How to Lower Electric Bill [11 Ways!]

Are you ready to learn how to lower electric bills? Do you want to lower your energy bill AND work towards being zero waste too?

This article is going to show you 11 easy steps to go green while saving a ton of green.

Here are all the fun tips you’ll learn about:
Turn Off the Lights
Keep the Lights Off
Change the Lightbulbs
Unplug Energy Vampires
Use Powerstrips
Use Cold Water
Air Dry
Get Energy Star Appliances
Start Stripping or Bundle the F@ck Up
Energy Saving Mode
Keep Vents and Coils Clean
Make it a Game

Okay, let’s go save that green.

Turn Off Those Damn Lights

You’ve been hearing this one since you were little. TURN OFF THOSE DAMN LIGHTS ALREADY!

But seriously, making sure lights are turned off helps save electricity more than you know.

And it’s more than lowering your energy usage. Turning the lights off prolongs the life of your lightbulbs which results in even more savings.

On other blogs, there’s a common rule called the “15-minute rule.”

Basically, if you are going to leave the room for 15 minutes or less, you may leave the lights on, but if you will be gone for more than 15 minutes, turn them off.

I’m here to tell you that this rule is bogus and you should not follow it.

The only real way to be less wasteful and be zero waste without our electricity usage is to STOP WASTING ELECTRICITY. 

If you leave a room and the light is still on, that’s a waste. More cents are added to your bill and your carbon footprint is raised.

The only real way to make a difference here is to make a habit of flicking the switch when you leave the room.

It needs to be so ingrained into your being that you’re accidentally turning lights off when other people are still using the room!

How to Lower Electric Bill By Keeping the Lights Turned Off

Now that you’re turning lights off when you leave, have you ever thought about if you needed those lights on in the first place?

A lot of people have enough windows to brighten up their spaces without needing to use lights. Natural light is better all around.

It’s free, not wasteful and a mood booster. Also natural light is almost always the perfect lighting for pictures, so if you want to take a million selfies in your living now, you’re welcome.

Tip! To make the most out of natural light, paint your walls white, so the light has a better time bouncing around. Can’t paint? Try adding mirrors!

Sometimes keeping the lights turned off is relaxing. We take in a lot of artificial light as it is and it’s nice to get a break.

Mornings are more calming when it starts out dark and you allow the sunrise to naturally brighten up the place.

Showers are surprising spa-like in the dark. Candles make great bathroom friends too!

Of course, there will be times where you need a light. You will probably have that one dark room with no windows. And that’s okay.

No system is perfect, but if you kept the lights off until dark, you can make a major difference to your carbon footprint and energy bills.

Try it out and see how you like it!

How to Lower Electric Bill With Lightbulbs

Change the lightbulbs! Switching your current light bulbs to energy-efficient ones is both eco-friendly and economical. Switching your bulbs from incandescent to CFL or LED will boost your savings!

CFLs and LEDs are slightly more expensive than incandescents. But that initial expense is worth it because these bulbs last longer while using less electricity over the span of their lives.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) use 25-35% less energy than incandescents AND they last 10 times longer. Replace your regular light bulbs with CFLs.

Light-Emitting Diode (LEDs) use 75% less energy than incandescents AND they last 25 times longer. LEDs can be used for holiday lighting, kitchen lighting, and can be used in place of 40, 60, and even 75 Watt incandescent bulbs.

As much as possible, switch your lighting needs over to these two energy-efficient options.

But only switch over when your current light bulbs blow out. If your incandescents have juice left in them, it will be more wasteful to stop using them. 

Always use up what you have right now to the fullest before switching to more sustainable options. That’s the best way to live a zero-waste life.

Unplug the Energy Vampires

Vampires are real and they are silently sucking your electricity while making your bill more than what it should be.

Energy vampires are appliances that still use electricity even when they are turned off.

A prime example of this is TVs. Even when TVs are turned off, they are still using electricity. TVs are on alert 24/7 to listen for remote commands.

When you press the power button on the remote, how does the TV turn on? It was using energy the whole time.

Almost all the appliances that you have plugged in are vampires. To stop the vampires, you’re going to have to unplug them.

Yes, this can be a hassle, but going around and unplugging everything that isn’t in use will save you a great deal of cash.

But if you don’t want to run around like a madperson every day, try keeping these unplugged:

• Hairdryer
• Curling iron
• Shaver
• Toaster
• Coffee maker
• Blender
• The entire entertainment center (seriously.)

And honestly, there is a hassle-free way to combat these vamps and that’s powerstrips.

How to Lower Electric Bill With Powerstrips

Powerstrips are handy when it comes to saving money on your electric bill. They can also combat energy vampires with a push of a button.

It’s a lot easier to cut off power to several appliances at once rather than unplugging one at a time.

This PDF has an awesome flowchart to determine the right power strip for your needs.

From timers, motion sensors, to mastered controlled, there are different power strips that will help you CRUSH the vamps.

