Reduce Your Electric Bills

One of the most abundantly available natural energy forms on the earth is solar energy. It is not very difficult to generate solar power at home. Doing this will not only cut down your power bills but also help you contribute to a greener earth. You can utilize the following types of solar power solutions at home:

• Solar Cookers
• Solar Lighting Systems
• solar Heating Systems
• Solar Dryers

The sun has forever been a source of heat and light energy. With the help of modern technology, the sun’s energy can be harnessed to create other energy forms.

Solar energy systems have numerous other advantages apart from being cost-effective and environment-friendly. These systems need low maintenance and thus save your time, effort and money. Also, solar systems yield a quick return on investment and pay for themselves within a short period of time. To add icing on the cake, cooking with solar energy is also considered to be very healthy.

It is due to all this that an increasingly large number of families have started employing solar energy as a power solution at their homes.

While this may sound like a no-brainer to a lot of people, there are many, who, for one reason or another fail to do this.

If you’re really committed to saving your electricity usage and bills (all the while helping our environment), one good step would be to discuss this with your family members who live in the same household.

Since you’ve taken the initiative to reduce the consumption of electricity and associated cost, you’re alerady in a good position to explain the benefits to your family members and to discuss the same with them. Explain to them what you’re doing or plan to do to ensure lower power consumption and while you’re at it, ask them for their input too.

Remember, if all occupants of the house contribute to this drive, the savings will mount up that much higher.

It is but obvious that fall is the season when your home heating system goes in to high gear and the same would be true for the air-conditioning system come spring.

In light of the fact that these two systems (i.e. heating and cooling) are amongst the largest energy hogs in most households, if you have these tuned up a bit before the onset of their individual peak usage seasons, it stands to reason that they will work more efficiently and consume less power.

Use this tip to your advantage and enjoy substantial savings on your electricity bills.

Many home owners are unaware of the fact that hot water pipes and ducts running through the house, especially the unheated parts of a house, if not insulated, can decrease the efficiency of the water heater.

Assuming you’re still using a conventional, electric water heater – like most house-holds do, and not a solar water heater, uninsulated water pipes will cause it to suck up more electricity resulting in to a heftier electricity bill.

Make sure you – or a contractor – insulate the hot water pipes and ducts running through the unheated parts of your house to be blessed with a tad lower electricity bills. Remember, this job will cost you a bit of time or money, depending on how you get it done, just once but the savings you enjoy on your utility bill will go on benefiting you for months and years to come.

Did you know that solar water heaters – water heaters powered by free, renewable solar energy – can help you save hundreds of dollars per year on your electricity bills?

In addition to the savings on your power bill, solar water heaters can also increase the life of your conventional water heater by making it work less.

And last, but not the least, solar water heaters also contribute towards making the earth greener and making our environment better, safer, for longer.

Those seeking instant gratification can buy solar water heaters off-the-shelf. Expect to pay up to $1000 which, of course, you will recover in due course of time.

Those of you who are more of the ‘hands-on’ type can get a DIY solar water heater kit for as little as under $100. What’s more is that Tom Hayden at SimpleHeaters.com publishes a comprehensive electronic guide book called ‘DIY Solar Water Heater’ that you can buy for just under $30.

No matter which way your personal preference lies – the off-the-shelf way or the DYI way, using a solar water heater will certainly help you reduce your electricity bills and save money.

Those of you who are interested can checkout Tom’s DIY Solar Water Heater e-book here.

Learn How to Build Your Own Solar Water Heater for under $100

Did you know that air leaks in your house can leak more than just air? Yes, they can leak your bank balance too, by reducing the efficiency of your air-conditioning and heating systems which results into mounting electricity bills.

Check for air leaks throughout your house and seal as many of these – usually silent – electricity suckers as you can. You will be rewarded with not just more efficient air-conditioning but also with a healthier bank balance.

Many people are not aware of the fact that clogged air-conditioner and heat-pump filters can cause the efficiency of these electrical appliances to be drastically reduced.

When operated with clogged filters, these appliances will consume more electricity to function. Periodic cleaning of the filters will result into not only lower electricity bills but also better efficiency.

Depending upon your usage frequency and pattern, set a schedule for cleaning the filters. The operating manuals of most appliances include guidelines for routine maintenace tasks such as filter cleaning. If in doubt, check with the vendor or supplier.

No matter which way you do it, make sure to do yourself – and your wallet – a favour: Clean filters periodically.

Did you know that there are some electrical appliances in most homes that suck far more electric power as compared to the others? Unwise use of these appliances can inflate your electricity bill and punch a big hole right where it hurts – your bank account.

Top three of these ‘power guzzlers’ are:

• Washing Machines
• Air Conditioners
• Water Heaters (Geysers)

Each one of these appliances needs to be operated in its own, specific way, in order to minimize the power consumption and thereby, lowering your electricity bill.

With most American homes not having on-off switches on wall sockets, it becomes tedious and cumbersome for people to totally switch-off appliances that are not in use. Such appliances can create ‘phantom load’ on your electricity connection, waste electricity and run up your bill.

An instantly deploy-able way of conserving electricity and lowering your electric utility bill is to use plug strips instead of plugging appliances directly into wall sockets.

Plug strips typically cost under $5 and they are quite convenient in terms of everyday, frequent use. You can group several appliances that you normally use together (for instance, your PC, the monitor and the modem) and plug these into one strip. This way, with the flick of just one switch, you can turn off several potential phantom load generators instantly and conveniently.

One more method (albeit, a bit more involved than the others) to reduce your electricity bill is to build your own home solar power generator.

‘Easier said than done’, you might well be thinking and rightly so too! I mean, most of us ‘mere mortals’ would not have a clue about power generators, leave alone those of the ’solar’ variety and leave even farther alone building one at home! You may well have further questions like ‘how much will it cost me’ and others too.

If you are committed and sold, however, on paying less on your electricity bills by using a home solar power generator, do not despair. Help is at hand.

The good folks over at this place called Earth4Energy have put together a comprehensive, yet easy to use eBook that will explain to you in a step-by-step manner how you can create your own electricity at home, for less than $200. And the eBook itself is pretty inexpensive too.

You can check out their website here.