Over the last few years, my husband and I have really worked to find practical ways for lowering our winter electric bill. Fortunately, we live in a reasonable climate that doesn’t often go below freezing. We don’t have the challenges that some other people might. Even so, after a couple months of electric bills that almost tripled, we got serious about conserving energy costs.
Small Changes Can Make a Difference
Some of the changes we implemented may not work for everyone and might seem a little over the top. We are trying to be very intentional about where our money goes. A little bit of discomfort in the beginning was worth it in order to continue to save money for repairs and improvements on our home. Most of these changes were done gradually. We did notice small savings right away on our electric bill.
Steps to Lower Your Lower Your Winter Electric Bill
- First things first. Sit down with the family and let everyone know that you are going to work on cutting back the electric bill. Let them know what your expectations are. You might ask them to turn out the lights when they leave the room, or start taking shorter showers.
- Program the thermostat to lower the temperature when no one is home or when you go to bed. Bonus, a cool room encourages better sleep.
- Honestly, if the you are sitting comfortably in shorts and a T-shirt with the heat running, you probably have the heat up too high. Please don’t freeze your babies, but if you are trying to save on your heating bill, put on some clothes.
- Lock your windows to make sure there are no gaps. If you notice any light or breeze coming from under a door, put a rolled up towel across the bottom to stop a draft.
- When the sun is shining, open the curtain and blinds to let in as much light as possible. Close them as the sun goes down.
- Be careful with a fire place. An open flue will draw the warm air up your chimney.
- A woodstove can really save on your heating costs. Make sure the doors are closed. If you are up for a little manual labor, you can usually find wood for free.
- Check air filters every three months
- Turn off the heat cycle on your dishwater, Open the door and let the dishes air dry.
- Use a power strip or unplug unused appliances. One study found that at least 10% of our electric bill is from electronics on standby.
Give Yourself Time to Adjust to The Changes
It may take a month or two before you notice a sizeable difference in your electric bill. It depends on how drastically you implement changes. Don’t make yourself miserable. Any little bit helps. Pick one or two things to try and go from there.
