There are many ways to survive a recession.  One of these methods is to determine many ways to save money on your electric, gas, or water bill.  Here are some suggestions:

Sometimes we may think that the energy bill just comes in the mail with a random amount on it that we have to pay.  When it is higher than we expect, we may get upset and complain about high energy prices.  Yes, these prices have went up drastically in the recent past, but the most important factor in keeping energy bills low is you.

We have all grown up in a world characterized by cheap, plentiful energy.  We flip on the light switch, and the light turns on.  Most of the time, we may not think of it much past that.  It’s just an automatic part of life.

Or, we may be cognizant that keeping on the lights and heat does cost a good amount of money, but we may only know how to conserve to a certain extent.

There really are so many ways to conserve, many of which may not be commonplace, that you can save a surprising amount of energy!  Here are some ways in detail…

So let’s start with some of the basics.

Be consistently mindful of your AC or Heat settings. And you don’t need a programmable thermostat.  Many times, we may set the thermostat to the setting we find most comfortable to us, and just leave it at that, whether we are home, asleep, or away.  I can tell you that this will gobble up a tremendous amount of money!  First of all, experiment with some lower temperature settings (for the heat), or some higher temperature settings (for the AC).  At my home, I usually keep the AC on 83 degrees during the Arizona summer, and the heat at 69 degrees during the winter.  I would guess that by those settings, I save about $50 - $75 a month on the energy bills.  Yes, they may not be ideally comfortable, and those with sensitive health conditions may need to be careful about what settings they choose, but I can tell you that getting used to them was not all that difficult, and I barely even notice.

But if you like your AC at 72 degrees, you are likely not going to increase the temp setting by 11 degrees, so start off by doing whatever works for you.  I think a good rule of thumb would be starting with a 2 – 3 degree increase, trying it out, and then working from there.  I bet after a few days, you will not even notice, but you will when you get your electric bill!

So when I say “be mindful” of the settings, this also includes realizing the times where you may not need to cool or heat the house as much.  If no one is at home during the day, make it a habit to adjust the temperature to a more energy-efficient setting before you leave.  The same goes for when you sleep.  This will save a tremendous amount of money.

Pay attention to the weather, and use it to your advantage. The months of March – May and October – November are great months in my part of Arizona for opening the windows and keeping the AC and heat off most of the time.  My point here is to remember that there is nothing better than some fresh air and a breeze to help cool or heat your home when it is mild enough outside.  You don’t always have to rely on your thermostat to keep your house at an acceptable temperature.

The same goes for sunshine.  If it is cold outside, but the sun is shining, then open up your window coverings and let in the light!  This will help naturally heat your home a bit, and keep those energy bills down.  Something similar goes for a hot day.  Keep the window coverings closed on a sweltering summer day.

Dress for the occasion!  You will feel warmer at home during the winter if you wears jeans and sweaters around the house, allowing you to keep the thermostat at a lower setting.  The same goes for the summer.  Dress light and comfortably, and feel maximum coolness!

One of the things I think many people easily overlook is their landscape irrigation.  These days in the age of automatic timers, it’s easy to just set them and forget them.  In the mostly rare occasion of rain here, it always makes for an interesting sight when I see lawn sprinklers running when it is pouring rain.  If that is not literally pouring money down the drain, then I don’t know what is.  So remember, when you know rain is coming in, turn off your irrigation timers, and leave a note on your refrigerator to turn them back on once you feel that the plants have soaked up all that rainwater, and are ready to be irrigated again.  If I get an inch of rain here, I usually leave the irrigation off for about 7 – 10 days, and everything is just fine.  But of course that varies depending on your vegetation.

So that brings me to my next point – if you are not overly familiar with your vegetation’s watering needs, do some accurate research.  Yeah, your neighbor or your home’s previous owner may recommend one thing, but I am always a person to check for myself.  When I bought my house, the previous owners had the irrigation times set for a total cumulative watering time of 3 hours per week for everything.  I thought that was way too much, so I did some research and experimentation.  I only water everything now for 1 hour per week, and have been doing so for over 2 years, and everything still looks great.  That saves me about 3 – 4 thousand gallons of water per month, and a good amount of money!

Use a heavy blanket in the winter, or sleep with virtually nothing in the summer. No need for much explanation here!

Use ceiling fans whenever possible. This will help you feel cooler during the summer by circulating air toward you, or warmer in the winter by helping circulate the air up and throughout the room.  Just be sure to use the adjustment switch on the fan for the appropriate season and to set your thermostat to an energy-efficient setting.

Consider using a small space heater or AC unit in your bedroom at night. The first rule of thumb here is safety.  Only use a unit that appears safe to you and that you know how to use properly by consulting the owners manual.  We use a small space heater in our bedroom at night during the winter.  It has a thermostat on it, so it will turn on and shut off just like the regular heat, and keep the room at a steady temperature.  This way we can feel warm and cozy there, but can set the thermostat at a lower setting, because the rest of the house can then be much cooler.

Let there be less light in the house! We are all accustomed to having everything well-illuminated, everywhere.  Our streets, parking lots, stores, and especially homes, are bright, bright, bright.  Granted, in some cases, this is for safety reasons.  But ask the question of yourself – is the amount of lighting in my home really necessary?  I bet that most of the time, the answer will be no.

Do you leave lights on in rooms that you are not using?  Do you have too many lights on in one room?  Could the wattage be lowered?  Do you have outdoor lights on, even though there is a bright streetlight shining on the front of your house, giving you free illumination by the city?  These are good questions to ask.

