The tricky thing to saving money on your electric bill when it’s chilly out? Avoiding anything that makes you or your family uncomfortable and cold! We’ve put together 10 great options that will lower your electricity bill while leaving you warm and happy for the holidays:
- Change out all of your lightbulbs: Some homeowners have committed to changing their regular light bulbs to LED lights that are much more energy efficient. Problems can often arise when you have too many light bulbs to change out and once and you therefore leave some of the old style in place. This year, make a commitment to getting all your light bulbs replaced and you will see the cost savings on your electric bill.
- Run your Christmas lights less: Christmas lights often add a lot to electric bills. You can definitely save money by trimming the number of nights or hours that your lights are run so that they are only when people would normally view them. This can be accomplished by putting them on a timer.
- Invest in an electric blanket or heating pad: If you keep your entire room warm at night on a cold night, some of that heat will continuously escape, making it a more costly option than buying an electric blanket or heating pad, which use much less energy.
- Buy a Kotatsu: Famous in Japan, a Kotatsu is a low table with an integrated heater. To work or play, people lift the table top and put a blanket over the table that reaches the floor on all sides. They then replace the table top. To use it, you turn on the heater and keep your legs underneath the table. It will save you a lot of money over heating a central room in your house.
- Use a gas fireplace for heating: Gas fireplaces or faux log displays cost less than electric heat in a home. If you use one to heat your central rooms, you will enjoy warmth and save money.
- Use quilts and blankets in your family room: If you spend a lot of time in your family room or entertainment room, you can put out warm quilts or blankets to keep people warm instead of heating the room every day. The difference on your electric bill should be noticeable.
- Wear warm robes while you are home: Different from a housecoat, a warm robe should be comfortable and close so that it provides warmth all over. Wearing one around your house should make it so that you no longer need to heat your rooms as much as you were.
- Winterize your Windows: To help keep heat from escaping your home through your windows, you can use drapes or insulated panels to seal or block the heat from escaping. As the US government suggests, make sure that your drapes are hung down to the floor in order for them to be effective.
- Insulate your floor, walls, and ceiling: Most people already have insulation in their homes, but are not aware that adding more insulation or stronger insulation will continue to decrease the amount of heat lost during the winter heating season, saving you money on your electric bill.
- Get a remote thermostat program for your tablet or smartphone: If you upgrade your thermostat, you can use a remote application that travels with you and allows you to set timers- so that when no one is home, your home will not be heated. When you plan to return, you can set your thermostat to start heating your home before you get there and it will be warm when you arrive. If you do not want to upgrade your thermostat, you can also save money by turning the heat off before you leave each day.