Another benefit to powerstrips is that they’re pretty inexpensive and easy to set up.

The trick is killing power. Just because you are plugging appliances into a powerstrip, doesn’t mean they are not using power.

The only way to make the powerstrips worthwhile is to actively use the power button. You have to cut off power to appliances that are not in use.

If you tend to forget a lot, you may want one of the smart power strips like described in the PDF above. Timers can be beneficial.

How to Lower Electric Bill With Cold Water

Yes. Water can contribute to your energy bill. The act of heating water uses electricity.

To save energy in this department, try to reduce the amount of hot water you use. There are two easy ways to do this.

The first way is to wash laundry in cold water. Unless you have some special fabric, laundry does not need to be washed in hot water.

This can save a lot of water, especially if you find yourself doing laundry a lot. Large families, I’m looking at you. Also, if you want a more natural laundry routine, check this out.

The second way to save money with cold water is not cold at all. It’s… sorta cold. Lukewarm showers!

Reducing the temperature of your showers is another easy way to reduce the amount of hot water you use.

Just these two habit changes can make a big difference!

Air Dry 

Another way to save money is to start air-drying your clothes and dishes.

Give your dryer a time out and use the outdoors to dry your clothes instead. 

Is an outdoor clothesline impossible for you? You can actually hang your clothes up to dry all year long.

Even in colder climates, you can hang them up inside with a retractable clothesline. Or you can decide to only use the dryer during winter and commit to air-drying the rest of the year.

Another appliance to give a time out is the dishwasher. Instead of having the dishwasher dry dishes for you, let the dishes air dry.

Dishwashers use unnecessary heat when the natural elements can do all the work for you.

The only downside to air-drying is time. Air drying does take more time than a dryer or dishwasher. But for dishes, the fastest way to dry is towel drying 😉

How to Lower Electric Bill With Energy Star Appliances

When it’s finally time to replace an appliance, be sure the next one has an ENERGY STAR® label. That label means that the appliance meets all government standards for being energy efficient.

So by buying these appliances, you can rest assured that you will be saving money.

Using ENERGY STAR® products with the rest of these tips in this article will have you maximizing your energy savings.

So if you’re ever in the market for any of these appliances, choose ENERGY STAR®:

• TVs
• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Air conditioners
• Washers / Dryers
• Dishwashers
• Water heaters

From what I researched, ENERGY STAR® appliances do not cost more than conventional products.

So you can take the same budget and buy an appliance that will save money on your energy bill. The appliances come out ahead!

Start Stripping or Bundle the F@ck Up

One of the best ways to save money on your energy bill is to get your heating and cooling situation under control.

In the summer our energy bills go up because of the air conditioner and in the winter, heaters are the culprit.

I’m here to suggest that you keep these appliances on a lower setting than usual. To compensate, you can control your body temp with your clothes.

In the summer, wear lighter clothes or start stripping 😉

In the winter, wear more layers and bundle up with gloves and scarves.

Of course, you can’t strip or bundle up all the time, but using this rule first before turning on the heater or air conditioner will do wonders.

Every little bit helps!

Energy Saving Mode

Another easy tip that often gets overlooked is setting our devices on energy-saving mode.

We should be proactive in making our batteries last as long as possible. The longer they last, the less time they will be plugged in charging.

So I challenge you right now to go around to all your devices and turn on their energy-saving modes.

There are a lot of names to describe this function, but they’re all the same. Here are some common settings to look for:

• Energy-saving mode
• Battery-saving mode
• Stamina mode
• Power saver mode

Another thing you can do that can help is to unplug your devices when they reach 100%.

Once they reach 100% there’s no reason for them to be still plugged in. A lot of people let their devices stay on the charger for hours.

But this just wastes electricity.

Keep Vents and Coils Clean

The last tip here to keep vents and coils clean. Making sure vents are cleared lets the appliance work more efficiently and saves energy.

Check out the vents in your dryer, air conditioning unit and the filter in your vacuum.

Keep your fridge coils clean and pristine so it doesn’t work overtime to keep your food cold.

Make it a Game 

My most important tip is to MAKE IT A GAME!

What?! A super fun game to save money? Hell yeah!

Here’s the game. See how long you can go every day without turning on a single light. Wake up and go all day without turning on the lights and see how long you can go!

My record is 6 pm in the winter. Let me know your record below!

And that’s it! Eleven easy ways to go green, practice zero waste and save money on your electric bill.

If you’re looking for the absolutely free and quickest ways, I recommend starting with these tips:

• Take lukewarm showers
• Wash clothes in cold water
• Turn the lights off and keep them off
• Unplug everything that’s not in use
• Put devices on energy-saving mode

These tips are free and you can start today.

Other than that, it might be worth to make a small investment to get CFL / LED lightbulbs and powerstrips.

Saving money on your electric bill is not hard, and it can even be fun!