How to Lower Electric Bills for Good
November 05 2020
Let’s face it, everyone wants lower electric bills. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average American household consumed 10,649 kWh of electricity in 2019. With electricity prices around 13 cents per kWh, that means the average American paid just under $1,500 for the year.
Unfortunately, the cost of electricity is only increasing. Statistics project that residential electricity costs will increase by 2.8% between 2020 and 2021. Now is the perfect time to learn how to lower electric bill payments.
Greenlife Solar is here to help you save money. We’ve compiled a list of ways to save on electric bills. These tips and tricks will lower your payments and keep money in your pocket.
Tap into electricity bill savings today. Get started on the path to lower electric bills with these tips and tricks.
How is Your Electricity Bill Calculated?
Before you can learn how to save on your electric bill, you’ll need to understand how it’s calculated. Most people don’t want to look at their bills any longer than necessary. However, it’s important to understand your payment in order to understand how to lower electric bills.
When you use electricity, the utility company charges you by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). In other words, if you use exactly 1,000 watts of electricity in one hour, you will be charged for 1 kWh.
All of your appliances, light bulbs, etc. will have their wattage printed on the device. This will tell you how many watts of electricity that device uses during one hour of operation. Of course, choosing appliances and light bulbs that are more efficient will lower electric bills automatically. However, there are other ways to save on electric bills.
Discover additional home energy solutions below.
Ways to Save on Electric Bills
There are many different ways to save on electric bills, but you can categorize them into three groups: behaviors, appliances, and sources.
1. Change your behaviors.
Try adopting alternative solutions for high-consumption appliances. For instance, consider using the ceiling fan instead of the air conditioner. You can lower electric bills by almost $500 per year just with this one change.
Also, think about using a drying rack rather than running the dryer. Replace 60-watt bulbs with fluorescent ones. Turn off the lights and unplug devices when you leave the room.
It’s incredibly easy to take advantage of electricity bill savings. Small changes here and there can reduce electricity bills and save you money.
2. Consider your appliances.
Simply put, efficient appliances will reduce electricity bills. According to Direct Energy, household appliances account for 13% of electricity usage. The refrigerator, washer, dryer, oven, stove, and dishwasher the main culprits.
Obviously, you can’t just turn your refrigerator off to reduce electricity bills. However, keeping popular items in easily accessible areas, arranging contents for quick retrieval, and setting your fridge at the manufacturer-recommended temperature can help.
To reduce washer and dryer usage, be sure to only wash full loads and consider running more cold ones. Clean the lint after each load. For ovens and stoves, the best way to tackle electricity bill savings is to reduce usage. Consider alternatives like toaster ovens, microwaves, and slow cookers. Use the oven or stove during cooler hours of the day so your AC won’t work overtime.
Dishwashers have similar home energy solutions. Run full loads during cooler hours of the day. Turn off the heated dry setting and pre-rinse dishes before loading them.
3. Upgrade your sources of electricity.
There are many small ways to cut costs, but if you want to know how to save on your electric bill without reducing consumption, solar is the answer.
Maintaining the same sources of electricity, it’s easy to reduce electricity bills. However, to drastically cut costs, small home energy solutions simply aren’t enough. Home solar power is a quick and surprisingly affordable way to reduce your electricity bill to as little as $0 per month.
Investing in home solar power will minimize electricity costs for up to 30 years.
Home Solar Power
Many people are deterred from home solar power because of its high upfront cost. However, the truth is that residential solar is surprisingly affordable thanks to a variety of tax incentives.
One of those incentives is the Solar ITC (Investment Tax Credit), which is set to expire after 2021. This credit covers a whopping 26% of solar installation costs. Not only is the upfront cost of home solar power relatively affordable, but solar panels typically last between 25 and 30 years.
That gives homeowners plenty of time to pay off their panels and enjoy years of savings. If you truly want to know how to save on your electric bill, consider switching to solar.
Finding a Solar Installer
Of course, if you’re going to switch to solar, you want to get the most reliable system for the lowest price possible. There’s no point investing in home energy solutions if you can’t gain the benefits for years to come.
Greenlife Solar is here to help. We make it easy for you to compare all your options in one place before you commit. Use our free price comparison tool to search for pre-screened installers in your area.
Now that you know just how to save on your electric bill, it’s time to put that knowledge to work. Find a quality solar installation company in minutes.
