Tame Your Summer Electric Bill With Free and Low-Cost Energy-Saving Ideas

Independence Day is one of my favorite events of the summer; receiving our July electric bill is one of my least. 

With the consistent clicking-on of the A/C unit, the hot and sticky summer months are a harbinger of higher electric bills for most Floridians. 

Floridians’ use of electricity is expensive not only for our household budgets, but for the environment as well. More petroleum-fired electricity is generated in Florida than in any other state. And Florida’s per capita residential electricity demand is among the highest in the U.S., in part due to our use of A/C in the summertime.

So lowering our household energy usage is a double-win for our bank accounts and the environment.  The good news is that there are several free and low-cost ways to lower your energy consumption without sacrificing your family’s comfort.

For example, a great way to get started on the road to lower power bills is the Pinellas County Extension Service’s Energy Efficiency workshop.   Thanks to a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy, the free workshop provides valuable information and equipment that can help you save money on your power bill and lower your ecological footprint.  

Taught by sustainability specialist James Stevenson, the 90-minute workshop provides easy, low and no-cost energy-saving tips and furnishes participants with a free energy savings kit valued at $200.00. The kit includes energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), switch plate and outlet gaskets, weather stripping, window sealing kits, a refrigerator thermometer, a low-flow show head and a faucet aerator, and an instruction guide on simple measures to conserve energy in the home. 

Here are a couple easy, no-cost energy-saving tips you can adopt right away:

--Set your thermostat at no less than 78 degrees during the summer months.  For every degree below 78, you spend up to 8% more in cooling costs.

--Set your ceiling fans counter-clockwise during the summer months.  Properly-set and balanced ceiling fans can make the air in the room feel several degrees cooler, meaning you can raise your thermostat by at least four degrees without any change in comfort.  Just be sure to turn the fans off when you aren’t in the room; ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.

--Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees.

--Wash only full loads of laundry, and choose the cold water cycle. 

--Put your dishwasher on air dry mode.

--Unplug household appliances and electronics when not in use.  “Phantom loads” of power drained by TVs, computers, and other common household electronics when not in use can account for over 10% of your monthly electric bill.

--Clean the coils of your refrigerator to help it function most efficiently.

--Make sure your clothes dryer’s lint trap is clear.

For research-based energy information or to sign up for an upcoming class, visit Extension’s website at   http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/ and click “Registration” to see a calendar of upcoming events.