70+ Proven Ways To Save Electricity

Do you know that an average household pays around $130 per month for their electricity bills, which makes up to $ 1500 on average per year. One can very easily save up to $500 on electricity bills and other daily habits by just adapting some simple techniques and applying them in their daily routine.

Let's break up our article into different sections and evaluate where most of the electricity is consumed and how to save the most out of it.

• Lighting

• Heating & Cooling

• Appliances

• Miscellaneous Tips

Let's explore all the important and proven tips to save the most on your electricity bills without disturbing your lifestyle or daily routines. But before, we want you to learn about some facts about your electricity bills. You can wish to proceed to the tips by clicking here if not interested.

Average Household Bill

Electricity Bill

An average household spends up to 38% of its electricity on heating & cooling, 30% on daily every day use of appliances, 20% on hot water, 10% on lighting, 2% on other. One can easily cut their expenses of electricity bills if they spend their time to learn and implement the following tips in their daily lives.

Tips To Save Money On Electricity Bills

Lighting

1. Switch Off Extra Lights

Make it your habit to switch off all the unnecessary lights when leaving the room or house. Extra lights won't make your day brighter but will add up the cents in your bill.

2. Natural Lights

Open the curtains of your rooms in daytime to avail the most of natural sunlight and make it our habit to only use lights at day's end. This won't add up any extra bill but will save a lot.

3. Remove Dust

Dust your lights regularly. The dust particles stuck to the surface of light bulbs decrease their efficiency and force you to turn on more bulbs.

4. Dimmers

Try to install the dimmers with your switches. This way you won't have to invest in extra night bulbs and can lower the intensity whenever you want to.

5. Task Lights

Instead of using room lights for simple tasks like reading, writing, and completing office tasks. You can switch to task lights, which will definitely consume less electricity and won't bother your partner too. Check out the task lights available at Amazon

6. LED Lights

If you haven’t switched yet, we would highly suggest that you throw out your old light bulbs and switch to LED light bulbs as soon as possible. They consume 5x less energy, produce less heat, and also last longer as compared to normal bulbs. Check out this guide on Best LED lights and how much they can help you save money.

Heating & Cooling

7. A Programmable Thermostat

As we know that around 38% of energy is used in the heating and cooling process. A programmable thermostat, if used wisely, can save up to 10% of your electricity bill on heating and cooling monthly.

8. Use Bright Colors In Summers

The dark colors absorb heat and light, whereas bright or light colors reflect them. In summers, change your bed sheets, curtains, and covers to bright colors, and the temperature of your house will lower.

9. Minimize The Use Of Exhaust Fans In Winters

Exhausts are the main gateway for exchange of heat energy. Hot air stays up and cold air stays down. Turning on the exhaust fans will force the heat to escape from inside your home to the atmosphere.

10. Clean Vents

Cleaning your air ducts will help prevent dust and filth from building up in your vents. Cleaning your ducts will help reduce your electricity bills to be reduced by 20%.

11. Use Storm Windows

Energy star certified storm windows can save homeowners $350 on their annual heating and cooling bills.

Read the complete guide about Triple Tack Glass or Storm Windows here

12. Insulate Your House

Double check the insulation of of complete home. From walls, roofs to pipes. Getting extra insulation will help prevent your heater from working extra hard and give it a break from continuously working.

Properly insulated water tanks and home will reduce your electricity bill by 10%.

13. Close Your Chimney Flue

The little gate of chimney flue, if left open, will help the heat to escape from the home. Also, can invite any unwanted guests through it.

14. Check Windows And Doors For Leaks

Inspect yourself for the leaks in windows and doors. The leaks will provoke the heat and cold to escape easily, which will cause your air conditioning system to work harder and consume more electricity. The fixing of leaked windows and doors will decrease up to 30% in your electric bills.

15. Cover Your Windows

Be extra smart with the curtains and windows. Cover your windows from where the sunlight is entering your home and uncover a bit of those from the opposite direction for the light.

