How To Save Money On Utilities Easily

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Overview

Our current home really isn’t too big. In fact, one of the perks of our decision to downsize was that our utility costs went down dramatically. You really don’t realize what you’re spending on keeping a bigger house running until you get a chance to step back. But, maybe it doesn’t need to be that bad. I think we can take some time and explore how to save money on utilities and come up with some simple but effective strategies.

Regardless of your home size, there are a few tips you can follow to potentially trim your utilities bill. These include:

Get Control Of Your Thermostat
Upgrade Appliances and Bulbs
Unplug What You’re Not Using
Cut Down On Your Hot Water
Even Out Your Billing

Some of these you can start today. Others may require a little planning. Regardless, they all deserve a close look. Let’s dive in!

How To Save Money On Utilities, Tip #1: Get Control Of Your Thermostat

My mom loves to be cold. I mean cold. Like, set the thermostat at 62 in middle of July kind of cold. If you ever get a chance, ask my dad about how that affects the old summer utility bills. But, as they say, “happy wife, happy life.”

However, if you are able to get your partner to go along with you on a cost cutting crusade, getting control of your thermostat may be a great place to start. My wife and I figured out a long time ago that just by allowing the interior of our house to reflect the season outside a little bit more, we could really trim the utility bill.

Let me give you an example. Rather than keeping the house extremely cool during the summer to compensate for how warm it is outside, we like to set the thermostat around 74. That way, our A/C isn’t being forced to work so hard. Similarly, in winter, we can easily get by at 68 or 70. We’re already dressing for cold, right?

Another tactic you might explore here is some automation. I have a coworker who swears by his automated thermostat. Basically, if no one is home, the interior temperature of his house is going to drastically move towards the outside temperature because he sets his thermostat to only turn the system on at extremes. However, by the time his family gets home, the system is back up and running.

If you’re a person who doesn’t mind letting your home temperature be a little more seasonal, and can get some sort of automation going, you can probably start seeing some serious utility savings pretty quickly.

How To Save Money On Utilities, Tip #2: Upgrade Appliances And Bulbs

So our house is pretty old. No shame. I like it just fine. But, our appliances were just about as old as the house. So, when we moved back in (see My Story for details here) we updated some of the appliances.

Unsurprisingly, technology has improved a little in the past 50 years. It’s now possible to find some fairly energy efficient appliances that can save you some serious money over their lifetime. Getting into specific recommendations goes a little beyond the scope of this discussion, but do some research here.

You might also consider switching out your light bulbs. It’s pretty common knowledge that newer, LED bulbs cost less to operate. But, there’s also some serious savings just in the fact that they also last longer. I’m always amazed by how quickly my incandescent bulbs fizzle out now that most of my bulbs are LED. (We actually run Phillips HUE Smart Bulbs in nearly every room of our house.) Light bulbs aren’t too expensive, but the cost of replacing them can certainly add up. Make the switch to more energy efficient, longer lasting LED bulbs to save some here.

Shop LED Bulbs On Amazon

Bottom line, it may cost a little up front to get your house up to date. But, once you do, you may just find that your utility bill is a little more manageable.

How To Save Money On Utilities, Tip #3: Unplug What You’re Not Using

Really, there’s not a whole lot to say about this one. If you aren’t using it, unplug it.

Now, I’m not saying that I go around and unplug every lamp every time I leave my house (although maybe you’ll decide to, no judgement). I’m talking more about appliances and other items that you probably aren’t constantly switching off and on. Things you might only use once every few days for a few minutes.

A few examples from our house might be our toaster and our mixer. Those things get used. They sit out on the counter. But we don’t leave them plugged in. Same might go for a game system that you don’t play very often.

Even when things aren’t “turned on,” they may still draw a little bit of power.

Is unplugging all your rarely used electronics going to drop your utilities bill the way getting smart about your thermostat is? Probably not. But, every little bit helps, and over time, little savings add up!

How To Save Money On Utilities, Tip #4: Cut Down On Your Hot Water

And here we get to the one my family struggles with on a more personal level. We love our hot water, especially in the mornings. I’m always reading about how a cooler shower can really help you get started off on the right foot, but when push comes to shove, I’m usually not getting out until every last drop of hot water is gone.

Sadly, having two adults doing this day in and day out seems to have an affect on the bills.

A great way to cut back here would be to not only cut back on your hot water, but your water usage in general.

Not every shower needs to be 20 minutes (talking to myself here). Wait a little longer and wash some larger loads of laundry, and use cool water. Apparently using a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing dishes. Who knew?

Find ways to get those faucets turned off faster, especially when you’re running hot water.

How To Save Money On Utilities, Tip #5: Even Out Your Billing

Lastly, and this is something I only learned about more recently, many utility companies offer the option of evening out your bills.

For example, if you’re like us, you may get natural gas from a different provider than water and electric. That probably means your electric/water bill goes down quite a bit in winter. Great! But, in summer, it may go through the roof.

Instead of trying to guess where the bills are going to land month to month, look into whether or not your provider offers a “budget billing” option. Every company will structure their service a little differently, but the end effect is a bill that is more or less the same each month.

Be sure you evaluate the plan carefully. It’s possible that you get to the end of the budget bill period and end up owing money, depending on how the plan is structured. Make sure this is a good option by consulting with your utility company.

If you find that your provider offers fair budget billing options, this can be a great way to bring some stabilization to an often fluctuating line item in your budget.

Conclusion

And there we go! Five simple ways to get started saving money on utilities.

Get Control Of Your Thermostat
Upgrade Appliances and Bulbs
Unplug What You’re Not Using
Cut Down On Your Hot Water
Even Out Your Billing

Cut More Costs!

Remember, regardless of your money goals, you can “Bank on a Budget” to get you from where you are to where you want to be!

You really don’t realize what you’re spending on keeping a bigger house running until you get a chance to step back.

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Alex

Hello, my name is Alex! I'm a public school teacher who has achieved some big financial goals just by getting control of my money using some simple strategies like using a monthly budget. Now I'd like to share what I've learned with you. Welcome to "Bank on a Budget!"