You're paying too much! 5 ways to lower your electricity bill

In the state of the current economy we could all use a break. Many times we are looking for new sources of cash flow or try to cut down on major expenses like going out or delaying a major buy. Here are other alternatives that can help you lower regular expenses without taking a heavy toll on your way of life. 

The following tips can give you big savings at little to no cost and reduce your electricity bills in the long run, giving you and the environment a chance to recover.

Change your light bulbs

6 months ago my wife and I moved to our current apartment. It is a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment and definitely an upgrade from our previous campus apartment. At the apartment there are 12 light bulb fixtures. 8 of them actually had 100 watts incandescent light bulbs put in by the landlord. If all the lights in the house were on at the same time, we would have used 800 Watts worth of power.

We decided to invest in 11 Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs ranging from 8 Watts in small rooms to 15 Watts in bigger rooms. Now we have more bulbs in, but if we choose to turn all of them on they would spend 147 watts - 18.5% of the previous power usage, for us that meant saving over $100 a year.

Buying CFL bulbs used to be an expense. But as demand rises, the market rules work their magic and prices go down. An average pack of 4 60W incandescent lightbulbs costs $7.99 on Amazon.com while 8 13W CFL bulbs cost $11.75 on Amazon.com. The 11 cents you pay more per bulb pays off after the 4th day of use. 

This was wonderful way for us to reduce our carbon footprint and lower our monthly expenses.

Give your fridge some space

One of these untold secrets that no one tells you when you start your adult life - refrigerators can be pretty sensitive. They need you to give them some space. It's not that they have feelings, but they have coils. Through these coils (which are usually at the back or bottom of the fridge) they radiate the heat out. Without enough space - they will heat up and work harder. So make sure your fridge has enough space to cool down. It doesn't have to be a lot - 3-4 inches from the wall should be fine. If you have things on its sides, make sure you don't stock up too much on top. After all, heat rises.

Guide to cleaning your  fridge coils

Thou shalt cleanst thy coils 

If you really love your fridge (and you should, it feeds you on a daily basis), you should clean its coils about once a year. It's not a fun or easy job , but it will make the fridge consume much less energy and will be less likely to break down. 

Now each fridge has its own temperament, so it's hard to determine how much money and carbon you'll save on these actions, but according to my research, it will be a significant amount.

Give your air conditioning some air. 

Two other sensitive appliances that you should be kind to in order to save power are Your air conditioning and your dryer. Your AC- whether it is central air or a unit, demands cleaning its filters every 3-6 months. It will make the AC significantly more power efficiant as well as provide you with stronger airflow. 

If you have central air, it's important to clean the grates every time you clean the filters. If the AC works well but have no way to throw the hot/cold air out, the engine will heat up and demand more power to cool itself down. 

Don't smother your dryer.

Now honestly, how often do you wait until the second or third cycle to clean the dryer's filter? Well, don't wait for it. Clean the dryer's filter every time. It takes a second and helps you, your bills and the environment. It is also wise to give your dryer a little bit of space as well, if possible, and make sure all that hot air is coming out of the room. 

Cleaning the dryer's vent is just as important as cleaning its filter. Some of the lint gets stuck in the vent and clogs it just like cholestrol does to human arteries. For your dryer sake (and your own) make sure to clean the vent regularly. 

The ultimate way of saving energy on a dryer is not having one. This works for very specific weathers (where we live we don't have one because it's sunny most of the year and never freezes). But understanding that not everyone lives in a "laundry friendly weather", if you have to have one, at least be kind to it. It will return the sympathy. 

That's it for this week! Do you have any tips on improving electrical efficiancy in your home? Post it in a comment and we'll add it to the list giving you full and fair credit!