What do you think about it when it comes to saving money? How often do you consider the price of your energy bill and how much that may be costing each month. Well, $1,000 per year is what the average household spends on their energy usage! Appliances can be a major drain on our monthly costs, especially if you don’t know these savings tips we are about to share with you today. Below we’ve listed 27 ways for lowering those appliance-related expenses by following these easy steps:
Use your dishwasher for more than just dishes
Did you know you can fit more than just dishes in your dishwasher? If you have pots and pans that need cleaning, consider running them through the wash cycle. Most dishwashers today are very powerful at removing crusted-on food particles from cooking equipment. Just make sure you use a good quality detergent that is formulated for washing dishes as well as pots and pans to help reach those hard-to-get places.
Use air-dryers instead of drying with heat
Air dryers are great because they really save on energy costs compared with traditional heating appliances. Plus, they will cut down on wear and tear to clothing items by reducing the amount of time they spend in a hot clothes dryer. It’s estimated that the average family could save about $60 per year by switching over to just a few of these machines.
Use cold water when washing clothes
Hot water is used for fighting stains and sanitizing laundry, but if you are using a detergent that includes bleach, it doesn’t make sense to use hot water. The chemical reaction will actually reduce the effectiveness of your cleaning agents! It takes less time to wash with warm or cold water anyway, so your clothing will come out as clean using this method. Plus you’ll save money on energy costs.
Close off unneeded rooms in the winter
One way that you can reduce heating costs during the colder months is by closing off unused rooms in your house. In winter months, those rooms that aren’t being used should be shut off completely. This will prevent warm air from being lost to the outside which is what happens when you leave them open. It might not seem like a huge difference, but if you have 4 unneeded rooms in your home that are left open, that’s 400 square feet of the heated area where your money is being wasted!
Use the right appliances for the job
This may sound obvious, but if you use an appliance that’s too large for your task at hand, it won’t do as good a job. Appliances should always be used in conjunction with their size and capacity matches up well to the workload they’ll be required to perform. If possible, try and get rid of items that just sit around doing nothing all year because they aren’t suited to handle the job.
Use an appliance timer
Using a timer on your appliances is one of the easiest ways for lowering your energy costs. When you leave these machines on, you are wasting money. So by using an Appliance Timer, you can actually save more than 33% on electricity and gas! These devices are extremely affordable too so it’s well worth the investment if it means that you will be saving significant amounts of money each month.
Use glass jars for storing food
Foods should only be stored in containers that do not allow any light to pass through them during their storage time. This is because exposure to light deteriorates nutrients over time which makes foods less nutritious than they should be. Plastic and metal cans can allow light to pass through the material so your food will become less nutritious over time. Pay attention to expiration dates on the packaging and opt for glass jars instead of cans when it is possible.
Use a cheap dishwasher detergent
This may sound counterintuitive at first, but most premium detergents are very concentrated and can work better than cheaper alternatives. For example, if you use a detergent that costs $10 per month in comparison with another that costs $1 per month, you’ll be using about 4 times as much money (even though you have significantly more volume). So there’s no need to purchase these more expensive options unless they truly offer real value. This helps to ensure your dishes are clean enough after each wash cycle which makes you less likely to rewash things that can be bad for your dishes.
Use a laundry line to dry clothes outside
When you can do so, it is best to use a dryer that uses natural gas or propane as opposed to electricity whenever possible because they will save significantly on energy costs. If you have this option available to you, try using it whenever possible. But if you really don’t want the hassle of putting up and taking down clotheslines yourself then look into buying nice clothes drying rack instead. This way the job doesn’t fall on just one person in your household and everyone has their own designated spot where they can put their clothes out when needed.
Use a natural fabric softener
When you use standard liquid fabric softeners, they will usually make your clothes feel softer to the touch. Unfortunately, though, these chemicals also leave a residue behind on your clothing so that they lose their softness over time. This is why it’s best to go with an all-natural or homemade alternative whenever possible. There are many recipes on the internet that can help you accomplish this as well if you’re interested in making your own concoctions instead of purchasing them from stores (because let’s face it, that’s just easier).
Use glass and stainless steel food storage containers
Glass and stainless steel are naturally non-reactive materials which makes them safer than plastics for storing food because they won’t leach any unwanted residues into your food as it ages. This helps ensure that you get the most nutritional value out of your foods since you don’t have to worry about additional chemicals being introduced to what’s inside.
Vacuum sealing can extend shelf life by several months
Most people buy more than they need which means that a lot of food goes uneaten within just a couple of days or weeks at most after being purchased. There are several ways you can prevent this wastage, but vacuum sealing is one of the easiest because it will keep foods fresh for up to half a year or even longer! It may take some time to get used to using these devices (since they will require more preparation when shopping) and some people will not feel comfortable with
Unplug small appliances that are not in use
It is a good rule of thumb to unplug anything that isn’t truly in use. This can be especially important for small items like televisions, computers (and their monitors), DVD players, iPods, and other similar devices in the home because they are still using energy even when you turn them off or walk away from them.
