Resources: Newsletter Articles: Saving Money On Summer Utility Bills

Now that summer is upon us, there are simple steps you can take to reduce your utility bills. Here are simple steps that will save you money in the long run.

Keep Your Cool

Make sure you have ample insulation in your attic, and that doors and windows are caulked and weather-stripped. Controlling energy waste can cut your energy bill by as much as 30 percent.

Create a breeze. Ceiling fans help circulate your air conditioner's cool air so your rooms stay cooler longer. The less you have to run your air conditioner to keep your house cool, the less it costs.

Cover windows to keep cool air in and warm air out. Insulated drapes or blinds and/or UV-cutting film on your windows can all help keep the temperature down.

Lights not only use electricity, but the bulbs generate extra heat. Try three-way fixtures or dimmers so you can choose to use less wattage. If you have trouble remembering to turn lights off, put them on timers or motion sensors.

Here's a cost-saving tip: replacement bulbs rated for 130 volts (instead of 110 volts) have thicker filaments, and last longer. 130v bulbs can be found at Home Depot or your hardware store.

Use Less Water

Set your lawn mower to cut your grass 2 to 3 inches high. Taller grass actually needs less water because the soil doesn't dry out as quickly.

Reduce your water bill and preserve your yard by watering lawns early in the morning. If you turn on sprinklers mid-day, water is absorbed too quickly and you will end up using more water or with dying grass. If you water in the evening, grass stays moist too long, which encourages lawn diseases. Use a sprinkler timer to make life easier.

Pick plants wisely. Before you put plant or prune, think about how the sun affects your house. You may want a huge shade tree rather than a low garden of beautiful flowers near your south- or west-facing windows. Selecting native, drought-tolerant plants, will also affect your water bill.

Check for leaks in your system. Start by comparing your latest water bill with one from last year to make sure there are no unexpected changes. Shut off the water to your house and check your water meter (usually located where your property meets the street); if it is still running, there could be a leak between the water main and your house.

This just happened to one of our clients. Small amounts of water had been seeping up through her laundry room floor for years. The explanation she had been given was that there was a high water table in the area. When the problem suddenly worsened, she discovered that 850 gallons a day were leaking into the ground between the water main and her house, flooding her basement. Once the leak was fixed the problem in her laundry roomÉ and her high water billsÉÊwent away!

Breathe Easy

Change air-conditioning filters once a month, not every three months. A dirty filter forces your air conditioner to work harder, costing you more money. Unless you are sensitive to dust or other indoor allergens, inexpensive filters will do the job just fine. Shop online for bulk purchase discounts.

Some of these may sound like small changes, but they really do add upÉ and help reduce your utility bills.

sherrybenninger@grubbco.com

The GRUBB Co., 1960 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA 94611

Top of Page

©
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /var/www/vhosts/80/240791/webspace/httpdocs/sherrybenninger.com/res_article_summer_bills.php on line 441
2024 Sherry Benninger. For informational purposes only.
No reprinting of this material is allowed without express written permission.

privacy policy