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8 easy ways to save money on your energy bill

8 easy ways to save money on your energy bill

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Thanks to Robert from Millcreek Electric for contributing to this article.Your parents always told you money doesn’t grow on trees. What they didn’t say is that it can grow inside your home — on your windows, your light bulbs and your major appliances. Did you just go look? It’s fine if you did. It’s just that we’re obviously using a metaphor. (Growing your own money at home is a felony, in fact.)

What we’re saying is that — with a few simple moves — you could reduce your energy bill by a lot. Which is money not spent. Which is kind of like money magically materializing in your fridge. Don’t believe us? Check out our easy energy hacks below.

Get lit with LEDs

In a world full of inconvenient energy truths, LEDs (that’s light-emitting diode for the uninitiated) are, well, downright convenient. With one trip to the store and only a few “how many _____ does it take to screw in a lightbulb” jokes, you can cut your lighting costs by up to 80 percent. Silly old incandescents spend most of their energy heating a room, not lighting it. Pretty dumb, right? So get (watt) smart and go LED wild!

Did we mention LED bulbs last 25 times longer than incandescents? So don’t limit yourself to replacing regular bulbs. Change out your fluorescents (a 35-year fix!), your outdoor floodlights (a 60 percent energy savings!) or even recessed lighting (check out easy trim retrofits!).

Feeling particularly frisky? Install motion sensors in bathrooms, guest rooms or storage areas to save even more energy coin. Then light an LED candle and Om to the latest copy of your new energy bill, contemplating your too-easy enlightenment.

8 easy ways to save money on your energy bill

LED me help you update your business

Your pals over at RoMoPo (that’s Rocky Mountain Power, for the uninitiated) realllllly wanna help you retrofit your business with LEDs. Like, really. Like, so much that they’re sweetening the pot with some serious incentives, paying up to half the cost of your extreme energy makeover.

Think of it like an allowance, except you’re an adult and you’re saving the world instead of buying a 64-oz. Slurpee and Sour Patch Kids. Way less tooth decay, way fewer head freezes. Everybody wins. (Want more good news? KSL Classifieds is full of qualified electricians who do commercial retrofits!)

Beware the Phantom Menace

Everyone knows that George Lucas’s hit(-or-miss) prequel was really an elaborate metaphorical PSA about unplugging your electronics when you’re not using them. See, Darth Sidious is on one shoulder telling you to leave your phone charger plugged in all day and Queen Amidala is on the other begging you to unplug and save Naboo. And Jar Jar Binks… Nevermind.

The point is that plugged-in devices can suck phantom energy from the grid even when they’re not turned on, and that’s bad. Like, destruction-of-the-Jedi-Council bad. But the solution is easy. Just use a tiny bit of the Force to unplug unused devices. Better yet, buy a power strip and plug everything into it, then switch the whole thing off when you don’t need it. Put TVs and computers on energy-saving mode and unplug devices when they’re done charging. BOOM. The Republic is saved.

Pimp your attic

Right now your attic is pretty bare bones — just some wooden beams, boxes of forgotten tchotchkes and a crazy old ghost-woman from a Victorian novel. But it could be a moneymaker — spending a few hundo insulating your attic could save you $1,000 a year on your energy bill. And with Rocky Mountain Power and Questar offering rebates, it’s a no-brainer.

Just think of insulation as a wool beanie for your house (or one of those cool umbrella hats in the summer). And who knows? Maybe MTV Cribs will make an attic edition and you’ll be their first phone call. But even if that doesn’t pan out, you’ll be making it rain no matter the weather. (Now to get that ghost-woman out of here…)

Have a D.T.R. W/ UR A.C.

Sure, your air conditioner does its best, chugging away trying to cool your house, but the relationship just isn’t working. It’s too expensive, and sometimes your think your cooling system is just using you for your money. But guess what? It’s not the A.C., it’s you. Yep, buddy, you’re the problem here. You’ve been giving too little and asking for too much. But you can change.

For starters, be a little less demanding. Turn the default temperature to 78 degrees, not the impossible 65 degrees you’ve been expecting. Turn it off when you leave the house, or use smart sensors to control your cooling schedule. Then show some love. Give the A.C. a tune-up, and buy it a bouquet of new filters every month. If the relationship still isn’t working, break up. You deserve an A.C. that will love you back — like one of the efficient models with a SEER rating of 13 or higher, which is 250 percent more efficient than your ex.

Less waste, more heat!

Nelly told you it was getting hot in here, but he didn’t show you the bill. That’s because heating things is pricey and talking about bills ruin songs. The good news? The heat is often unnecessary, and the solutions are simple. Start saving bank by setting your water heater to 120 degrees — plenty warm but much cheaper. Or spring for a hyper-efficient electric heater. Wash clothes in cold water, and line dry when possible.

Turn off the heated drying function on your dishwasher (just add a nip of vinegar to prevent water spots). Give your heater a tune-up (yearly for oil heaters, every three years for gas) and seal ductwork with foil-backed tape. Seal openings around windows, doors and plumbing with caulk or weather stripping. If you have a fireplace, don’t forget to close the damper when you’re not using it (a huge energy saver). Better yet, invest in a pellet stove, heating your house efficiently while giving you that chestnuts-roasting kind of holiday feeling.

Become an Energy Star

Video may have killed the radio star, but nothing’s going to kill your extra-efficient Energy Star appliances. That’s because they’re easy to love — Energy Star fridges use half the juice of models made 15 years ago, their washing machines use 40 percent less, and their dishwashers are known brown nosers, exceeding federal energy standards by 41 percent. And you can take that to the bank!

8 easy ways to save money on your energy bill

Up Your Window Game

If eyes are the windows of the soul, your windows are the eyes of your house — and those eyes are crying. You’d be crying too if you knew that you alone were wasting 10–25 percent of your home’s energy. But dry those eyes. Replacing your windows may cost a pretty penny, but storm windows can be fitted over your existing glass and can recoup up to 25 percent of your energy costs. Quick, someone write a poetic phrase about that!

Need to consult a pro to double check your energy-saving work? Find a qualified and licensed electrician today onKSL Classifieds.

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