With the cost of living skyrocketing all over the country, people are looking for more and more ways to save money in their day-to-day lives. This is achieved through a variety of ways including couponing for groceries, coming up with new solutions for problems, and figuring out ways to cut down on their utility bills.
You might be surprised at how much your electricity bill is truly costing you every year. Even our loft apartments in St. Joe, MO aren’t immune to this. Little habits, like leaving appliances plugged in, may be costing you hundreds of dollars a year, and you didn’t even know it. If you’re looking for ways to help save money and lower your electric bill, here are some tips that might help:
1. Be willing to budge on your thermostat
Though you might want to during the hot months of summer, making your apartment feel like a deep freezer is not going to do you any favors in lowering your electricity bill.
Be willing to nudge the thermostat up or down a few degrees. While it may not seem like much, adjusting the thermostat even a little bit to fall more in line with the temperature outside can help to save you hundreds of dollars a year. If you aren’t willing to budge on your thermostat temperatures while you’re at home, consider adjusting them while you’re away. There’s no point in keeping your house freezing cold while you’re gone for eight hours at work, so adjust your thermostat a couple of degrees while you’re away. It will help to lower your energy bill, and you can always adjust the thermostat again when you get home.
2. Adjust your fridge and freezer temperatures
Most refrigerators and freezers come preset at a certain temperature. But did you know that you can adjust that temperature?
Many modern fridges and freezers come set at temperatures well below that they need to be. Instead of setting your freezer well below freezing temperature, set it at zero. This will still keep your frozen foods frozen, and it will help you to keep your energy costs lower. The same is true for your fridge. Most fridges come preset to be right over freezing, but if you adjust that temperature even a little bit to about thirty-seven or thirty-eight degrees, your food will still be cold and preserved, and it will help to lower your electric bill.
3. Take shorter showers
Taking shorter showers can be a benefit not only to the environment, but also to your electricity bill. The majority of people take a shower using hot water, but that hot water has to be heated by the hot water heater. Your hot water heater, uses electricity in order to heat up the water you need.
By taking shorter showers, you use less water that’s heated up using the water heater. Less water that needs to be heated means less electricity is used to heat it. That way, by taking shorter showers, you can help to lower your electricity bill a little.
Along the same lines, consider lowering the temperature on your water heater. Most water heaters come set around 140°. Instead of keeping the temperature up that high, try setting your water heater at a lower, but still warm, 120°. This way, you’ll still be able to have nice hot water in your water heater, but you’ll be able to help lower your electricity bill.
4. Wash clothes in cold water
Doing your laundry is one of the chores that consumes the most energy. Not only do you have to run your washing machine, you also have to use a large amount of hot water to get your clothes clean.
Washing your clothes in cold water, however, can help you to keep your electricity bill down. In fact, washing your clothes in cold water can actually be beneficial to several different types of garments. Cold water is less likely to make your colored garments fade, and using cold water is also less likely to cause your garments to shrink.
5. Purchase energy efficient appliances
Many apartments today, like our loft apartments in St. Joe, MO, already come with energy efficient appliances. However, if you’re living in a home where you have to furnish your own appliances, or an apartment that’s considering an upgrade, it might be a good idea to propose getting energy efficient appliances.
Energy efficient appliances are exactly what it says on the tin: appliances that utilize energy in a more efficient way. This is extremely important in appliances that are constantly on and running like a fridge or freezer, or appliances that use a large amount of energy to complete their task like a washer and dryer. While it may not lower it by much, having these energy efficient appliances can help make a dent in your utility bills each month.
6. Make the switch to LED lighting
You may be surprised to learn that the type of lighting that you use in your house affects your energy bills. Even something as small as what type of lightbulb you use can have an affect on the cost of your energy usage. Instead of using traditional lightbulbs and traditional lighting, consider making the switch to LED lighting. LED lighting is just as effective, but more energy efficient, resulting in a lower utility bill.
Living Smart and Saving Money with AE Lofts
No matter where in the country you go, budgeting for utility bills is always going to be a concern for apartment renters and homeowners alike. Here at our loft apartments in St. Joe, MO, AE Lofts hopes to ease some of that burden. Our energy efficient appliances and excellent location make AE Lofts the ideal location for your new apartment. We are excited to see what you bring to the table.
If you are interested in seeing what AE Lofts can do for you and your family, contact us and schedule a tour today!
