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Money Saving Tips for Your Electrical Bill

Sacramento Home Performance Contractor Provides Money-Saving Tips for Your Electrical Bill

No one likes opening their electricity bills at the end of the month to be confused by the high value. It can seem difficult to control how much you are spending since there are so many contributing factors that seem impossible to limit but a Sacramento home performance contractor can help!

Summer is full of fun activities and warm evenings, but one thorn in the side of every homeowner during summer is the spike in electricity prices. Everyone being home and the increases in temperatures push electricity needs to their limits. There are many ways to save energy at home with little to no investment on your part. The state of California also has many state-sponsored ways to reward individuals who limit their energy use.

Here are some easy ways to conserve electricity year-round include:

  • Using appliances during off-peak hours – Electric companies charge different rates at different times depending on how popular these times are. Waiting until the evening or weekends to run your dishwasher or laundry machine can help save money simply through timing!
  • Turn off appliances when not in use – Since power is still used when electric items are plugged in, it’s a good idea to unplug them when not in use. It can be convenient to keep a number of items all related to the same activity on a power cord and to turn off that cord when not in use. This can be useful for electronic devices associated with your TV, such as the DVD player, video game systems, and TV itself.
  • Change your lightbulbs – Using LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs can make a big difference on your overall costs. Incandescent bulbs last around 1,200 hours, while LEDs can last up to 25,000 hours. Additionally, incandescent bulbs use 60 watts of energy while LED bulbs use 10 watts.

Specifically during the summer, manipulating your air conditioning and cooling systems can help save tons! A Sacramento AC service contractor can explain in details the various ways you can help reduce your electric bill.

  • Use fans and open windows instead of the air conditioning – If it’s a nice, cool evening, it may serve you well to open a window and utilize your ceiling fan instead of running the air conditioning unit all night. As long as you are able to sleep, that’s around eight hours of energy savings!
  • Set thermostats higher – For every degree higher your air conditioning unit is set to, you save around 3% on cooling costs. This really adds up over the many hours your air conditioning is on. Consider turning up your air conditioning unit even higher while everyone is away during the days – this can really impact your bill. Installing a programmable thermostat can make the process easier by automating it. Keeping your home around 85 while you’re away and timing the thermostat to start cooling down to an optimal 78 before you come home can make it unnoticeable.
  • Close drapes and blinds – Sunshine is a nice way to light a home, but when it isn’t necessary or when the sun is very strong, it’s wise to close your blinds. The strong sunlight beaming into your home can make it harder for your air conditioning unit to do its job – hiking up energy output and therefore prices.

Get paid by the government to save money. In California, the state will actually pay you for taking certain steps to save energy. This will save you money on your monthly bill as well as getting a bonus from the state. Win win!

  • Sync with OhmConnect – California residents can earn cash by syncing their utility account to an energy-sharing program called OhmConnect. Ohmconnect will send users a weekly payment when they decrease their energy output. This program aims to decrease dirty energy usage that is activated during energy demand spikes. The more energy you save, the more money you save on your monthly bill, and the more California will pay you – up to $300 annually!
  • Improve your insulation – Having subpar insulation allows conditioned air (such as that cooled by your AC unit) to escape your home. The state of California offers up to $500 in tax credits (the Residential Energy Efficiency tax credit, to be specific), for improving your home’s insulation.
  • Use Energy Star certified appliances – These appliances use less energy, saving you money on water and electricity. In addition, California offers a rebate of up to $150 cash back for buying and installing an energy-efficient clothes washer.
  • Use solar energy – Using solar panels to provide energy for your home can have a significant impact on your monthly expenses. Though solar panels are quite expensive to install, eligible solar projects can reduce the amount of taxes owed to the state.

No one likes to pay too much for their electric bill. By contacting a Sacramento home performance contractor and taking some simple steps to reducing your energy output can have a significant, lasting effect on your bill.

Call a Sacramento Home Performance Contractor to Reduce Your Electric Bill

As a homeowner, there are many unknown expenses that creep up out of nowhere but there are also many ways you can lower them, including your electrical bill. Clarke & Rush has over 55 years of experience optimizing and improving the performance of commercial and residential property. Give us a call at (916) 609-2669 to speak to a Sacramento home performance contractor.

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