How to Save on Your Energy Expenses by Performing Simple Maintenance on Household Appliances

By Ed Eddmanson

People often overlook simple maintenance that could save money on your energy bill. Keeping up with regular maintenance could save as much as 5% on your energy bill. In many homes that could save thousands of dollars a year.

Reducing the cost to heat your house is the fastest way to save money on your energy. Drafts are one form of extreme heat loss. A quick breeze flowing through your house can reverse hours of heating efforts. Checking all of your windows and doors to make sure they close properly can often stop these breezes. You can take this a step further, by weatherproofing your house in the winter. Over the course of a year, stopping drafts an average size home can save several hundred dollars a year.

Air conditioners work really hard in the summer time, using a lot of energy. A lot of the time, this energy consumption is wasted on a dirty compressor. The big box on the outside of your house is the compressor. The compressor carries hot air out of the house. However, it is very expensive if this compressor is covered with leaves or grass. Simply clearing away debris can save money on your energy bill.

Water heaters also burn a lot of energy. An average family will use several hundred gallons of water each week. Simply cutting back the temperature of your water heater by 5 -10 degrees doesn't sound like much. When that few degrees is multiplied by a few hundred gallons, it will make a big difference.

Dishwashers contain their own water heater and air heater. Running your dishwasher on a low heat setting and/or air dry setting will use the air and water heaters less. This approach will get your dishes just as clean, but do so at a reduced cost. Another great tip, is to wait until early in the morning or late at night to run your dishwasher. This will reduce the number of loads run and make sure the heat from the dishwasher doesn't impact your house heating costs.

Surprisingly, cooking uses a lot of energy. It is number 5 on the list of energy consumers. There is really no cost effective way to stop cooking, but you can save money on your energy bill by maintaining your stove. Food on the stove top or reflectors reduces the amount of heat going to your pot or skillet. Clearing away any burnt on food will reduce the cost of cooking and the time it takes to prepare dinner.

Light bulbs cost a lot of money and rack up your energy bill. Not everyone wants to switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. Contrary to popular news, you can save money and still use traditional light bulbs. Simply turning off lights you are not using can save as much as a switch to flourescents. You can save even more, if you install dimmer switches. These switches will let you change the amount of light you use for different tasks.

You don't have to replace your appliances to save money on your energy bill. Following these simple suggestions can reduce your energy bill quickly. Best of all, none of these changes will cost you a significant amount of money. - 29970

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