You get home after a long day of work, relax, pop your feet up on the coffee table, look through some mail, open up some bills an– wait… what!, you think to yourself, how is our utility bill so high this month? Here are some simple tips and tricks to help reduce your utility costs and get those scary high utility bills to be a thing of the past
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Unplug Phantom Loads
So, what are “Phantom Loads”? A phantom load, also known as “vampire power,” is a device that consumes electricity when it is not on but still plugged into an outlet. Spooky. Phantom loads are everyday devices you can have in your house such as televisions, coffee machines, TVs, Cell Phone chargers, etc. According to the U.S. Department of Energy unplugging these phantom loads can save you as much as 10% on your monthly energy bill!
Start Using LED Lighting
LED lights can be used a number of places in your home (even holiday lights!) and can help contribute to lowering your utility bills. Did you know that LED lights can use 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than a regular lightbulb? Try switching out some of the most used lights in your home with new LED bulbs, eventually replacing the rest as needed with updated LED lights.
Use a Low-Flow Shower Head
According to the U.S. Department of Energy installing a low-flow fixture can achieve water savings of 25 – 60%. Try swapping out that old shower head for a new low flow one to save water and lower your monthly utility bills.
Go Solar
Okay, so we know this one may not necessarily be as ‘simple’ as the other tips but there are plenty of benefits to going solar. Including in some cases, homeowners’ utility bills can drop to $0! As well, going solar can increase the overall value of your home and benefit the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
