Frugal Utility Tips
I`m sure you have heard by now that your electric bill will be going up very soon and it will continue to rise well into the future. Don`t wait to make changes, start now and be electrically frugal for years to come.
The best way to fight the rising electric bills is to go green with solar power, geothermal or wind power to heat your home. While these are great choices, there are a few simple steps you can take to cut that monstrous utility bill.
Vent Covers
In some homes that have extra rooms that do not get used you can put a vent cover on the vent to keep the heat from going into that room. A frugal idea would be to close off these rooms from the rest of your house. To do this, you should close the vents in the room. The vents, however, rarely close well. To make the strategy effective, you will need to purchase some vent covers and place them over the vents. These vent covers are made from plastic and keep the heat from going into that particular room. Make sure you keep the door closed leading into that room until spring. Utilize this strategy and you can effectively make your home smaller by reducing the square footage that will be heated. The smaller the area, the smaller the amount of money to heat the home.
Check Your Windows
Windows are a very big energy drain in most homes, especially older homes. Check to make sure your seals are tight and feel for air coming in around your windows in the cold season. If they do indeed leak, your heater will run a lot more than it has to over the long haul of the winter. If you make sure your window fit tightly into the frame when closed, you can drastically cut your heating bill. All the really small things ad up to big savings in the end.
Programmable Thermostat
Heating your home accounts for fifty percent of your utility bill. While a warm home is necessary for basic living in the winter, the home doesn’t need to be heated all of the time. If there are periods during the day where nobody is home because of work or school, a programmable thermostat can be used to slash your heating costs. Simply program the thermostat to turn off during the relevant time and turn back on before you get home in the evening from work or school. Cutting 4-8 hours off of your heating needs each day will add up at the end of the month on your utility bill.
Random Utility Tips
If you live in an apartment, see if you can split the cost of a wireless connection with your neighbors. But make sure it's legal first.