frugal zeitgeist

Easy tips to use less energy and save on bills

Posted by Forest in General Articles, Oil & Gas Savings, Saving Money & Finances

There are so many things that you can do around the home to reduce energy usage and cut the cost of your bills each month.

In this article I will look into a few key areas and suggest ways to achieve frugality’s benefits.

Lights:

• If you have kids, roommates (or you are just absent minded!), you may have trouble making sure the lights around the house get switched off.  Instead of punishing everyone to sit and watch Big Brother 24 hours a day (which would be very un-frugal of you), one can try a few other things:  Try sticking a little note in places you see everyday, such as door handles. 
• Show everyone the electricity bills so they understand what is being spent.
• Make sure you switch to an energy saving bulb every time one blows.
• Open your curtains and blinds, make use of natural lighting whenever possible, it’s good for your health.

Appliances & Electronics:

• If an appliance needs replacing, make sure it is replaced with an energy rated product. These have been around long enough now to be picked up second hand, so you will not necessarily have to pay much more for one.
• Always buy a front loading washing machine. Top loaders are not efficient and don’t wash your clothes as well.
• You should also always make sure that everything including CD players, DVD players and Microwaves are turned off rather than left on standby. 
• This is cheeky, but when it comes to portable items, such as mobile phones and laptops, plug them in to charge at work. I have never worked for a company that objected to it’s employees charging phones, MP3 players and cameras. If you can safely get away with the laptop and bigger items, then why not?  After all, I am sure you feel under payed !
• Cooking can be very wasteful if you are not careful. Only heat the food you need. Heating and then rehating again makes no sense.
• Unplug applicances that are not in use, such as the toaster, microwave, radio, hairdryer, razor, vacum cleaner, etc.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, even if these items are turned off, they still drawout electricity.    

Water:
Some places pay flat rate or nothing for water.  However, i believe it is our responsibility to save water and do our part for the environment no matter what!

• When brushing your teeth, only turn the tap on to rinse and wet the brush. Doing this will save a significant amount of water every year.
• Shower instead of bathe. Baths are nice, but use around 2 times that of a shower.
• When boiling water, only boil what you need so you don’t just dump the rest away.
• If you can save water from the bath, sink, or washing machine, use it to water the garden or wash the car. Make sure that your plants are not the kind harmed by soapy water, most are ok!
• Add a brick into your toilet cistern. Your flush should still work fine and you will flush at least a third less water each time. Some toilets already have a low flush option.
• UPDATE: Bryan from GrandMaster B updated this tip: “Actually, you shouldn’t add a brick to your toilet as over time the particles of the brick can break down and clog your toilet. Instead take a 32oz. water bottle and fill it with rocks or sand, cap it off and place it in the cistern”.

Heating:

• Keep doors closed when possible to contain heat, or to keep cool if it’s summer.
• make use of your thermostat. Set the heat to come on just a short while before you come home from work and turn it down a few notches at night.
• Always insulate. If you don’t have decent insulation you ARE losing money every year. Insulate your loft with at least 3 feet of insulation and fill in all walls if you can. You will notice the difference after the first month.
• Look into getting honeycomb cellular shades for your windows. They help a lot when it comes to sustaining warm or cool air. You could always try bubble wrap if you want to be super frugal!

Utilities and Bills

• It’s important that you sit down and look at what you are paying for each bill. You may be able to switch providers or combine some bills to take advantage of special offers. Ask yourself questions like “Do I really need the top speed internet? Do I watch all those cable channels? Am I reading that magazine subscription?”  You will always be able to cut something without too much impact on your life.

I hope that you found some use in this article and maybe it even helped you think of some news ideas. I would love to hear your thoughts and any Frugal Ideas that you have had.

Tags: cut energy use, cut your bills, FRU, frugal ideas, frugal living, frugality, pay less for bills, save energy and reduce bills, save energy in the home