White House Announced New Actions To Lower Energy Costs

Today President Biden Announced New Actions to Lower Energy Costs for Families Amid Expected 10-year High Heating Costs This Winter.

 America’s homeowners can expect to shell out more cold cash to keep warm this winter as they face the highest home heating costs in more than a decade – making optimal energy efficiency more essential than ever.  

 Here are the financially frostbiting facts. The average cost of home heating is expected to increase by 17.2% since last winter from $1,025 to $1,202, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA).

Those who heat with natural gas will confront the largest spike, with their cost predicted to soar 34.3% over last year. Conversely, homeowners who use electric heat are forecasted to see the lowest increase at 6.9%.

 The good news is that families can prevent a utility bill blitz by following a few simple tips. Small steps can go a long way with home heating and cooling accounting for nearly half of home energy use.

How To Lower Your Electric Bill

Turn Everything Off

One of the biggest wastes of power today is mobile device chargers. When not in use, unplug them. Small amounts of energy still trickle through the charger, which causes a drain on your bill. They are like little vampires sucking your power while you are sleeping.

When you leave a room, turn the TV off. Turn the computers off. Turn the lights off. Simple things amount to small savings. Small savings add up to big ones. One big thing is to use as little power as possible during the busy times of the day. Sometimes your energy provider will charge you more during these times.

Buy Energy-Smart Appliances

Obviously, you can’t go out and buy all new appliances, but when it comes time to replace your existing appliances, look for big appliances that are energy-smart and have good sleep or energy-saving modes.

Use Less Appliances

Even better than using smarter appliances are using fewer appliances altogether. You can do this by removing some appliances you rarely use (think microwave or blender) or replacing them with an electric-free version. For example, you can buy a stove-top kettle (if you don’t have an electric stove) or use a drying rack or clothesline to hang your clothes instead of using your dryer.

Shop Smart

When shopping, try to buy energy-smart items. Appliances, outlets, power cords, and light bulbs all come in a “smart” form. They all can help save electricity in their own ways. For instance, you can set up a smart light bulb to turn on when you enter a room and turn off when you leave.

Adjust Your TV Settings

Smart TVs have a few settings that need to be changed to save on the power bill. You may lose some of the settings’ convenience, but the bill will show the difference. One setting that you need to turn off is the sleep mode feature. Sleep mode allows the TV to turn on faster but keeps the unit on all the time.

The second change that you need to do is the automatic brightness adjustment. Smart TVs can adjust the brightness automatically to match the room lighting. Once again, this makes viewing movies easier, but it adds to your electric bill. Turn it to one brightness and leave it alone.

Watch Your Thermostat

Your thermostat settings can save you some big money.  If you have your house warm in the winter, turn it down a few degrees. If you get chilly, put on a sweater. If you like a cool house in the summer, turn it down, so the temperature goes up by a little. If you get too hot, strip down or find other ways to cool off.

Eventually, your body should adjust to the slight change in temperature.  You like it 68 in the summer, so your body should be alright with 68 in the winter.

Weatherize Your Home

Spend the time, and the money, to properly weatherize your house. Energy-efficient windows and doors help maintain the set temperature within a room. Don’t forget to repair and clean the heating and cooling ducts. Insulate the areas that need it. Lay carpet or rugs throughout the house to help trap the heat and keep your room a little warmer.

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