5 Energy Saving Tips That Will Also Save You Cash

Whether you are interested in saving the environment or just saving cash, saving energy makes sense. Here are 5 easy and inexpensive ways to save you money on your electric bill each month.

Change your thermostat setting 5 degrees.  In the summer, set your thermostat 5 degrees warmer.  You will use less air conditioning and save energy during peak-use times.  In the winter, set your thermostat 5 degrees cooler and wear slightly warmer clothes inside.  If you heat with gas or electricity, you will save money.

When it’s hot outside, try to avoid using the oven.  Cooking in the oven will raise the temperature in your kitchen, increasing your cooling needs.  Instead, cook outside on the grill this summer.  Use the stove or microwave instead of the oven.

Switch to CFLs for your home lighting.  Incandescent bulbs cost more to operate, and they waste energy by producing more heat than light.  If you changed just 4 of your most used bulbs to CFLs, you could save $35 a year on your electric bill.

Turn down your water heater to 120 degrees.  If you have the budget, considering getting a tank-less heater so you only heat water if you need it.  Never set the thermostat on your water heater over 140 degrees if you have a dishwasher.  Wash your clothes in cold water, especially during peak-use times. Heating water accounts for about 13% of your energy bill, so this is a great place to conserve to save money.

Choosing The Right Light Bulb

For most homes, light bulbs are of the incandescent variety.  Incandescent bulbs tend to show the color of objects more closely to that of daylight than fluorescent bulbs.  Color rendering index, or CRI, is the scale that measures how close to daylight the bulb’s are, the higher the number, the more accurately colors can be seen.

Until recently, compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, have always had that drab blue or purple cast and most people did not want that lighting in their homes.  CFLs are more efficient at converting energy to light and are now available with high CRI numbers.  CFL bulbs with high CRI may be more expensive than replacement incandescent bulbs, but they use less energy and need to be replaced less, saving money over the life of the bulb.

To pick out a good CFL for home use, look for the CRI rating on the package.  There may also be information on the package about Kelvin scale for color rendering.  Lower “temperatures” producer cooler light, like the typical fluorescent lights used to.  Higher “temperatures” reveal warmer colors and is closer to natural daylight.  Look for a CFL bulb with high CRI rating and high Kelvin scale.

Another important consideration is the life of the bulb.  The longer the bulb lasts, the more money you save.  This is also better for the environment because you save the energy of producing a new bulb and the waste of old bulbs.