20 Proven Ways to Lower Electric Bill in 2020

On average, American households spend between $80 and $150 on their monthly electricity bill. The exact amount that US families pay depends on various factors, such as location, supplier, and rate. Electricity costs account for annual expenses ranging from $960 to $1,800.

Did you know that changing a few things can help you significantly lower your usage and expenses? If you would like to learn how to lower electric bill in 2020 efficiently, keep reading. In this article, our saving experts will list 20 proven ways to save money on electricity.

Insulate Your Home Properly

Heating and cooling of a household take up to 50%-70% of the electrical consumption. Given this, your house must have proper insulation. It will reduce the amount of energy necessary to heat and cool. New buildings are almost all built energy-efficient but consider adding insulation to your home to save money.

Install Smart And Programmable Thermostat

The smart thermostat is a new way to reduce electricity bills. It controls the cooling and heating in your apartment using only Wi-Fi and a smartphone. This device controls and maintains the optimal temperature, thus preventing electricity from always running. Also, it makes sure your home has just the right temperature.

Reduce The Temperature On The Water Heater

The optimal temperature of the hot water and also the recommended one is 120 degrees. All heaters are set at 140 degrees. If you reduce the temperature by at least 10 degrees, you will save between 3%-5% on your bill. With this, you will also prevent limescale buildup and so extend the lifespan of the boiler.

Install 8W Or Lower LED Bulbs

LED or energy-saving lights are one of the quickest ways to reduce electric bills. The lighting in a household takes up 5% of the entire monthly consumption. So, by replacing 5 of your home’s most used ordinary lights you can save up to $45 a year.

Use Power Strips To Reduce Phantom Power

The devices that are plugged in and not used to consume power – phantom power. Hence, one of the best tips to lower electric bill is to get a power strip. You plug it into the socket and then connect the appliances to the “master” power strip. When you turn off the master device, all other appliances are unplugged too. This prevents them from consuming any energy. Power strips cost around $40.

Change HVAC Filter

HVAC accounts for half of the energy consumption in one household. It’s recommended that the filter is replaced every 3 months, and the price of one filter varies between $10-$20. When that’s done, however, the electric bill payment reduces by 15%. After all the math is done, you can save about 7.5% on the monthly electric bill.

Use the Cold-Water Option On Washing Machines

Another way how to reduce electric bill at home is to program your washing machine to rinse with cold water. Washing machines use the most electricity to heat the water. So, washing with cold water can reduce energy consumption and cost by around 80%. Remember, this isn’t recommended if there is an oily stain to remove!

Plug Air-leaks By Caulking And Weather Stripping

Prevent air from coming in and out of the house is an effective way to reduce energy consumption. Caulking and weather stripping are two sealing techniques. Caulking is done at the joints of the fittings of windows or doors. Weatherstripping is used to seal around movable parts of windows and doors.

Use Timers For Lights

Using timers for lights around your home is an effective way to lower energy bill. The timer has settings to turn lights on and off as appropriate for your lifestyle. The timer is plugged into the socket, while the light is plugged into the timer. There are different types of timers depending on how many lamps you want to regulate with a single device.

Buy Energy Star Appliances Rated A Or Higher

Appliances that are energy efficient or use renewable sources of energy can reduce energy consumption big time. Devices rated A or higher do the same job as the standard appliances but consume less electricity. Replacing appliances with energy-efficient ones will result in reducing electricity bills by 50%. Don’t you have enough savings to replace old devices that consume lots of electricity? If not, take an instant short term loan and pay it off with the cash you’ll save on your bill!

Adjust Room Temperature In Summer/Winter

Too high or too low room temperatures are neither healthy nor cost-effective. Data show that setting the thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the day can save energy and lower costs. In a year, you can reduce the energy bill between 5%-15%. Just decrease the temperature by 6-8 degrees for 8 hours and expect a cheaper electric bill.

Get A Water-Saving Shower Head

Showerheads with a high flow rate spend more electricity. A high flow rate is considered to be 2.5gpm. The cost-efficient flow rate is 1.75gpm. This means that, typically, a family of four uses 70 gallons of water to take a 7-minute shower in a day. With the smart variant, the 70 gallons decrease to 49 which monthly saves about 630 gallons. Forget about wondering how late can you pay a water bill because this step decreases water costs too.

Hang Dry Clothes

If you wonder how to save money on electric bill, ditch the clothes drier! An electric drier contributes to about 13% of your total electrical consumption. You can instantly remove all costs related to it by hang-drying your clothes. This may take longer but it saves lots of cash in the long run. Hang-drying clothing can save you about $65 per year.

Bubblewrap Your Windows

Proper insulation is among the best ways to cut electricity bills. This leads to bubble-wrapping windows. Putting bubble wrap over windows is an effective DIY method for additional insulation. The bubble wrap prevents the heat from leaving or entering the room. This is a straightforward and easy method. Spray the window glaze with a bit of water. While it’s still wet, press the bubble side against the glaze.

Setup Your Ceiling Fans Properly

The direction of the ceiling fan is essential. You want to keep the warm air in winter and spread the breezy air in summer. Some fans have summer/winter settings on them. You can quickly check, however, the fan’s setup by its spinning direction. Clockwise means summer setting and counterclockwise is winter setting.

Use A Humidifier In The Winter

Humid air tends to hold more heat. So, it’s a cool idea on how to keep electric bill down in the winter. The humidifier needs to be adequately set as humidity can cause mold and bacteria. Set the heating at 68 °F and the humidifier at 40%. You’ll get the same effect as setting them at 74 °F and 20%.

Fix Leaky Ventilation Ducts

Ventilation ducts that leak cause loss of hot and cold air. This means that you need to keep the heating and cooling always on to make up for that loss. Avoid this by making sure all ventilation ducts are correctly sealed. This has proven exceptionally cost-effective in unconditioned premises.

Fix Leaky Faucets

Leaky faucets are irritating and wasteful. Especially if the water leaking is hot. Besides spending extra electricity, it also boosts your water bill. Fix leaky faucets as soon as you notice them and save around $9 per tap per year. Dealing with this issue helps you save money on utilities in general.

Take Shorter Showers

Taking shorter showers is the best way to lower power bill without too much effort. We already established that water heaters are among the things that use a lot of energy. So, reducing the time they operate cuts down your bill too. A four-member family can save up to $60 yearly if they take shorter showers by a minute each.

Set The Correct Temperature On Your Fridge and Freezer

You can save up to $25 per year by keeping your fridge and freezer at the ideal temperature. Refrigerators are cost-efficient when operating between 2°C and 3°C. The freezer works best when at -18°C. Don’t forget to read the manufacturer’s advice on the best temperature for different seasons either. This way, you’ll know how to save on electric bill in summer and winter.

Ways To Reduce Electric Bills – Final Advice

Reducing your electricity usage isn’t impossible. On the contrary, by doing a few simple steps and smart choices, you’ll see your expenses drop in no time.

Learning how to lower electric bill with our 20 tested tricks won’t generate massive savings for your household. Still, it will help you pay your utilities on time and provide a better life in the long run.

Here, at ProMoneySavings, we publish tons of useful content and quick money-saving tips. If you want to get all our latest articles directly into your inbox, make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter.

Subscribe

how to / money saving tips / utility bill