Even though it may feel awkward at first, try to get into the habit of turning everything off whenever there’s a break in your activities so that you don’t have to worry about wasting power. It will save you money over time and ultimately keep things running more efficiently which means you won’t need to replace appliances as often either!
Use solar panels or an air conditioner with natural gas during summer
If you have the extra room in your home, solar panels can be a great investment since they use natural energy to power many things. This is especially true during summer when air conditioning units are running almost continually.
By using these systems, you give yourself the option of using zero fossil fuels (oil and coal) which will greatly reduce any negative environmental impact that may result from their use. Additionally, these systems do not require extensive maintenance so there are few worries about breaking them or paying for repairs either!
Use a rain barrel that collects water for watering plants
Some cities even offer discounts to people who set up rain barrels at their homes because it helps reduce stormwater runoff in urban areas significantly. This means less tax money has to be spent on municipal systems to keep up with demand and it also helps save the environment since there are fewer chemicals, oils, and other pollutants that will end up in local rivers which means that they will not be released into the oceans either.
Buy a water-saving showerhead
If you want to cut down on the amount of water that you draw up for your showers, a good investment is a water-saving showerhead. These will allow you to wash with just as much warm water as you need while still saving money and energy overall because there’s less demand on the power plants to
Install low-flow faucets and toilets to reduce the amount of water used per flush
It is important to use as little water as possible when it comes to flushing down the toilet. To this end, you should look into getting low-flow faucets installed on your toilet so that you can adjust the amount of water used for each flush depending on how full the bowl is at the time. The more room there is in the bowl,
Look for efficient home appliances such as washers
If you want to clean clothes efficiently without wasting energy, consider purchasing a top-loading washing machine with an agitator because they use half the water per load compared to front-load machines and they are also much less likely to break down over time because there are less complicated parts inside them (which means fewer opportunities for something to
Turn off lights when you leave a room or go out for the day
Many people simply forget to turn out the lights when they leave a room, but this can be an easy way to waste energy since lights tend to have high electricity demands. Instead of leaving them on and wasting energy all day long, just remember to flip them off whenever you walk away so that they don’t burn all night or even in the middle of the day when you’re not there!
Use energy-efficient light bulbs around the house
If you want to use less electricity in your home and cut down on the amount of energy that you spend on lighting costs, look into getting more energy-efficient light bulbs for different rooms. These types of lights will typically last much longer than regular lights because they are built better so there’s less chance of them burning out too soon.
Lengthen the life of your fridge with special covers
Did you know that fridges can actually leak a lot of heat and energy due to their vents? By placing plastic covers over vents, it will help reduce the amount of air escaping which means that cooling is not as costly now because there isn’t as much work for the appliance to do. This also means that food stays cold longer since your fridge won’t have to work
Shut off water when you brush your teeth or shave
Did you know that leaving the water running while brushing your teeth is just as wasteful as leaving an open faucet throughout the day? To avoid wasting energy, simply turn it off whenever possible and only turn it back on when you need to rinse. There are many other cases where this method can be applied so don’t forget to try it out!
Charge devices at night when rates are lower
If you have a lot of electronic devices during the day like laptop computers, tablets, cellphones, e-readers (or all of these), and want to save money on power at night so that you can charge them for free instead of having to throw some spare change in the electric bill, you can try switching out your schedule so that all of your charges occur after midnight. This way
Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to save on power bills
Did you know that the more you open your fridge and freezer, the more air gets inside them which causes them to use up energy just to keep everything cold? Keeping your doors closed as much as possible will help reduce the amount of energy that they demand so be sure to try this out!
Shop around for better electricity plans
Although most people don’t realize it, there are actually many different companies who offer electricity services at lower or higher prices than those provided by main service providers. If you can find one of these alternate companies who offer rates cheaper than what you’re currently paying, consider shopping with them instead because it could save a lot of money in the long run.
Replace your air filters regularly for better indoor air quality (and lower power bills)
One of the greatest ways to get better air quality and lower energy bills is to make sure that your filters are changed out regularly and replaced when you need them. Not only will this help keep indoor air quality higher, but it can also save a lot of money because clean filters don’t require as much work which means they don’t consume
Use pots/pans with double-walled insulation for more efficient cooking
If you want to cook food in less time and cut down on electricity costs, try using pots or pans that have double-walled insulation so that the heat cannot escape (which causes faster cooking times). Cooking with these types of products instead of other ones will instantly cut back on cooking time so that food can be ready quicker