My fiancé and I have an ingrained habit of always shutting off lights in rooms or areas we are not using.  Seriously, it is an absolute habit that we do without even thinking about it.  We use CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs) in as many areas as we can.  They use about ¼ of the energy, and last sometimes 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs.  Even though they are a bit more expensive to purchase up front, they save money over the long run, and are actually less expensive than you think – some now cost around $1.50 per bulb.

There have been some other ways we have been able to cut back on light usage as well.  In our master bathroom, we have a large window, but it is on a side of the house that doesn’t get ample light, so it is still necessary to turn on the lights inside.  The standard fixture in the bathroom has 8 vanity light bulbs.  Even using 40-watt bulbs, this gives off 320 watts of light, and gobbles up money.  And we are not fans of overly bright rooms, so we just put a small lamp on the bathroom counter, with a 40-watt equivalent CFL that uses 11 watts.  This gives us enough light to get ready in the morning, but uses 309 less watts of energy!

Use less water. This is an area where you can save a huge amount.  Just like energy, we have all become accustomed to having plentiful, cheap water at our disposal.  We turn on the tap and let it run, without thinking much about it.  I think the most important point here is to make it a habit to “be mindful” about how much water you use, and conserve it during every opportunity.  Here is a list of easy ways to do so:

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.  Really, all you have to do when shaving it to turn the tap on to rinse the razor when needed, and then shut it off until the next time.  Period.  I have been shaving this way for years, and it wouldn’t make sense to me any other way.

And while doing this, or using the sink in your bathroom for any other reason right before your shower, use the hot water tap.  This will help get the hot water to your bathroom while using it for other things that don’t require it to be hot, so that by the time your are ready to shower, you won’t have to wait as long for it to get hot!

Don’t turn on the shower, and go do other tasks that take time.  If you are turning on the shower for it to get hot, and then going to start breakfast for the kids, you may be letting the shower run for five minutes unnecessarily.  Turn it on and let it run while you get undressed or use the toilet, and by the time you are done, it will almost certainly be ready to go!

Try to reduce your showering time to 3 – 7 minutes.  You can do it!

If you live in an arid climate, think about getting rid of your lawn!  Plant vegetation that is native to your area, and uses less water (especially important here in the desert).

Don’t use a hose to wash your car.  A sponge, rag, and bucket will do the trick just fine!

When washing or rinsing anything in the sink, don’t run the faucet on full blast.  You will surprise yourself with how much you can do with less.

If your clothes washer was built within the last 10 - 15 years, it will almost certainly have a setting for how large of a load you are washing.  This controls the amount of water used.  Use it!

The same goes for your dishwasher.  It will likely have a setting for saving water.

Check for plumbing leaks anywhere in the house.  This is a sure way to save loads of money, if you find something leaking.

Closely examine your water bill when it comes.  If you think you are being billed for too much water usage, check your meter on the day of the month the bills show the meter as being read.  Then check it exactly one month later, and see if it matches the bill.  If not, contact your water company to get it corrected.  I have heard of many people who have found substantial errors on their bills!

Be mindful of how much hot water you use. Most of the time, clothes that are washed in the washer do not need to be washed in hot, or even warm water.  I have been washing everything in cold water for years, and my clothes look fine.  And don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks that may make you think you need their special “cold water” detergent.  Personally, I think that the fancy detergents that have all the “bells and whistles” listed on their package make no difference.  I have been using a basic, no frills detergent for a long time, and my clothes come out looking great.

Also, look at other ways you use hot water.  Do you use it to wash your hands, even during the summer?  Do you take steaming hot showers that almost scald you?  Do you use it to rinse off dishes before you put them in the dishwasher?  Think about these and any other areas, and ask yourself if you really need to do so.

Adjust the setting on your water heater.  Most of them only need to be set around 120 – 122 degrees to keep a good, hot supply.

Only run your dishashwer or clothes washer with full loads. This will save on the amount of energy and water used by running less loads.

Line dry your clothes if at all possible. The clothes dryer uses a large amount of energy and money.

Check your refrigerator and freezer settings. Do you have them set on the coldest settings?  It is likely you don’t need them that cold.  Although this may vary by the type of food stored, and you will want to decide on a temperature that will keep your food safe (that is up to you to research and decide), it is very likely that you can get by with having it set on the mid-point or just below.

Do you have a refrigerator in your garage just to store beverages or other items in bulk? Consider consolidating them in your main unit.  I bet with careful organization, you can get it all to fit.  Then, you can disconnect and sell your second fridge!  And as a side note, keeping a refrigerator/freezer in a garage that is not climate-controlled is a definite energy hog.

Turn off your computer, or other electronics that have a stand-by mode, when you are not using them. Your computer does not have to be on 24/7.  Leave it on “stand-by” if you think you will use it again in a couple hours or so, but when you know you’re done for the day, shut it off.  The same goes for your monitor, printer, or other electronics.

Connect your electronics (TV, DVD player, computer, etc.) to a surge-protecting power strip. When you are done using them, switch the power strip to off, and you will prevent them from sucking up electricity.  Many of them will continue to draw a small amount (and sometimes large) of electricity when off or in stand-by mode.

When you see your mp3 player, cell phone, or other rechargeable device is finished charging, unplug the charger cord. This will prevent the transformer in the charger from continuing to draw electricity.

These are some basic things that you can do to save money and energy at home, without really having to invest much on anything!  Make it a challenge for yourself to save a combined total of $100 per month on your energy and water bills.  I can almost guarantee that you can do it.

There are many more ways to really cut back on energy usage.  These typically include making investments in more energy-efficient appliances, or by making some changes around the house in terms of structure or insulation.  I may cover those more in depth at a later time, but this should give you a good start for now!

I welcome comments with any other suggestions you may have!

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Tags: frugal and simple living, ways to save money at home, ways to save money on electric bill