ENERGY SAVING TIPS TO HELP LOWER YOUR BILLS

June 13. 2010 by admin.

ENERGY SAVING TIPS TO HELP LOWER YOUR BILLS 

As summer has quickly arrived the question in almost everyone’s mind is going to be “what can I do to keep my energy bills down and save money?”   Here are some energy saving tips to remember as the temperatures start to rise along with your electric bill.

·         Keep your thermostat at 78 degrees when you are at home and 85 degrees when you are away, fans really help to circulate the air and cool down the room you are in. Recent research for Florida has shown a 12% increase for every degree below 78 that your thermostat is set at.

·         Keep your window blinds closed. One of the top places that the sun enters your house from is through your windows and while this won’t solve all your problems it will help you to keep the heat from entering your home through the windows

·         Eliminate wasted energy by turning off all the lights in unoccupied rooms, run appliances in off-peak hours or when the sun goes down and  when replacing appliance make sure your purchase Energy Star products as they can save up to 30 percent over standard models. If you own a pool try to shorten the operating time and have your pool running during off peak hours.  Many electronics such as televisions, laptops, printers, etc. are using up power even if they are turned off but still plugged in (you should either unplug them or turn off the power strip.

·         Replace A/C filters once a month which can save up to 5% off of your a/c bill, it is also recommended to have your a/c serviced once a year

·         Replace light bulbs around the house with Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs

·         Install low flow showerheads to help with the amount of water being used

·         Weather strip and caulk leaky windows and doors and cover all of your outlets

·         If your ceiling is not fully insulated consider insulating it to save 5-25%

·         If you are planning on replacing your windows, think about replacing them with Energy Star windows which can reduce cooling costs by 15%

·         Some of the worse and most expensive leaks can come from your toilet that makes that faint whiny sound.  Tightening the pipe under the tank might solve the problem or you could put food coloring in the toilet tank, if color shows up in the bowl without having to flush you have a leak.   Another toilet leak is what is called a “hung toilet” where the tank mechanism is caught from closing and filling up your tank and is continuously running.  Even if this is only happening every once in awhile it should be checked.  A “hung toilet” can pour out a gallon every 2 seconds resulting in a loss of 43,000 gallons per day.  In just a matter of days the loss can be at several hundred thousand gallons of water, 200,000 gallons would result along in a $244 charge.

·         Make sure the a/c unit outside is free of grass and other debris or else the heat will have nowhere to escape to which will inevitably lead to a larger bill.

If you do decide to start making some energy efficient improvements on your own house or any properties you are managing you might want to take into consideration the current tax rebate programs that the government is offering.

HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT TAX CREDITS
Consumers who purchase and install specific products, such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in existing homes can receive a tax credit for 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, for improvements “placed in service” starting January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2010.

RESIDENTIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX CREDITS
Consumers who install solar energy systems (including solar water heating and solar electric systems), small wind systems, geothermal heat pumps, and residential fuel cell and microturbine systems can receive a 30% tax credit for systems placed in service before December 31, 2016

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