Reduce Your Monthly Electricity Bills with These Tips
With New Year’s Eve looking mild this year due to COVID, that means more people will probably be spending time at home. That means more heating, streaming, and overall electricity use. If you’re concerned about your monthly Dallas electricity bill during the coming winter months, there are a few things you can do to keep your electricity bill low by following these 10 tips to save energy at home during the holiday season.
Become More Energy Aware
Changing how you use electricity in your Dallas home is the quickest way to see an immediate drop in your monthly electricity bills. Make sure everyone in your home turns off appliances and lights when they’re not in use. And make sure that doors to the outside don’t stay open for too long. Just a few simple changes in your behavior can save you over $260 in electricity costs every year.
Replace Light Bulbs with LED Bulbs
LED bulbs are a lot more efficient than your standard compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). They last up to 3x longer and use 75% electricity than CFLs. To save energy, all you need to do is check the lightbulbs in your home and change out the electricity wasters.
Install Smart Thermostats
It’s actually cheaper to adjust your thermostat throughout the day than it is to leave it set at one temperature all the time. Smart thermostats make it easy to save on heating by adjusting the temperature in your house automatically, depending on the time of day. Those savings add up fast. The EPA states that a smart thermostat can save you up to $180 per year in electricity costs each year.
Exchange Power Strips for Smart Ones
One major source of energy waste is “phantom loads”; your appliances use electricity to stay on “standby” even when they’re switched off. In fact, some estimates state that 33% of your household’s annual energy use may come from phantom loads.
Smart power strips fix this by automatically shutting off the power to electronics when they’re not in use. You can also program them to go off at a certain time, saving you even more on your monthly electricity bills as an Oncor customer.
Clean Your HVAC Filter and Save Energy
A dirty HVAC filter can cause a high electricity bill. With a dirty filter, your HVAC system needs to work longer to pump warm air into your home. Cleaning the filter reduces any resistance dirt creates, making your HVAC system more efficient. Plus, with a clean filter, the air in your home will be much healthier. Overall, cleaning your filters can reduce electricity use between 5% – 15% each year.
Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances
While there’s an initial upfront cost to exchanging older appliances for new, energy-efficient ones, you’ll usually save more over time. When thinking about which appliances you may want to upgrade, keep electricity usage in mind. Energy-efficient TVs, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, and water heaters use the most electricity. Start with those first. You’ll see the biggest savings.
To figure out how much electricity you can save in Dallas by switching to a new appliance, you’ll need to do a bit of research. Check out your current appliance’s energy ranking and compare its Energy Star rating. Also, be on the lookout for any rebates you can get for upgrading your old appliances.
Turn Down Your Hot Water Heater
Wondering what costs most on your Dallas Electric bill? Your water heater is one of the main culprits. Roughly 18% of your energy bill goes to heating water. To save money on your electricity bills, consider lowering the temperature on it. By dropping the temperature 10ºF, you can save between 3 – 5% on your energy bills every year. It’s that easy!
Seal Up Your Crawl Space
If you haven’t encapsulated the crawl space in your Dallas home, you’re probably wasting a lot of money heating. In fact, you’re probably worsening the air quality in your home as well. The best solution is to insulate that crawl space.
While it’s a bit of a pricy undertaking (professional installations can cost between $1500 – $15000), you can save up to 15% on your heating monthly and cooling expenses with professional encapsulation.
Weatherize Your Home
Sealing leaks is a quick and easy way to lower your monthly heating and cooling expenses. The most common sources of leaks are around your doors, windows, and places where plumbing and wiring pass through walls. And fixing them is relatively easy.
Weather stripping, caulk, and expanding foam are your best friends when weatherizing your home. Find the most troublesome areas in your house for leaks and seal them up.
Install Insulated Drapes
Window glass in a poor insulator. Insulated drapes help keep heat from being absorbed and radiated out by window glass. Roughly 20% – 30% of your heat loss and gain comes through your windows. Luckily, insulated drapes help keep your house at the right temperature. And with so many types of energy-efficient curtains out there, you have the power to use a stunning set that fits the style of your home.
Save More on Your Monthly Electricity Bills
While there’s plenty you can do around the house to lower your monthly electricity bills, it’s not the only way t save energy. One of the easiest ways to save HUGE on your monthly bills is to switch to a new electricity provider in Dallas.
With the power to choose in Texas, you can shop, compare, and save with a new electricity plan. For more information on how to find the best plan for your home, visit www.TexasElectricityRatings.com.