# How to save on utilities ## Managing climate control Close the curtains at night to stop heat from escaping and use a draft excluder when necessary. Set the thermostat timer to maximize savings: 1. 70-78° F when waking 2. 60-85° F when nobody is home 3. 70-78° F when people are 15 minutes from being home again 4. 60-85° F when going to sleep In general, only keep the temperature within 5-10° of your ideal temperature when people are around. - Keep the temperature as high in the summer and as low in the winter as you can withstand. - Wear layers of clothes and keep your feet warm in the winter and wear loose-fitting clothes in the summer - Only heat or cool the rooms you use by closing doors or using zone thermostat control. - Close doors and windows while heating or cooling. - Keep the drapes closed in the hot seasons and opened in the winter during the cold seasons. - Keep the windows open at night in hot weather and during the day when it's cold. If you're only using one room: - Place a shallow bowl with ice or a frozen water bottle in front of a fan. - Tape a fan to blow into a cooler filled with ice, then run a duct out of a hole on the other side. Turn down the heater when using the fireplace and close its damper when not in use. Turn off the furnace pilot light during the non-heating season. Spray the drapes with water and spread them across the window to cool the house. To get better airflow, place one box fan in a window facing outward and another on the opposite side of the house facing inward. Tape aluminum foil facing outward on poster board onto windows that get a lot of sun in the summer. ## Saving with appliances Comparison shop for your utilities and research alternatives. Turn off the lights when leaving a room. Don't run water when washing or shaving. - Take shorter showers to use less hot water When there's a non-peak discount (usually 6PM-noon weekdays and all weekend), schedule to use your appliances on off-peak hours. Turn off all appliances you aren't using. - Unplug appliances that go on "standby" like laptops, video games, and cell phones. - Power off unused second refrigerators or freezers. Research a fridge or freezer's optimal fill level, then keep it at that level with containers filled with water. Only open the fridge with a purpose in mind. Prepare food with minimalism in mind. - Prepare one-dish meals or several meals at a time. - Only boil as much water as you need. - Preheat the oven only when necessary - Reduce heat once you've started cooking. - Cover pots and pans to keep the heat in. - Keep the oven door closed (repeated "peeking" wastes heat). Run full (but not overfilled) washing machine loads. - Run the wash on cold or warm water. - 5-10 minute cycles are usually sufficient for normal loads. Use only full dryer loads. - Clean the lint filters after every use. - Cut your dryer sheets into smaller pieces to make them last longer. - Alternately, sun-dry your clothing. Efficiently load the dishwasher and only run with maxed-out racks. 1. Rinse off all the pieces of food from the dishes before loading. 2. Load plates on the bottom facing the center. 3. Place utensils with the handles facing down. 4. Place anything with a rounded side on top facing down. 5. Don't place large flat objects like cutting boards against the front, or it will block the detergent from dispensing. 6. Use a good-quality dishwasher detergent. 7. Disable any drying feature and use the "energy saving" setting. Don't preheat your iron. - Press light garments as your iron warms and turn it off as soon as you've finished. Keep pool cleaning and heating equipment clean and lubricated. - Reduce the pool's water temperature. - Reduce the number of months you heat the pool. ## Energy-saving household chores Open up all the vents (closing them increases energy costs). Clean out heating and air vents. Replace or clean all air filters every month. Keep the furnace clean, lubricated, and properly adjusted. Keep air conditioner coils clean. Shade the windows and air conditioning condenser in the summer. Spin the ceiling fan blades down in hot weather to create breeze and up in cold weather to distribute heat. Pull the fridge back from the wall by at least 1 inch and keep its coils clean. Lower the water heater temperature to 110 °F (140 °F if you have a dishwasher) - If 110 °F isn't hot enough, don't go over 120 °F ## Energy-saving household purchases Look for government rebates for low utility consumption or vouchers for new appliances. Add foam pads and side insulation to water beds and turn the heat setting down. Mist yourself with a spray bottle and buy electric fans you can move between rooms in the hot months. Invest in plenty of thick blankets and jackets for the winter. Install light switches that control the plugs or add switch-activated power strips Buy power chargers that switch off when fully charged Change out appliances for more energy-efficient ones that save money with a break-even analysis: 1. Find the cost of the new appliance. 2. Estimate your monthly or yearly utility expenses for the new and old appliance. 3. Calculate out the future date when the cost "breaks even" and starts saving you money. Add a clock to your water heater so that it only operates on non-peak hours. Buy an automated thermostat to simplify your climate control needs. Cut down electricity from lights. - Replace standard light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent and LED bulbs. - Put timers on lights. - Install dimmer switches. Calculate if solar energy, a windmill, propane, or other alternative energy sources can save you money If it makes sense for your situation, get a radiant heat floor. ## Insulating weak points The exposed water heater pipe Doors and drafts Windows: - Energy-efficient glazing around window frames - Insulated curtains, plastic, or blankets over them - Insulation shutters Under the floorboards Between floors and skirting boards Attic access, basement trap doors, and walls Water heater blankets (the government gives them free) Plug leaks in the HVAC venting system Plug gaps around pipes, ducts fans, and vents Swap out electrical receptacle and switch boxes with foam gaskets or fiberglass insulation Fix leaky plumbing and try to conserve water. - Install low-flow shower heads and faucets. - Install flow restrictors. ## Cheaper cell phone bill Try a cell phone plan with a third-party carrier (e.g., US Mobile). - While it sounds counterintuitive, primary carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.) charge more than third-party carriers that rent the cell tower use. - Talk to a store representative in-person to negotiate the price down. - Negotiating over the phone might be easier, so experiment and research. - Haggle for features you want like headsets, waterproof covers, routers, etc. - Pay close attention to long-term phone contracts you sign, especially cancellation fees. Buy a phone outside the wireless plan and bring it into the arrangement. - You can often purchase the phone for less outside the plan - Unlocked phones let you keep your phone if you decide to change plans. Look at how much data you use monthly and bring that into your decision, but watch for overage fees. Get rid of telecom services you don't use. - Get rid of your cell phone entirely and only have a house phone. - Get rid of your home phone that came bundled with the cable and Internet bill, especially if you're not running a business with it. - When overseas, use a video chat service instead of a cell phone plan.