Besides a person’s monthly mortgage, the monthly utility bill is the most costly regular expenditure that homeowners face on a consistent basis. But utility bills and the use of energy affect more than just home owners; they also affect those individuals and families that rent a home or apartment.
No matter the living situation or the financial stability of a family, a consistent expenditure is the monthly utility or electric bill. While this certain yet needful expenditure every month can be a depressing reality for any family, there is good news to be had in that there are specific actions a family can take to limit and reduce their total sum on their monthly utility bill.
Because of the relentless taxation of the cost of energy, there is an increasing need by people in all types of living situations to save money every month by limiting their utility bills. By decreasing this expenditure, a family or an individual, whether they own a home or rent an apartment, can save potentially hundreds of dollars per year on their energy costs.
The most direct and simple way to cut utility bill costs for any person is by using less of those utilities than a person normally would. For example, by turning the temperature on the air conditioning units up in the summer and the temperature on the heater down in the winter, a person will be able to save hundreds on their electrical bills every year.
Adjusting the thermostat in the home to be more cost effective is the simplest way for a family to instantly begging saving money on their monthly utility bills. Because regulating the thermostat has such an instant and influential effect on the energy costs of the home, a family may wish to purchase and install a programmable thermostat in their home.
Programmable thermostats are exactly what they claim to be—a thermostat that can be programed to run according to the settings desired by the family. By having a programmable thermostat in the home, a family can set the thermostat to automatically fluctuate according to need.
For example, when the home is empty during the middle hours of the day when children are at school and parents are at work, the thermostat can be programed to cut energy use on heating or cooling the home until the family arrives at home. Similarly, with a programmable thermostat, the family can automatically turn down the thermostat at night to save even more energy every day.
This however is not always met with the best of attitudes. Many people feel that they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their personal comfort just to save a little money, so when it is hot in the summer they want the air conditioner to be turned on full gust in order to cool down the home and a when it is cold in the winter they want the heater pumped up and blasting.
For these people, perhaps moderation in the beginning would work best. They can begin their energy conservation efforts by turning the thermostat down by just a few degrees to begin with and work their way towards a more cost efficient room temperature in the future.
Unfortunately, this method of self-regulation on the climate control in a person’s residence is the best and most efficient way to cut back and save hundreds of dollars per year on utility costs. But for some, this practice still isn’t enough to save them the cash they want, and for others the prospect of not having their room temperature at a specific degree of comfort is out of the question.
Luckily, there are other ways in which to save on utilities that have nothing to do with the temperature in the room. Simple conservation efforts can be taken elsewhere in the home that will likewise provide a home with the utility-saving practices that are desired.
Some of these practices include switching off appliances when not in use, turning off the water while brushing one’s teeth, and making sure that the lights in unused rooms are switched off. Saving a little energy every day by practicing these habits will add up over time to save a person or a family potentially hundreds of dollars per year.
For those who wish to save even more and be cost effective in their utility spending, consider hiring an energy company professional to perform an energy audit on your home. An energy audit will find ways specific to your home that will not only save energy but will make energy use in the home more effective. By taking these small steps, and by getting an energy audit of their home, a person or family will be able to save hundreds of dollars on their monthly utility bill.