We can all relate to those pesky monthly bills that come with renting and owning a home. Even though there is no way of getting around paying for these necessities you can reduce the amount you pay and save on how you pay for them.
Let's start with the gas utility bill.
Our natural gas provider is through DTE energy, but that is not our supplier. We have had a few suppliers come around our neighborhood and give us cheaper prices than DTE themselves were charging. The bill is still the same other than it shows a different supplier at a lower price. There have been known to be scanners that go door to door, which is why it's a good idea to check with DTE and verify the supplier before signing up.
Programmable Thermostat
If you don't have one already, I highly recommend getting a programmable thermostat. These are great for the busy person who doesn't want to waste heat or keep changing temperature. You can set it to a temp desired for day time and night time. You can also set it for work schedules so you are not heading your house at full desired temperature. This will save you lots of money while not heating and cooling your house when no one is home. I work different hours so for us we have our program set to day and night only. It works out great for us!
Insulation
If you do not have an efficient new hot water heater, you can do what we did and insulate your hot water heater. We used batting and wrapped it around securing it with twine and tape. Be sure not to cover any areas for controls and venting. I also recommend buying foam pipe covers and wrap them around your water pipes. This will help water stay warm as it travels through the house. Another tip is to shut off your hot water heater when you are away on vacation. Some hot water heaters have vacation settings as well.
Another way to save with insulation is adding more to your attic. As this is a big task, my husband did it himself which saved us a lot of money. We added 10 inches to our attic after we moved in. It has saved us a lot of heat loss and we also now have better airflow with our new attic roof vents. Have someone check and see how much you have currently in your attic and determine if you need more depending on your state's recommendations.
Budget Plans
One thing I recommend for both Gas and Electric is getting on budget plans for both. If you don't like getting huge bills in the winter or middle of the summer with air conditioners, get on a budget plan for sure. What a budget plan means is the utility company will assess your previous year and take that total amount and break it up over a 12 month period. Andrew and I pay $56 every month for or gas bill. Now this can fluctuate a little bit after they reevaluate your usage. If at the end of the year they renew your plan and if you used more than the previous year they will ask that you pay the remaining balance. The most I've had to pay was $60 but it could be any amount it just depends on your use. If you have used less than previous year or than expected you will get a credit to your account.
Changing your furnace filter can add up!
A couple years ago we found out that you can buy metal furnace filters instead of wasting money on
buying regular filters. It's also been proven that metal furnace filters work better! We now just take out our filter and clean it with a hose outside 4 x's a year. There are many companies that sell them so just look for the size that you need for your furnace. This will just be a one time cost, versus money adding up every year and thrown away after use!
Electricity Savings
For electricity savings I've learned over the years that utility companies have "off peak" hours. You can look online for your company to find out when they might be. Most of the time it's during the nighttime hours. For us, our dishwasher is far enough away that is not disturbing for us while we sleep. The same is said for our washing machines, as it is in our basement. Also, this is a good time to charge tablets and phones. The best part about all of this is that in the morning your dishes and your clothes are done!
Smart Strip Cords
Another simple way we save is getting power strip cords. We have ones that will only supply power to certain things when needed. These are called Smart Power Cords/Surge protectors. For instance we have power only going to our Wii and DVD player only when the TV has power. We also have our computer set to sleep mode when we are not using it. It also helps to have your screen, laptop, or printer also off when not in use. These small tips will help you save money in the long run!
I hope these tips helped you in areas of saving on your utilities!
Thanks for reading!
~Katie
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