Every month you pay your utility bills, and if you’re lucky you’ll never be surprised when that bill comes in. But most people are unhappily surprised to see those numbers climb with no explanation. In summer your bill spikes because of the air conditioning. In winter it spikes again to cope with the bitter cold of Utah snow. Do you know what you’re paying for all the months in between? Where are all your dollars going? Let’s take a look.
- Cooling & Heating – far and away the bigger user of energy in your home is your air conditioning and heating. It’s not really a surprise, but it may surprise you how much of that energy is wasted. Are you leaving doors or windows opened? Do you keep your home at extremely warm or cool termperatures?
- Water Heater – Your water heater actually takes up a lot of energy. Dropping the temperature of your water heater by a few degrees can help save some energy, as can taking shorter and cooler showers (and other forms of water conservation).
- Lighting – Do you leave your lights on? Do you use inefficient bulbs? Replacing your lighting with energy efficient bulbs and putting lights on timers can make a big difference in energy usage.
- Washer & Dryer – Older washers and dryers are expending much more energy than necessary. Upgrading to a more energy efficient unit will keep you from wasting so much energy.
- Fridge – Keeping your fridge at a slightly warmer temperature will make a difference in the amount of energy your fridge uses. If you keep your fridge full and try to leave it open for the smallest possible amount of time, you can conserve some energy used by your fridge.
The first step in conserving the expensive energy used in your home is to more closely monitor your energy bill. How much were you using during this month last year? Has your bill gone up or down in recent months? You can even call to see how it compares to neighbors or similarly-sized homes in the area. If it’s normal then you’re doing great. If you believe it to be a little high, you can start taking productive steps to lower your energy wasting and consumption.
Solar panels are an excellent way to begin saving on energy. You gather free and renewable energy from the sun, totally clean and free of pollution. You’re able to then use that energy to power all the important things in your home.
Call Solar Power Utah today to see if solar energy could work for you!
