Tired of paying high power bills? Do you feel like your money is slipping away? Today, I’m sharing a way to take control of your home energy costs, and surprisingly it’s really simple!
Did you know?
- In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off. *Source energystar.gov
- An old refrigerator (roughly 10 years+) can consume up to $20 of your family’s monthly budget.
- Leaving ONE tiny MR16 bulb on can consume $10 of energy per month. How many lightbulbs do you leave on regularly?
Knowledge is power!
Using a smart energy cost forecaster like Cymbrio’s Plug2Know let’s consumers know how much it will cost to run devices plugged into a particular outlet. It’s really, really simple to use. Just pick an outlet you’d like to monitor, plug-in Plug2Know (P2K) and leave it alone. Yep – that’s it!
Within a few days P2K will show you just how much energy is being used in that outlet. Suggested outlets to begin with would be appliances, entertainment center power strips, and computers. Using the handy Energy Cost Look-Up Table you can find the monthly cost of that outlet and device that’s plugged into it, and begin to make smarter energy choices. Click here to see your state’s chart.
We received 3 P2K devices to monitor our home energy costs. I found our main entertainment center with large Smart TV, DVD Player and DVR recorder to be quite expensive. (See first picture above) Basically red = bad news for your pocket. But by turning off the power strip in the evenings we’re able to see savings that add up over time. Now I can move that P2K device to another outlet and monitor that energy usage, then make appropriate changes.
Use these tips to manage home energy costs:
- Replace bulbs with CFL or LED solutions – focus on lights used most often to really see a difference in your bill.
- Lower heat temps in the winter and raise a/c temps in the summer by 1-2 degrees during the day and 2-3 degrees at night.
- Replace furnace & a/c filters monthly. Set a monthly reminder on your email, calendar or phone. When your unit has to work harder, you’re using more energy and wasting money.
- Keep windows and blinds tipped upwards when open or closed. This bounces sunlight back out instead of letting the heat in.
- Lower your water heater temps to 120-130 degrees. You won’t believe what most water heater temps are set at, and it’s not necessary. Check our local health rules on the right temp for your state.
- Take showers instead of baths to save on water and energy costs.
- Clean dryer lint traps regularly.
- Only wash full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine.
- Consider replacing appliances that you’ve had for 10 years or more.
- Purchase smart power strips for major energy spots.
- Use space heaters during the winter instead of raising the degrees for your entire house.
- Turn off devices when not in use. And place your computer on standby mode whenever you walk away.
With these tips, you can save 20-25%, or even more by putting these thoughts into action. What will you do with your saved dollars? Maybe you can treat your kids to a night out, or a dinner date with your spouse, or even a family vacation if you let your savings build over time.
To purchase a Cymbrio Plug2Know and begin forecasting what outlets do the most damage to your wallet each month, head to Cymbrio.com.
Tonya {The Traveling Praters} says
atOur electric bill is crazy and rises during the winter. I know I could put some of these tips into practice and see a noticeable difference in our monthly expenses. Thanks for sharing!
Valerie Remy-Milora says
atThe P2K devices seem to give invaluable insights! I have to be honest I really have no idea what our real energy costs are but would love to know. It’s the only way to make good changes 🙂
Jasmine Espinal says
atThat would be really useful in my house. My bills during the summer are outrages
vera says
atI need to order this. Our bill averages from 300-350 per month and we have a small home. We’ve been trying to figure out how to save and a tool like this would definitely help us narrow down the problems.
Ellen Beck says
atWe are pretty frugal or try to be. We use wood and gas . During the ‘pre cold’ meaning before it his 32 we use a wood heater. It has helped a whole lot on heating bills. We bought the wood heater used and hubby pt it in. Yes hauling wood an ashes is a pain but goodness it saves and you can get most wood free or in our case we get paid to take a tree down!
Lisa Brown says
atWhat a useful little gadget! Living in Miami, we use a lot of electricity running the air conditioning. We try to cut back any way we can.
Lisa Brown says
atwe have a little difficulty keeping the energy bill down. That is a good list of things to check to keep the bill lower. I stay on everyone to turn off lights when not in a room.