back in a lot of areas isn't always easy, but cutting back on the electric bill takes minimal effort.

The thermostat seems to be a source of high energy useage. Buying a progammable thermostat can be one of the wisest decisions in this area. During the summer, set it to 78 degrees when you are going to be home, and 85 when you will be away. You can set it to start cooling off about an hour before you arrive home. Even if you must have it a little cooler than 78, setting it to be higher while you are gone will help a lot. Invest in a ceiling fan to move air around. During the winter, the opposite applies. Let it stay cooler when you aren't home or at night when you will be covered up. Ideally, you can set it to 68 during the day and 55 at night or while you are away. Change the filter on your unit monthly. Also, close vents and shut the doors to rooms you rarely use. The best bet is to turn the heat or air unit off as often as possible and open windows on nice days. This uses NO energy!

Use natural light as much as possible. This eliminates using too many lights. On hot, sunny days, however, close the curtains on the south and west sides of the house. Too much sunlight will heat up the rooms and cost more in air conditioning to cool it off. Turn off lights when you aren't in the room. Use compact flourescent lightbulbs instead of regular bulbs. The compact flourescents last longer and use almost 75% less electricty. Use dimmers on regular lights.