10 No Nonsense Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bills
If you’re looking for every day ways to save money, because who isn’t looking to save money, one area of life to examine is your utility bills. Things like electricity, heat, and water can add up quickly if you’re not mindful of how you’re using them. And it’s more than likely that you’re already doing one or more of the things listed.
And if not, you can make these changes easily.
We know that recent changes with the pandemic have made utilities and all sorts of bills shoot up. There are so many ways that you can reduce your costs in the home but what you pay to electric companies can come down if you know how to reduce your electricity usage at home. Saving money is a must if you want to lower your outgoings, and you’re in the right place for help.
Here are 10 ways to save money on utilities and be sure to check out more of my money management tips.
10 Easy Ways to Save Money On Your Utility Bills
1. Any time you’re not using something, turn it off.
This includes lights, television, computer, radio, and just about anything else. Make it a point to turn the lights off when you leave a room.
Get out of the habit of leaving the TV on for background noise, and listen to the radio or your MP3 player instead, since they use far less electricity. And if you truly feel that leaving your computer on is in your best interest, put it in sleep mode when you’re not using it. At the very least, turn off the monitor and printer when not in use.
2. Unplug electronics such as your stereo, TV, DVD player and microwave when you go to bed at night.
These things almost always use electricity even when they’re not turned on. You can make it easier on yourself by plugging your entertainment devices into a power strip and simply turning the switch off.
3. Take showers instead of baths, and turn the water off when you’re not using it.
This includes when you’re washing your hair or shaving your legs. It’s really not that much hassle, and it can make a real difference in your water bill.
4. Only wash full loads of clothes, and wash them in cold water when possible.
Not only will you spend less time doing laundry, you’ll save money on both your water bill and your electric bill. Also, try washing your clothes at night.
5. If possible, hang your clothes out to dry.
Those who are short on outdoor space can use a compact foldable drying rack. You could even bring it indoors and place it near a heating vent to dry clothes in the winter.
6. Turn the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.
It won’t be a shock to anybody’s system if the room temperature is a few degrees higher or lower. A programmable thermostat is a great investment if nobody is home during certain parts of the day, because you can set it to adjust itself to use less energy when the house is empty while still keeping it comfortable when it isn’t.
7. Dress warmly in the winter, even when you’re not going out.
And while you’re at it, put a nice, warm comforter on your bed. These measures will eliminate the need to turn the heat up.
8. Make sure your home is properly insulated and free of drafts.
You may have to purchase some insulation or weatherstripping, but these things will pay for themselves in no time through lower heating and cooling bills. It’s also a good idea to check your air ducts for leaks each year.
Change your air conditioner and furnace filters as recommended by the manufacturer. It’s surprising how many people neglect to do this, but changing them on schedule will result in much greater efficiency.
9. When it comes time to replace your appliances, make it a point to buy energy efficient ones.
You can find the best ones by comparing the Energy Star labels at the store. Using energy efficient appliances can save you hundreds of dollars on your electric bill each year.
10. Keep energy efficiency in mind when cooking.
If you’re baking or reheating a small amount of food, use the microwave or toaster oven instead of the range. Pressure cookers are also quite energy efficient, because they cook food much faster than you can in a regular pot.
Conserving energy is not nearly as difficult as you might think. A few simple measures and changes in habits can make a meaningful difference in your utility costs. Try these tips and see how much you can save per month!
What other ways can you think of to save money on your utilities?
*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich and Femme Frugality*
Kori
These are good tips for saving money on utility bills. We have quite a high electric bill each month and we have no idea why it is that way. We keep our thermostat down, but it hasn’t helped much. We only have a small apartment and the amount of energy we are apparently using is obscene. My boyfriend is convinced that there is a problem with our meter.
These are all awesome tips! I swear, if my kids would just remember to turn off a light when they walked out of a room, we would be in great shape.
These are great tips. We have a clothes line, and I love it. You can’t beat the smell of fresh air.
Another great tips is to unplug wall worts. Wall worts are what I call those cords that have a box at the end. Those things draw power even when NOTHING is plugged into them.
Great tips! We will have to try some of these. Lately our utilities have been through the roof!
Great tips! We follow most of the ones you listed too. But unfortunately I think our townhome that we live in (and rent) gets combined with our neighbours. Ugh.
I’m so guilty of not unplugging electronics when not in use. We never unplug the TV. I’m pretty good about turning out the lights when I leave a room.
This is really good advice! I’ll be sure to pass this on to my son so he can save extra on his utilities in his apartment!
In hard times like today, these tips should be carried out and lived well. We don’t have unlimited resources so energy conservation is very important.
Excellent tips! It’s always great to find ways to save money here and there!
Saving money is always on my mind and my utility bills are so high 🙁 I can’t wait to try your money saving tips!
These are great tips! I wish our HOA would allow clothes lines. I miss the fresh smell of clothes dried outdoors from my childhood.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful tips, I really love and appreciated it.
These are amazing tips, anything to save a little extra money sounds good to me.
I love this list! The great thing about all of your tips is that they make your home greener and they save you money.
These are great tips. Sometimes you don’t realize that little changes can save a lot of change. When you see the decrease in your bills, you won’t mind the little inconveniences.
I’m really big on doing things to save energy, as much for the environment as for the cost savings. But I just can’t see unplugging my electronics at night … having to reset the clocks every day would drive me crazy! LOL
These are all great tips! I always wash with cold water and try to turn off and unplug as many things as I can when not using them.
I take the time to follow these tips. Have to save some bucks for vacation!
I am guilty of not unplugging appliances when not in use. The thermostat I can’t do because I am always cold during the winter. Other than that, we also do the things that are on your list. Thanks for the tips.
These are some really great tips. Sometimes my utility bills can really get out of hand.
I’m so glad we don’t have a bath because I would be tempted to use it often and would spend so much money. We’ve been slowing changing over all our home electronics to power-saving ones as well.
Great tips. I have started doing a few of these recently. I am going to do a 3 month run of my bills and see if there are any noticeable changes.
I’m always looking for ways to lower my bills, and I love the tip about turning off the shower when not using it, shampoo hair or shaving legs. Great post!
My utility bill just came and I about went through the roof! I am going to take heed to your list.
These are great tips for saving money on utilities. I always wait until off peak hours to do my laundry.
These are such great tips! Utilities seriously takes a ton of money from us so these will help a lot! Thank you for the tips!
These are great money saving tips. I replaced all my light bulbs to the new energy efficient ones.
And sadly none of this helps much when it’s 110 or 115 during the summers out here. Those are helpful tips 🙂
These are great tips. I’m always practicing these – and also reminding the kids to do so also. They don’t always think about what a difference it makes when they leave lights on and stuff.
I waste a lot of energy on heating and cooling our home – this I know for sure. I also need to be a bit more conscious of my washer and dryer!
Awesome tips!! My girls constantly forget to turn off their bedroom light and tv!
People think I am crazy to turn the shower off when I am soaping or shampooing. I also wait in the shower until the water warms up. Did you know that many people turn the water on and then do other stuff while the water heats? Who knows how much water they waste!
If you just call and challenge the amount your paying for things like cable and internet, you may be able to get an automatic discount that way too.
I am going to experiment with hang drying clothes instead of using the dryer this summer. I don’t do a ton of laundry, but I think it might make a difference. Or at least offset some of the extra electricity used when the ACs is running.