16. Weather-Friendly Clothes

An extra layer of hoodie during winters will not harm your looks in the house, but will surely help you to save some extra money on your electricity bills. Same goes with the summers, wear shorts and tees to stay cool.

17. Stay Hydrated

The more hydrated you stay, the more your body tries to adjust to the temperature. Keep drinking water and stay hydrated and healthy.

Everyday Appliances

Laundry

18. Wash With Full Load

Wash when there is a full load of laundry. Do not just go to a laundry for 3-4 pieces of clothes. Limit one single day for Laundry in a week or wash when there is a full load.

19. Wash Clothes With Cold Water

Washing with hot water won't make your clothes extra clean but will only increase your electricity bill. Wash your clothes with cold water and you’ll save a lot of electricity.

20. Hang Dry Your Laundry

A dryer consumes a lot more electricity than we expect. You can hang dry your laundry after washing if there is a suitable area for you. Or you can also use a retractable clothesline and hang the clothes in your washroom.

21. Toss A Towel In A Dryer

While using the dryer, simply toss a towel inside it. The towel will soak up most of the water from the clothes.

22. Use Energy Efficient Washing Machines

Using a smart device is the first option to save electricity. Read this guide on smart money and energy-saving washing machines.

23. Wash With Hand Instead Of Machine

The first electronic washing machine was invented in 1901, and before that, people used to wash clothes by hand. The best option is to wash with hands instead of using the machines to save electricity.

Refrigerator

24. Check Rubber Seals

The rubber seals on the doors are a gateway to prevent heat exchange between the refrigerator and the atmosphere. Check your rubber seals regularly. Also, check if any stored item is not stopping the door from closing properly.

25. Setting The Thermostat

The universal temperature of your fridge is 5° and freezer is -18°. For each additional degree you set, 6% more electricity is consumed. Also, you can set the temperature a little higher if the weather outside is pleasant.

26. Do Not Hold The Door

Holding the door open will force all the cold gas to move out of your refrigerator. Just make up your mind once about the things you need to take out and close the door asap.

27. No Hot Food In Refrigerator

The biggest mistake we make is putting hot food in the refrigerator, which is a big NO!. Never ever put hot food in refrigerator, this will reduce its life and also consumes a lot of electricity to bring back the temperature to normal.

28. Clean It Regularly

Make a habit of cleaning your refrigerator on a weekly basis. Remove the dirt and frosted ice from the freezer compartment. The layer of ice in the freezer acts as a form of insulation, which forces the freezer to input more energy.

29. Defrost Frozen Food In Fridge

The best part is defrosting the food in the food in the fridge. This will keep your product healthy and also, the frosted item will help your fridge to consume its cold energy.

30. Clean The Coils

Clean the coils of your refrigerator at least once in a month. The dust particles stuck to the coils prevent them from working efficiently, so the refrigerator has to work hard for ventilation, which again consumes a lot of extra electricity.

31. Switch To Energy Efficient Refrigerator

An Energy Saving Refrigerator can help you save up to $100 in electricity bills annually. Read the guide here for best energy and cost-saving refrigerators.

32. Location

Never place your refrigerator near the oven, stove, or any place where direct sunlight is hitting on it. And also ensure that your refrigerator has sufficient ventilation so that the compressor does not end up running continuously.

Air Conditions

33. Set the temperature Lower.

You do not always need a super cool room to sleep. Set the temperature to 26° or use the timer or sleep option to let it switch off completely after an hour or two once you've gone to sleep.

34. Switch to a smart AC

Smart energy-efficient appliances are always the best choice to save electricity. Read the guide here for the best energy-saving Air conditioners.

35. Clean the grills.

Monthly maintenance of your AC units won’t harm you but will keep your appliance better at cooling. So clean the inner and outer units on a monthly basis and you’ll notice the wonders yourself.

