How to Reduce Electric Bills

We have suffered through a brutal heat wave this summer, and what has been even worse than the heat and humidity has been the electric bill. Since my wife stays home with our one-year old daughter, the air conditioner is running pretty much all day. We try to give it a rest and turn it off for a few hours in the evening, but it's still costing us a fortune.

So in an effort to save us some money, I've been on a crusade to reduce electric bills anyway that we can, and I've had some success. Here are my suggestions for saving energy and cutting your electric bill:

• Turn off lights and appliances when they are not in use. I know it's pretty basic, but not everyone does it. I'm constantly reminding my wife to turn out lights when she leaves the room.
• Unplug appliances you rarely use. Believe it or not, appliances that are plugged in use electricity even when they are not turned on. Look at your VCR/DVD player for example. You may have the power turned off but the clock is still on, right? It is using electricity to do that. Now I'm not saying to unplug the TV everyday. But if you have a dozen appliances laying around that you hardly use, unplug them. It's not going to be a tremendous savings but it adds up.
• Replace your old appliances with newer and more energy efficient models.
• Switch to energy-saving light bulbs. They use up to 75% less energy than the old-style incandescent light bulbs.
• During the hottest parts of the day, close the shades, drapes, and blinds. Keeping the hot sun out will help keep your home cooler.
• Raise the temperature on your air conditioner a few degrees. Simply raising the temperature from 68 to 70 degrees will let the air conditioner work less and use less energy.
• Turn your water heater down a few degrees. You'll never notice the difference in water temperature, but it will take less energy to keep the water in the heater warm.
• While you are at it, insulate your water heater. The insulation is like a blanket that wraps around the water heater and helps it maintain the water temperature while using less energy. You can buy the insulation for around $15-$35 and it is easy enough to install it yourself.
• Call your electric provider and ask if they offer free energy audits. Most providers will send a representative to your home to spot inefficient energy use and offer suggestions on how to lower your usage.
• Also find out if they offer discounts for using energy-draining appliances during off-peak hours. Some providers will give a discount to consumers who only use washing machines or dish washers at night when electricity demand decreases.
• Insulate around doors and windows to keep the cool air inside during the summer and the warm air outside during the winter.