The average American energy bill is roughly $111 a month, over $1,300 a year. 

While they may not seem like a lot, imagine having nearly half of that total back in your pocket each year!

Additionally, if money isn’t a major concern for you but being environmentally conscious is, consider that the average American household uses 867,000 watts of energy each month, or 312 million. 

Whatever your motivation, saving green or being green, keep reading for our top 8 ways to save on your energy bill!

Why Else Save on Your Energy Bill?

Every one of us can be more conscious when it comes to our energy consumption. Granted, we live in America where keeping the lights on all day or falling asleep to the TV isn’t a big deal.

However, if we maintain our current trends in fossil fuel consumption, the world could be depleted of oil in 53 years, gas in 52 years, and coal in 150 years.

Unless the entire world initiates a massive green alternative, the world as we know it, the world we leave to our children and grandchildren, will be unrecognizable.

1. Kill Phantom Energy

You can save an immediate 10% on your energy bill by killing phantom energy usage.

Phantom energy is the power or wattage your appliances use while turned off. It’s estimated that each household has roughly 40 appliances continuously pulling power while powered down.

There are several ways to cut down on phantom energy use. The most obvious and barbaric way is to unplug devices when they’re not in use. While the idea of unplugging a few dozen appliances may seem like a hassle, if you use power strips, you can make the process much less tedious.

Alternatively, if you buy Energy Star appliances, they are made to pull little to no energy while turned off.

2. Look For the Energy Star

Multiple brands carry Energy Star certified products. These products are designed to use much less energy than their counterparts.

For example, Energy Star TVs are generally 27% more energy efficient, Energy Star washing machines are 25% more efficient, and Energy Star dryers are 20% more efficient.

If you add up every appliance in your house, the yearly and lifetime savings on your energy bill would be astronomical. 

We’re not saying go out an buy all new appliance, that would be wasteful and expensive. However, next time you need a new appliance, look for the Energy Star.

Finally, if you can’t afford new Energy Star appliances, make sure the appliances you have are running at full capacity. For example, a clogged furnace can skyrocket your energy bill.

3. Climate Control

Controlling the climate in your house with simple tricks can help knock down your energy bill. 

For example, during the winter, keep all of your south-facing curtains open to let the sun beam in and naturally add warmth to your home. Additionally, cut down on losing your temperature by ensuring your home is sealed up tight with no air leaks.

Finally, trying to keep your house at 65 degrees all summer long makes your air conditioning unit work overtime. Give it a little slack. Instead of letting the sun in as you would in the winter, use heat blocking curtains during the day, and let the cool breeze in during the mornings and nights.

4. Use Less Hot Water

Hot water usage is one of the biggest expenditures on our energy bills. 

Cut back on this part of your bill by lowering the temperature on your hot water heater. Most people never use pure hot water in the baths, showers, or while washing their hands. It’s simply too hot, which means your water heater is working harder than it needs to.

Additionally, wash your clothes in cold water. Hot water generally just shrinks clothes anyways.

5. Switch to LED Lights

How would you feel about a product that was 75% more efficient and lasted 25 times longer than its counterparts? Seems to good to be true. However, compared to incandescent lighting, that’s exactly how much better Energy Star LED bulbs are.

Switching all the lights in your home to LED lights is a pretty inexpensive transition and will save you serious cash on your energy bill.

6. Install Propane

While more expensive than other fuel alternatives, you actually get more for your money with propane. It’s one of the most energy efficient fuels out there, in fact.

Using propane powered furnaces, water heaters, dryers, and stoves can end up saving you hundreds of dollars a year on your energy bill. For example, propane powered dryer costs half the price per load as an electric dryer.

Installing propane appliances can also be beneficial to our planet. It’s a clean fuel and Biopropane is a renewable, commercially produced resource.

The only question that remains is “what size propane tank do I need?”

7. Install Solar Panels

It’s probably unrealistic to convert your whole home to solar energy. For those who can afford to do so, it would be quite beneficial. However, it is a process that can be progressively done over time.

To start out, you can begin small, powering small household items with solar energy, then continue adding to your system as time goes on. It would be pretty cool to be completely off-grid energetically, wouldn’t it?

8. Let Your Fridge and Freezer Relax a Bit

How big of a deal is it, really, to keep your freezer temperature at 5 degrees instead of 0 degrees?

You probably won’t even notice the difference. However, a simple change such as adjusting your fridge and freezer temperature 5 degrees higher can save significant energy over time. 

Opening the fridge door accounts for about 7% of its total energy usage. If the temperatures weren’t kept at such an extreme, each time you grab a snack wouldn’t cost you so much money.

More on Lifestyle

If you enjoyed these tips and tricks to save on your energy bill, there’s more where that came from! 

Check out more of our lifestyle articles on our blog. From saving money and social events to DIY and travel, we have it all!