experiment blog

If you see your residential energy bill climb up and up each month, you are not alone. With the cost of gas and oil skyrocketing and the price of electricity surging ever higher, homes across America and abroad are suffering financially when it comes to shelling out for energy. However, there are ways for your household to start to see residential energy savings rather than burgeoning prices. All you need to do is put a few energy savings tips into practice.

One way to save money on your power bill is to simply use less energy. This may sound like a no-brainer or something difficult to achieve, but it really isn’t hard at all. There are many ways you can consume less energy in your house. One way is to turn off the lights in any room you aren’t spending time in. For instance, if you’re reading in the living room, make sure the lights are off in your bathroom, where you recently showered, as well as your bedroom, where you got dressed afterward. There is really no need to have multiple lights on in rooms where no one is hanging out, so why not be a stickler on this point? If you have a dark home and have trouble seeing while walking from room to room, a couple of small, energy-efficient night lights can be a good solution.

You can also use less energy by being smart about heating, cooking and bathing in your home. For instance, before you leave the house, turn your heat down five to ten degrees if possible. If you work outside of your home, this will save you a bundle on heating costs, since you’re gone for several hours each day. If it’s too hard to remember to turn the heat down, get a programmable thermostat that can be set to turn on and off at certain times each day.

Cooking less and bathing for shorter periods of time can also save you money on energy, since these activities also involve either gas or electricity. Spring for takeout one or two days a week to give the stove a break, and cut out the repeat in “lather, rinse, repeat” when it comes to shampooing your hair.

If you don’t want to change your lifestyle but need lower energy prices, changing power companies is another wise idea. Some companies like Energy Plus Holdings offer lower rates and even reward incentives to sweeten your energy deal.