36. Use Fans

If the temperature is not extremely hot, you may switch to fans instead of the AC, which will consume 6x less electricity.

Dish Washer

37. Use With Full Load

Use a dishwasher when there is a full load, it won’t consume less energy if the load is less. So consume the appliance as much as you can in one go.

38. Air Dry Your Dishes

Instead of using Dishwasher to air dry your dishes, keep them out for an hour and they’ll dry themselves out in an hour or two.

39. Wash Dishes With a Hand

Dishwashers were just invented 30-40 years ago. If you need to save electricity, you can simply wash dishes by hand instead of high electricity-consuming dishwashers.

40. Switch To Energy Efficient Dish Washer

A good energy efficient dishwasher can help you save a lot of electricity as compared to conventional ones. Read the guide to best energy-efficient dishwashers here.

Oven

41. Don’t Be Excited

Don’t be excited with your cooking skills and opening doors again and again to check the status of your meals. It will not fasten up the process but will rather slow it down.

42. Limit Your Baking

Limit your baking to once or twice a week so you can use all the energy at once.

43. Preheating Ovens

Do not preheat your ovens unless it’s recommended in the recipe.

44. Switch To Energy Efficient Ovens

Read the complete guide about Energy efficient ovens to save electricity and money.

Microwave

45. Use the Microwave Instead Of Oven.

Microwaves consume a lot less electricity as compared to ovens. You can use a microwave for small meals wherever possible. An average microwave consumes 10x less energy as compared to an oven, and it also doesn’t affect the temperature of your home.

46. Use The Minimum Cooking Time

Use the minimum cooking time. A less-cooked dish can be continued, but you’ll have no option left for an overcooked dish.

47. Switch To Energy Efficient Microwave

Again, an energy-efficient appliance is a must-have to save electricity. You can check out the following guide for the best energy-efficient microwaves.

Computers

48. Don’t keep it in charging mode

Your laptop will consume more electricity if you keep it in charging mode all day, also, it will reduce the lifespan of your battery. Unplug your charger once the battery is full and use it on the battery. Also, remember to switch off the plug.

49. Lower Your Brightness

The more brightness, the more electricity your computer, laptop will consume. Try to lower the brightness if possible, and you’ll be saving loads of electricity.

50. Switch To Laptops

If you are still using those old big personal computers, we would recommend that you switch to laptops as soon as possible, as they are more energy efficient than desktop computers.

Showers

51. Install Low Flow Shower Heads.

It’s a myth that low-flow shower heads only drizzle a few drops of water, but as per a normal shower head, which uses 6 gallons of water per minute, a low-flow shower head will only use 2 gallons of water per minute.

52. Take Showers Instead Of Baths

The average bath uses 40 gallons of water to fill the tub, whereas an efficient low-flow shower head only uses 2 gallons per minute. Now calculate how much you can save with a 5-minute shower Vs a bath.

53. Take Shorter Showers

There are dozens of tricks to reduce your shower time. You can turn off the water while shaving or soaping. Use a timer or play any song and make it your target shower length. If 5 people in your home reduce their shower time, you’ll save $150 a year.

54. Use Less Hot Water

The water itself doesn’t consume any electricity but the process of heating it does. The less hot water you’ll use, the less electricity consumption there will be. Set the temperature before turning on the shower and do not waste water while setting up the perfect temperature.

55. Make Sure Your Water Heater Is Insulated

Insulate your hot water tanks so the heat energy of water does not fade away in the atmosphere easily.

56. Fix All The Leaky Faucets

Fixing the hot water leaky faucets in your home can save up to $12 per year.

Stoves

57. Use Smaller Sized Pans

Using smaller-sized pans will consume less energy as compared to larger-sized pans. Try to reduce your pan sizes for small meals.

58. Pots With Rusty or Distorted Bottoms

The pots with rusty and distorted bottoms will obviously consume more energy as compared to the fresh ones. Use pots with flat bottoms which will reduce your cooking time.

