5 Tips To Reduce Your Bills and Help The Environment
There are many obvious tips you can find online to reduce your monthly power and gas bills, but there are also a range of clever tricks that you may not have heard of to reduce your monthly power bills while also doing your part to save the environment. This article will discuss five tricks that will not only slash your monthly power bills, but will also reduce your household’s pressure on the environment.
Tip #1 – Unplug, Unplug and Unplug!
Studies have shown that many household appliances and electronics continue to pull a small current from the power outlet even when turned off. Electronic appliances such as microwaves draw a small current to power LCD displays, pilot lights and clocks which are unnecessary when the appliance is not in use. By getting into the habit of unplugging your electrical devices after turning them off, you can reduce your power bill significantly over the course of the year.
Tip #2 – Insulation
Did you know that insulating your home can not only keep it warmer in the winter but also help keep it cool during hot summer months? Insulation effectively works by preventing the temperature outside your home from causing rapid fluctuations in the temperate inside your home. Insulation also keeps your home warm in cold winter months by preventing hot air from rising and escaping through your home’s ceiling or gaps in the walls, and similarly keeps your home cooler in the summer by keeping cooled air inside your home by forming a barrier between hot air outside and cool air inside your home.
Tip #3 – Timers
Timers are another clever innovation that can reduce your annual power bills considerably when used on high-power electronics and appliances. Timers are installed between your electrical sockets and your power cable for your electronic device or appliance, and allow you to manage during what hours of the day the power should be allowed to pass through. For example, a good use of timers is to install them on heaters to heat the house only when you are home, such as between 6am and 9am when you are getting ready for work, and again between 7pm to 10pm before you hop into bed.
Tip #4 – Homemade Compost
Homemade compost for gardening and fertilising can be made by recycling household items that would otherwise be discarded into the trash. All you need to do is build a small receptacle around four cubic feet in size with several small holes drilled in the size to allow for oxygen flow and decomposition. Your homemade compost will consist of household waste such as grass clippings and food scraps (eg. broccoli, leaves, apple cores, potato peelings, tomato stems, corn husks and grapefruits skins). Be sure to avoid using meat scraps sat they decompose slowly and will attract animals. Not only will this save you money by not having to purchase compost, it will also reduce the amount of waste your household is pouring into landfills every year.
Tip #5 – Car Wash Tips
To reduce your monthly water usage and to help the environment, purchase a water-saving garden hose nozzle and wash your car on the lawn. Washing your car with a limited-flow water nozzle will reduce the amount of water necessary to rinse your car without limiting water pressure. Washing your car on your lawn will not only water your lawn, it will also prevent chemicals from flowing into drains and eventually ending up ni waterways or the ocean.
It is always also important to shop around to find the cheapest electricity suppliers in your area, this tip could potentially save you hundreds off your annual electricity bill. By following the 5 tips discussed above, you can reduce your monthly power, gas and water bills while also helping to ease the burden on the environment.
