4 Unconventional Tricks to Lower Your Electric Bill

Practicing energy efficiency will definitely save you money by lowering your electric bill and helping you live a more sustainable lifestyle. Some of the more obvious ways to achieve energy efficiency and lower your electric bill include turning off the lights when leaving a room and purchasing energy efficient appliances. They have a big impact, but if you’re looking for other interesting and easy ways to reduce your energy consumption and costs, try one of these four techniques:

Plant greenery around your home. If you start from scratch, it’s an investment that might take years to pay off, but the right selection of plants can shade your house and keep it cooler in warmer months. It also has a nice side effect of making your house more aesthetically pleasing.
Take advantage of off-peak rates. Some people don’t realize that electricity companies charge more during peak usage hours. If you use selective timers to control your energy usage and restrict it to only off-peak hours of the day, you could enjoy the benefits of the reduced rate. Try it on large appliances like your washer and dryer.
Keep temperatures in mind when using appliances. Help your appliances avoid working so hard just to increase and/or decrease temperature…you can save energy. Let food cool down before refrigerating it. Turn the heat off the stovetop before you are done cooking so residual heat can finish the job. Use cold water in laundry cycles.
Insulate everything. Home improvement stores sell special insulating materials for light switches and electrical outlets. You can also buy a special insulating paint to line your interior walls. It may not seem like a lot, but every little bit helps when it comes to saving energy.

These tips may not be the first ones that come to mind, but if you’re already following best energy savings practices, these tips can give you a little more bang for your buck.