It’s the time of year when we are thinking most about how to cut energy costs. Heaters are expensive and few daylight hours means more hours lights must be on! Even so, there are many ways that energy costs can be reduced!
Adjust your thermostat – Although it feels more natural to do the opposite, try to keep your home warmer in the summer and cooler in the wintertime. We keep our house at 80 in the summer (where we prefer it) and 70 in the winter. I’d prefer 80 year round, but that’s just not practical energy and cost-wise so we let it drop a bit!
Close your closets – I know it sound silly, but you really don’t need to pay to heat or cool your closets at night. Shut them when you go to bed so the warm air stays in the parts of the home that you are using. – You can see more money-saving energy tips for both warm and cool weather here.
Research – do your research before you buy new appliances. Make sure to get energy efficient models. These will help you save money and energy in the long-run! You can get your research started here and explore rebate options.
Wash in cold – Use cold water to wash your clothes whenever possible.
Turn Lights Off – Both of my children have a passion for turning lights on, but we’re doing our best to train them to do the opposite. clicking lights off in rooms you are not currently in, does a lot to help you save!
Replace light bulbs – Slowly replace the bulbs in your house to Energy efficient ones. You don’t want to do this all at once or you will have light bulbs all burning out at the same time! But one by one you can replace them and work towards a more energy efficient (and thrifty!) home!
REMOVE light bulbs – If you have fixtures with more than one light, remove a couple. For the most part you won’t need every light bulb shining if there are 5 to choose from. We leave one or two off permanently!
Unplug – We all know we should be unplugging things like phone chargers and computers when not in use, but have you thought about bigger appliances? Unplugging your microwave, toaster, coffee maker and other kitchen appliances can reduce the amount of energy you are using too!
You can read more energy (and cost!) cutting tips here.
Even better – You can enter the PG&E Instagram contest! If you post in their photo challenge using the hashtag of the day you are entered to win one of SEVEN – $100 gift cards to Home Depot. These can help you work on fixing up your house to be more energy efficient! Full details on their Instagram profile.
How do you cut your energy costs? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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