Essentially, there are only two approaches to reducing that monthly utility company payment - reduce energy consumption or produce your own energy. We'll keep getting shocked by large monthly energy bills if we keep purchasing electricity from the power company and throwing it away through sloppy energy habits.
Alternatively, with just a little work we will begin to see a real drop in our home energy bill. If you really mean to save on electricity, you can take action right way on these ideas to help you stop throwing it away. All of these ideas are free there's no need to invest in materials or tools to begin saving.
HOME ELECTRONICS.
Sleep mode on your personal computer saves energy, but your screen saver does not. Adjust your settings to begin saving electricity immediately.
Battery charges for the gadgets in your life (such as your cell phone) consume energy even when they are not charging your equipment. Always unplugging the charger from the wall (not just the gadget) will reduce your level of electricity consumption.
Other items that draw energy even when they are not in use are game consoles, such as Wii or Xbox 360.
IN THE KITCHEN.
If possible, be sure to place your refrigerator away from the oven and dishwasher because the heat from these two appliances would only make your refrigerator work that much harder to stay cool.
The coils on the back of your refrigerator will function better if they are clean, so be sure to vacuum them periodically.
Set your refrigerator to 35-38 degrees Fahrenheit.
Don't pre-wash your dishes by hand. Scrape off the food from your dirty plates and set the dishwasher to pre-rinse.
Always load the dishwasher to full capacity before running it this appliance uses the same amount of electricity and water regardless of how many dishes you are washing.
Always be certain to put a correctly sized pot on the stove top. Using a little pot on a big burner will simply be wasting the heat your stove is producing. Also, heat your content more quickly by placing a lid on your pot.
Instead of using your full size oven, try using the microwave or toaster oven whenever possible.
The more you open your refrigerator door the more this appliance needs to work to keep your food cold. Keep the door closed to minimize refrigerator run time.
APPLIANCES.
Always wash a full load of laundry. Or be sure to adjust the water level whenever the load is not full.
Most lightly soiled clothing cleans up just fine in cold water, so wash in cold water whenever possible to reduce the demand on your water heater.
Before every new load, be sure to clean the lint out of your dryer's lint trap.
Try putting like fabrics together so they all finish drying at the same time, and do not over dry your cloths.
You can hang your clothes on a line and avoid the cost of running your dryer all together.
Even after they are shut off, many household appliance continue to consume power. Computers, VCRs, televisions and kitchen appliances should all be unplugged when not in use to ensure that they stop consuming electricity.
TIP... You can plug several electronic items or appliances into a power strip and turn them off using the switch on the strip. This will cut the power completely without going through the trouble of unplugging everything.
HEATING and COOLING.
If you have a window installed air conditioner, either cover it or remove it from the window in the off season.
Save on electricity by turning off your central air conditioner and cooling on the rooms that you are using.
Use fans or high efficiency room air conditioners if you have a big house.
Open the drapes to let heat into the house in the winter - it