How to Reduce Electricity Usage: Cut Down on Your Electricity Bill

Do you dread receiving your electricity bill every month? Are you constantly surprised at how much energy you’re using? You might be using more energy than you realise.

Little things like taking longer showers or forgetting to turn lights off can add up to higher energy costs over time. Thankfully, you can bring down your electricity bill significantly by making a few changes at home.

Learning how to reduce energy usage is largely about changing your habits and turning to more energy-efficient appliances. If you’re not sure how to reduce energy consumption at home, no problem. Here are 10 simple yet effective tips on how to save energy and cut down on your electric energy bill.

1. Check Your Air Ducts

Damaged air ducts can reduce your HVAC’s efficiency significantly. Holes, leaks, and clogs in your ducts can lead to you running your air conditioner or heater more than necessary, costing you money. The good news is that you can have this problem addressed by having a professional come and take a look at them.

2. Adjust Appliance Settings

Your appliances may be using more energy than necessary. Your fridge, for example, could be running colder than needed, or your air conditioner and heater could be boosting your bill with additional heating and cooling costs.

You should also check your appliances for eco settings. Items like dishwashers, washing machines, and air conditioners sometimes have options that lower their energy consumption. These settings make it easy for you to reduce your energy usage without any big noticeable changes to your air conditioning.

3. Install Energy-Efficient Lighting

Light bulbs can be a large contributor to your monthly electricity bill, especially if you have a habit of leaving them on when you’re not home.

Remembering to turn them off before leaving the house helps, but you can take things a step further by installing LED bulbs that improve energy efficiency. Though they’re a bit pricier than your standard bulb, they last a very long time and use about 75% less energy than halogen light bulbs.

Another great way to make your lighting situation more energy-efficient is to install dimmers. Dimming your lights reduces output and wattage, saving energy as a result. Many people also prefer dimmers for aesthetic reasons, as they give you more control over the intensity of your lights.

4. Change Your Dishwasher Habits

If you prefer hand-washing your dishes but want to lower your electricity bill, it might be time to make the change. Hand-washing dishes can actually use more water and energy than most dishwashers. If this comes as a surprise, remember that a lot of energy is used to keep your tap water hot as you scrub and rinse your tableware.

That said, dishwashers obviously do require electricity to function. If you want to reduce your dishwasher’s energy consumption, there are two key things you can do. The first is to only turn on your dishwasher once you have enough dishes for a full load. The second is to select air-dry over heat-dry if your appliance gives you the option.

5. Use Smaller Appliances

Heating or cooking something small? If possible, try to use your microwave or toaster oven. Your smaller appliances can probably get the job done while using much less electricity than your large oven.

On that note, when using your oven, avoid excessively opening the door. Opening your oven door while cooking can cause its internal temperature to drop significantly. This leads to the oven using even more electricity to restore the temperature it’s set to.

If you want to check on your food, it’s more energy-efficient to simply peek through the oven door window or use the oven light.

A solar panel close-up image

6. Wash Clothes in Cold Water

Always washing your clothes in hot water can have a big impact on your electricity bill. Using cold water instead is an easy way to save yourself some money. Like with dishwashers, you should also hold off on using your washing machine until you have enough clothes for a full load, rather than doing a bunch of smaller loads.

7. Avoid Drawing Phantom Power

Did you know that some electronics still draw power when they’re not being used? This energy draw is often called phantom power, which could be contributing to your monthly energy bills. All kinds of devices could be drawing phantom power in your home, including your television, laptop charger, mobile phone charger, toaster, and more.

There are a few ways to eliminate phantom power from your electricity bill. You can unplug your electronics when you’re not using them or switch off the power bar they’re plugged into. You could also look into smart power strips that cut the power off when they detect that a plugged-in device is on standby mode.

8. Put Electronics on Standby

Unplugging electronics is the best way to ensure that they’re not drawing additional power. If this isn’t an option for you for whatever reason, putting your electronics on standby mode is better than just leaving them on – this even goes for energy-efficient products.

You should also use sleep mode rather than screen savers, as the latter does nothing to reduce energy consumption.

9. Replace Your Showerhead

Another way how to reduce electricity usage is to swap your current showerhead with a low-flow showerhead. These showerheads reduce your water pressure, which cuts down both water waste and heating costs. Using a low-flow showerhead and taking shorter showers can save you a lot of money annually.

10. Invest in Solar Panels

One of the best long-term changes you can make to reduce your electricity consumption is to invest in a solar panel system. Though they require an initial investment, solar panels are a very reliable and effective way to save money for years to come. By converting sunlight into usable energy, they’re an eco-friendly and modern solution for high electricity bills.

With solar you can run your appliances on the delay start function. You can set these to run during the day when you are at work to optimise the free power from the solar panels.

Make the Change With e-Solar

If you want to reduce your electricity bills and live a greener lifestyle, solar power could be the solution for you. Based in Perth, Western Australia, the expert team at e-Solar is here to help you with all of your solar panel system needs.

Whether you have questions on how to reduce electricity usage or are ready for a complete installation, please get in touch with e-Solar today for assistance.