Are you vexed with your skyrocketing utility bills? Even a slight increase in your utility bills can strain your budget and become a financial burden, especially when the inflation rate is reaching an all-time high.
Utility bills ideally make up a comfortable 10 percent of your monthly income. But if this percentage keeps on increasing or you notice your utility bills climbing rapidly, you need to find out what’s causing it and look for ways to cut down your power, gas, and water usage. However, don’t get bogged down in shutting everything down and depriving yourself of the core necessities in life. Instead, follow these easy and practical tips to reduce your home’s utility bills:
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Contents
Use a Shower Instead of a Bathtub
We understand the comfort and luxury of soaking in a hot bath after a hard day at work and allowing yourself some “me time” to relax and unwind. But we all know the truth that bathtubs waste way more water compared to a shower. On average, a bathtub requires an insane 70 gallons of water [a]to fill. On the other hand, a 5-minute shower only consumes an average of 15 gallons of water[b], and this number can be easily brought down to 10 gallons.
Even if you have to replace your old bathtub with a shower, trust us, it’s an upgrade worth your money! And what’s more, some of the big names in bathroom remodeling, like Bath Planet, offer 1-day bath remodels, which means your bathroom can be completely transformed all in a day’s work.
Showerheads not only come in a variety of styles and features, but most of them are easy to maintain. This will help you cut down your water usage as well as maintenance expenses, ultimately saving big on utility bills.
However, if your water bills still show no signs of mercy, it’s time to check for any leaks and plumbing errors in your bathroom, kitchen, and home extremities.
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Let More Natural Light In
One cannot deny the benefits of having natural light inside your home. It’s not only an energy-efficient alternative but has many health benefits too. If your windows are blocked, draped, or obstruct light in any way, it’s time to give due attention to them. Remove any obstruction limiting the inflow of natural light, especially large furniture items, shelves, and overgrown trees or shrubs.
Rearrange your furniture and other items in a way that provides an open path for the light to shine through your home and light up the entire space. This way, you can easily minimize the use of artificial lights.
Moreover, natural light also brings in heat and allows you to regulate your home’s temperature without overworking your HVAC, which can further cut down electricity bills.
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Make Sure Your Home is Properly Insulated
One of the main culprits behind your electricity bills piling up may be poor insulation. If your home is poorly insulated, it fails to retain heat or cool air in the house. You have to keep your HVACs running all day to maintain a cozy atmosphere inside, which keeps multiplying your electricity bills.
Proper insulation does quite the opposite, preventing the hot or cold air from escaping and keeping your home cozy for long hours even without using your HVACs. Check all your doors, windows, and other outlets for any gaps, cracks, or extra spaces from where the inside air could find a way out. Seal all the gaps with caulking and weatherstrip all your doors and windows.
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Install Dual-Pane Windows for Energy Efficiency
If you have single-pane windows, it may be time to replace them with dual-pane windows. Single-pane windows immediately transfer outside temperature into your home, which puts a dent in all your efforts to insulate your home. On the other hand, dual-pane windows have gas, like argon, in the middle of two layers of glass. This gap acts as both a noise reducer and an insulator. The final results? A significant cut in your utility bills!
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Use Energy-Saving Light Fixtures
Reducing your utility bills doesn’t mean you have to turn off your lights or reduce light intensity. The good news is you can keep your home well-lit even without draining your pocket. The solution to a hiked-up electricity bill can be as simple as replacing your energy-intensive light fixtures.
Swap incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives like LED or CFL bulbs. You can also install solar-powered LED bulbs in outdoor spaces to reduce energy consumption at night. These LED bulbs have light-sensitive sensors, which means the light automatically turns on when night falls and stays off during sun hours.
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Get Your Appliances Serviced
Choked air filters and dust particles around the cooling wires in your heating or cooling devices can affect the appliance’s efficiency and input/output ratio. The same happens to other appliances like range hoods or vacuum cleaners that have a built-in filter. When these filters are choked, the appliances have to work harder and consume more power to produce the desired results.
Get your appliances regularly serviced, preferably once or twice a year. Moreover, make it a habit to check the filters in your HVAC, air conditioner, air purifiers, range hood, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, and dehumidifier. Clean the filters regularly to keep your appliances functioning optimally without wasting extra energy. This will help you keep your utility bills in check.
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Switch to Solar Energy
If your area receives plenty of sunlight with limited cloudy days, why not use it to generate power of your own? Installing solar panels and solar power generators is a smart and eco-friendly way to bring your electricity bills down to a minimum. You can load shift to solar power during light hours and conventional power supply at night. The best time to use solar power is during the middle hours of the day, ideally between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Make Some Simple Lifestyle Changes
Reducing your home’s utility bills doesn’t always need huge investments and major changes. Some slight changes in your lifestyle and everyday routine can have a significant impact on the use of power, water, and gas in your home. Here are some simple lifestyle changes that can help you reduce utility bills for good:
- Lower your thermostat by at least 7 to 10 degrees before going to bed. Once you snuggle inside the quilt, room temperature will have little effect on your comfort as you sleep.
- Use instant water heaters that only start when you open the water tap.
- Vampire draw or standby power can take up a lot of electricity even when you’re not using it. Always turn off appliances after use or use a smart power strip that automatically cuts off the power supply when you’re not using a device.
- Dishwashers waste tons of water in each cycle. Make a habit of washing dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher. Even if you have to use a dishwasher, wait until you have a full load for one cycle. Or, skip the pre-clean rinse to minimize water waste.
Final Thoughts
It only takes a little common sense, a bit of care, and a few simple changes in your energy consumption habits to reduce your hefty utility bills. We hope the tips we discussed in this article will help you make a significant dent in your utility bills.
[a]https://stanfordmag.org/contents/shower-or-bath-essential-answer#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Environmental,way%2C%20baths%20use%20more%20water.
[b]https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-02/documents/ws-ourwater-shower-better-learning-resource_0.pdf