59. Cover Your Pans

Cover your pans with a lid while cooking. It helps prevent heat from escaping from the pan and reduces your cooking time.

60. Use Pressure Cookers

Pressure cookers are a great invention for cooking meals in less time. Use cookers wherever possible. Also, you can read the guide here for the best and most affordable pressure cookers.

61. Utilize the leftover Heat

Turn off the burners five minutes early. The hot burner will do its work in the end.

62. Broiling

Do not go for broiling unless it's recommended in the recipe. The broiling process consumes a lot of energy and electricity.

Television

63. Unplug The Television

The common mistake we make is that we always forget to unplug the television after we switch it off with the remote. Remember to unplug your TV after watching.

64. Listening to Radio

Listening to Radio? You have an option here to turn off the screen and keep the radio on.

Vacuum

65. Ditch Vacuums

The best tip is to use a broom instead of a vacuum, it will save a lot of electricity, plus keep you fit and healthy with all the exercises.

66. A Planned Cleaning

Keep the cleaning process as fast as possible. Prepare for vacuum cleaning before turning on your appliance. Remove cushions from the couch, keep other furniture to the side, and start once everything is planned.

67. Switch To Energy Efficient Vacuums

Read the guide here for the best energy-efficient Vacuums and calculate how much electricity you can save by switching to a better appliance.

Miscellaneous

68. Get Rid Of Unnecessary Appliances

If not in use, donate, or get rid of all the unnecessary appliances that are eating your electricity like worms, for example, air dispensers.

69. Use Energy Saving Power Strips

As you already know, that appliance still consumes electricity if switched off and plugged. But, energy power strips stop the flow of current when a device is in standby or hibernation mode.

70. Use Google Home Or Alexa

A Google Home device or Alexa consumes around $3 worth of electricity for a year, but they can help you save up to 10% of your consumption with their smartness.

71. Water Powered Alarm Clock

There are a number of water-powered alarm clocks that can be placed in rooms instead of the ones that consume batteries or electricity. They completely run on water and are also eco-friendly.

72. Decoration With Candles

If the kids are not a problem. Use candles for holiday decorations instead of lights. Also, you can use scented candles in your rooms instead of night bulbs, which can spice up your life too.

73. Switching To Prepaid Electronic Bills

Try switching to prepaid bills rather than postpaid bills. This will keep you within limits and will restrain you from using excess electricity.

74. Turn Off All Appliances Before Leaving For Holidays.

Leaving for vacation for more than a week? Switch off all the appliances like refrigerator, plugs, lights, and others. Yes, you can clean up the fridge and switch it off till you come back and unless you have a lot of loads filled in there.

75. A Professional HVAC Inspection

• You can hire a professional HVAC inspection team to test and fix your heating and cooling equipment, as well as any whole-home indoor air quality systems.

• The average cost of HVAC inspection will cost you $200 for a 1000 square foot house, but will surely help you save up to 5x money on your electricity bills if the equipment is faulty.

76. Teach Your Children About Energy Saving

• Education is the key to success. There is no harm in teaching your child to be a little miser when it comes to saving electricity.

• Start with classical conditioning them about the basic etiquette of switching off unused lights, appliances, games, and toys.

77. Note Down The Peak Hours

• Contact your electricity provider and inquire about the peak hours when they charge almost 30-70% extra.

• Shift your daily tasks from peak hours to normal hours like ironing, laundry, cooking, and others and save up to 30% on the bills.

78. Iron Clothes When They Are In Quantity

• Before ironing, first sort out the clothes according to their materials. Denim, cotton, skirts, tees.

• Start with Denim as they need a maximum level of heat, move towards cotton, and end with delicate materials like silk.

• Make sure to schedule your ironing once a week as it consumes a lot of electricity to heat up from zero to max, unlike when you’re ironing a big batch of clothes. Also, you can check out these best irons to save electricity and money.