Welcome to the third part of our Energy Saving Secrets series. If you have missed the rest of the series, catch up here:
Part 1: Work from Home
Part 2: Water Conservation
We all have to cook and clean and maintain a reasonable level upkeep in and around our homes, and it almost always consumes some sort of energy. So here’s some tips that can serve to slash your utility bills with some smart choices.
Most of the electricity your washing machine uses doesn’t come from the party your pants are having during the vigorous swishing cycle. All agitation aside, the truth is that 90% of the electricity used by your washing machine is consumed heating up the water.The solution is easy – wash your clothes on the “Cold” setting or Cold/Cold settings. The savings? About $10 a month! Also remember to air dry small amounts of laundry, on a clothesline or over the shower curtain rod, for example. Only use your electric dryer for full loads.
There are really lots of ways to cut energy costs in the kitchen – many of which most people don’t think about while they’re cooking, or simply haven’t heard about. Here’s some quick energy slashing cooking tips to save on your electric bill:
- Use ceramic or glass for oven baking and reduce the temp by about 30 degrees
- If a baked dish recipe calls for an hour or more of baking time, don’t preheat the oven
- Match the pot to the size of your burner or risk wasting 40% of your energy on the stove!
- Keep the lids on pots and cookers while they’re stewing, lifting lids wastes energy
- Once your water is boiling, you can turn the heat down and still maintain the boil!
- Get a Toaster Oven. If you have one, use it whenever you can for its energy efficiency
If you have a dishwasher, this chore gets a lot easier, but it’s also more expensive and consumes more energy than washing by hand. It is a bit of a trade off, and most of us would simply prefer the route of ease in exchange for a couple extra dollars each month on the electric bill. But the best idea is to find a happy medium. Do you really need to use the dishwasher EVERY time? A better strategy is to try and stay on top of it by not letting the dishes pile up in the sink. Wash them by hand after you use them, it takes much less time, only a few minutes, and if you stay disciplined at it, you could save a good bit on your bill by running your dishwasher a fraction of the time you’re accustomed to. You’re also conserving electricity AND water.
If you’ve applied all these tips and others you may have gleaned from articles on Electric Choice, but you’re still paying higher electric bills, it might be time for you to check out some other options and think about switching electricity providers.
