How to save energy (and money) year-round

Read time: 4 minutes

The average monthly electric bill in the United States is $143. With air conditioners humming across the country, it might seem like a fool’s errand to try to lower your electric bill in the middle of the summer. But every effort you make to lower your electric bill can help.

Water bills typically represent the smallest portion of U.S. household utility expenses (the average monthly bill is $40), but these costs can vary significantly by region based on local availability of this precious resource and infrastructure costs.

Here are a few reminders and new suggestions to help you use less electricity and water, and potentially lower your year-round costs on these two utility bills.

Speak with your local power company

Ask if it offers a home energy audit (sometimes, they’re free) that can identify what’s draining energy from your home, as well as give recommendations for repairs and fixtures that will help reduce your energy usage.
Ask the power company if it offers rebates, assistance programs and payment plans that can make your monthly charges predictable and easier to plan for.
Ask about off-peak rates. Some utility providers offer cheaper rates during parts of the day when general usage is down — early in the day or late at night. You could spend less on electricity by doing laundry and other energy-intensive chores at off-peak times. Ask if the company has a time-of-use rate plan.

️ Maintain your HVAC and refrigerator

Hire a reputable HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) company for annual heat and cool checks on your equipment. In between those checkups, change the air filter on your system, ideally monthly.

For the fridge, clean the refrigerator coils at least once a year to reduce energy usage.

Install and/or use ceiling fans

Keep the air circulating in your home with ceiling fans. In the summer, the moving air helps keep your skin feeling cooler.

️ Bump your thermostat up — or down

Set your thermostat up or down 7 to 10 degrees (depending on the season) when you’re asleep or away from home. Doing that for eight hours can lower your annual heating and cooling costs by around 10%. A programmable thermostat can do the work for you.

Adjust the temperatures of your refrigerator and freezer

Set your fridge to 37 degrees and your freezer to 0 degrees. This will still keep your food fresh, while keeping your appliance from working as hard as it does when the temperatures are set lower. Keep the fridge and freezer full if you can. Food acts as insulation and lessens the amount of time the refrigerator and freezer have to run to stay cold.

Switch to LED lighting

LED bulbs use 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Switch out the most widely used bulbs in your home with LEDs and replace the rest as the incandescents burn out.

Install dimmer switches

Dimmers let you set the brightness in a room. Use only as much light as you need — and save electricity.

Use smart power strips

Some electronic gadgets — TVs, computers and speakers — never truly power off. Instead, they go into standby mode, using power that can account for 5%-10% of home energy use and $100 a year. Say goodbye to this phantom energy use and plug your electronics into a smart power strip, which cuts off the current when the devices aren’t in use. A power strip with a manual on/off switch is another good option.

Adjust the temperature on your water heater

Cutting back on your hot water usage can help lower your water and energy bills. The default temperature setting on some water heaters is 140 degrees. Lowering it to 120 degrees can reduce your energy costs by 4%-22% annually.

Use warm or cold water for laundry

Wash clothes in warm or cold water to help lower your electric bill. This can also help prevent clothes from shrinking, fading and wrinkling. That’s a win-win.

Replace your showerhead

An efficient showerhead — one that uses no more than two gallons per minute — can reduce household water usage by 2,700 gallons per year. Look for one with the WaterSense label, which is certified to meet efficiency criteria set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Take shorter showers

Cutting just two minutes off your shower time could save five gallons of water. Taking a shorter shower will reduce the energy used to heat the water, too.

Purchase energy-efficient appliances

The next time you’re in the market for a new washer, dishwasher or water heater, buy an energy-efficient appliance for long-term savings. For example, a dishwasher with the EPA’s Energy Star label uses 12% less energy and 30% less water on average than a regular model.

Give a few of these relatively inexpensive tips a try. Sometimes, saving a few dollars here and there doesn’t seem like it’s worth the effort. But knowing you’ve done all you can do to save energy and money is a reward in itself.