4 Mistakes You Might Be Making That Cause High Energy Bills in Spring

You can easily find advice on any topic online. But, as you know, you can find good advice that works.

And you can find plain old info that doesn’t actually work like it says.

That’s certainly true when it comes to energy savings.

So, what are some mistakes you might make that you can easily fix?

Here’s a quick summary of what to look at:

• Are you making the right energy-efficient improvements?
• Failing to use LED light bulbs
• Not using your bathroom fans
• Using too much hot water

And here’s the full detail on what to look for within in each point:

1. Not Making Energy-Efficient Home Improvements

You can only do so many small projects. If you want to score further major savings, you have to invest some cash.

Major energy-saving projects you may be putting off include:

• Adding insulation
• Upgrading your HVAC system
• Replacing windows

If you want to find out exactly which projects could benefit your home most, schedule a home energy audit.

Many HVAC companies happily do them for free.

2. Not Using LED Light Bulbs

You’re not still using old incandescents, are you? That’s a major mistake if you are.

CFLs are actually pretty efficient. They use about 70% less energy than incandescents.

But, LEDs will reduce your costs an astounding 85 – 90% when compared to incandescent bulbs.

LEDs used to be crazy expensive. But now, you can easily find them for $5 – $8 per bulb.

If you’re patient and you hunt at many different major retail stores, you can even find them for $2.50 or so.

3. Not Using Your Bathroom Fans

Yes, in this case, failing to use some electricity will actually cost you more overall.

When it starts to get warmer, the heat and humidity in your bathroom following a shower warms you home even further. Of course, that may make your AC work more.

And you end up using more energy.

So as it starts to heat up in spring, make sure you use your bathroom fans.

Get more out of this tip by using that heat and humidity to warm your home when it’s cool out.

Leave your bathroom fan off. Plug in a normal standing floor fan to push that heat around your house.

4. Using Too Much Hot Water

When you do your wash, you don’t need to use any hot water at all. You don’t sacrifice any cleaning power by using cold water. So, go ahead and only wash with cold water.

Also, set your hot water heater to about 120 degrees. If you set it any higher, you run the risk of scalding yourself.

Since your hot water heater uses around 20% of all your electricity, it’s an easy place for quick wins.

You might also consider installing a tankless water heater, a heat trap, or even a blanket to wrap around your hot water heater.

Saving energy is easy when you know the right things to do. Since you now have that information, get out there and make the most of it!