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Owning a home is a goal that many people have in their lives. While it is full of benefits, it is also quite expensive. You will be responsible for your mortgage, property taxes, maintenance and several others. Another cost that you might not think that much about is your energy bill.
While it might not be a lot in comparison to your mortgage, the average American pays well over $100 a month in energy bills, and these costs can add up over time. Thankfully, you aren’t eternally doomed to pay an arm and a leg for your energy every month. With that in mind, this blog post is going to go over a couple of great ways to lower your home energy bills in 2021 and beyond.
Consider a New Provider
One of the first and most logical ways to lower your energy bill is to consider working with a new provider. While some areas may not have the option of switching providers, if you have a deregulated energy market, be sure to take advantage of it. Different providers may offer different rates and deals, so it is a good idea to shop around.
While you could reach out to each provider individually, you could also simply visit EnergyBot. They can help you easily and quickly compare all of the available energy rates in your area. Doing this can help you make sure you aren’t paying too much, and can help you ensure you can find the best deal possible.
Use Energy Efficient Appliances
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Another thing you can do to limit the energy your home uses is to add energy efficient appliances throughout your home. These will do the same job as their predecessor, except only use a fraction of the energy.
As far as what you can replace with efficient options, the choices are plentiful. You can add an efficient dishwasher, an efficient fridge, efficient washer and dryer and many others. While they may come with slightly higher costs than traditional alternatives, they will pay for themselves over time with how much you will save on energy.
In addition to saving you money, adding these appliances can often boost the value of your home, as well. So when you eventually decide to sell, these additions can help you fetch a larger amount.
Monitor and Limit Your Usage
Another great way to reduce costs is to monitor and limit your usage or energy and electricity. If you leave lights on all over the house, overuse your heating and cooling solutions, it should come as no surprise when your energy costs are high. Instead, do your best to keep the usage of things like this to a minimum.
Make it a point to turn off lights when you leave the room, and instead of cranking the heat, reach for a blanket or a warm sweater. You could also invest in an energy usage monitor. These tools can tell you exactly how much energy a device or appliance is using, to see what the biggest energy hogs in your home are.
Ensure Your Home is Properly Sealed
An underrated tip when it comes to lowering your energy costs is to make sure your home is sealed from the outside. If there are air leaks in your home, it will take a lot more energy to effectively heat or cool your home. For example, if it is cold outside, these leaks and cracks will frequently let cold air into the home.
This means you will have to heat your home for even longer to reach the desired temperature, which can add up to higher energy costs. So be sure to go through your home and identify these air leaks. Once you find them, ensure that they are sealed up efficiently and effectively. While these can occur anywhere, they are generally the most common around your windows and doors, especially their frames.
In conclusion, don’t be content to continue to pay exorbitant amounts for your energy bills every month. Using the tips and methods outlined in this article, you will surely be able to save on energy costs this year.
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