5 Secrets Your Electric and Gas Companies Don’t Want You To Know
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While sustainability can come with a higher price tag, there are ways to live more sustainably while actually reducing the amount of money you spend. These simple sustainable tips that actually save consumers money oftentimes aren’t promoted by your electric and gas companies as they would prefer you keep spending money on their utilities.
So next time you’re hoping to save money and help the planet out, be sure to consider implementing some of these secret tips that your electric and gas companies don’t want you to know about!
1.Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water
When it comes to doing your laundry, this can be one of your biggest energy users. Washing your clothes in your washer not only requires the energy to run the machine but also the energy to heat up the water temperature you have selected.
If you’re able to wash your clothes in cold water, this reduces the energy needed to heat up your water. Newer machines sometimes even have a tap cold option which is even better.
2. Hang Dry Your Clothes
If you have the ability to hang dry your clothes, that is another great way to save on your energy bill. Running the dryer can use a ton of energy especially if it runs for hours.
Instead, hang your clothes to dry either outside or even inside your home. If you are worried they will be stiff you can always toss them in the dryer briefly and hang dry the rest of the time.
3. Close Your Blinds
When it is hot outside, close your blinds and curtains! By doing so you help reduce the amount of exposure your home has to the sun's rays, keeping your home cooler in the process. This is one of the absolute easiest steps to help keep your AC bill down and your house cooler in the summertime.
4. Switch to LED Bulbs
You have probably heard about LED bulbs by now. But if you haven’t switched out all your bulbs to LEDs you should consider doing so. An LED Bulb uses on average at least 75% less energy than an incandescent bulb (1). An LED Bulb can also last up to 25 times longer (1)!
And if you remember how hot incandescent bulbs can get, that is because those bulbs release about 90% of their energy as heat (1). So every time you use an incandescent bulb you’re really just paying for it to get hot with a side effect of lighting up your home. Whereas LED bulbs release very little heat, waste less energy, cause less burned fingers, and save you more money.
5. Seal Your Home
If you are renting be sure to talk to your landlord before you take action on this step. If you own your own home or your landlord has approved this, try to seal up your house as best as possible. Any cracks will allow hot and/or cold air into your home.
You can find places that need to be sealed in a few different ways. I have had good luck with simply walking around my house, indoors, and using my hand feeling where air is coming in. You can also use a piece of tissue paper to see if the paper gets pushed with the air coming inside. I’ve also heard of people using incense sticks and finding cracks by seeing if the smoke moves.
The biggest take away here is wherever there is a crack left unsealed in your home, air will get inside (and sometimes small bugs like ants). This can lead to you heating the outdoors when it's cold out or the outdoors heating up your home when it's hot out. Either way, increasing your heating bills and wasting resources.
At the end of the day these are just five simple steps to help you save on your gas and electric bills, while also keeping sustainability top of mind. There are many more tips and ideas out there but feel free to use these as a launching point to keep your bills down and your dedication to the planet up.
