How to spend less on utilities
Below is a list of common utilities and easy ways that you can spend less on utilities next month.
Gas
The household gas bill has the potential to be the highest bill that you have to pay. The average price per unit of gas is more than the other utilities that you commonly pay. Gas power is most commonly used to generate heat in the form of heating your house and your water. Gas power may also be used on a cook top or in a fireplace. Naturally the gas bill is easier to minimize in the warmer months than in the winter months when artificial heat is needed. No matter the season there are ways to save on your gas bill. Washing your clothes in the coolest temperature possible as well as turning the thermostat down when you leave the house will help lower your costs. Taking shorter and cooler showers will also help to save not only on your gas bill but your water bill as well.
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Electric
Usually the second highest bill of concern for people is their electric bill. However, over the past 10-15 years many more people have started to embrace all of the different energy saving methods that are available. Foe example, you may be familiar with the term `Energy Efficient.' Energy efficient appliances are not only more earth friendly, but they can pay for themselves in money saved over time. Energy efficient products are not limited to appliances. There are many different energy efficient products such as light bulbs, solar powered products, even cars. If you are not able to invest in energy efficient products, there are some simple steps that you can take. Set your dishwasher to turn off during the drying cycle. Instead just crack the door of the dishwasher opened and let them air dry. Likewise, using a low heat or no heat setting on your dryer or hanging clothes to dry will help you to spend less on your next utility bill. As many air conditioning units run off of electricity, consider opening windows or using fans for as long as you can tolerate it before cranking up the air conditioner.
Phone/Cable/Internet
Phone, cable and internet charges can often be reduced when they are purchased as a package. Having three different providers for these services is probably not the best option. Many people rely so heavily on their cellular phones that they really do not need a home phone hook-up. Consider this as well as how many channels you actually need and how fast does your internet have to be. You can downgrade and save a lot off of your monthly bill.
Water
The water bill can really start to rise in the summer time when it comes time to start watering the lawn. You can keep those costs down by watering at night around dusk. Doing this will allow the water so soak into the soil as apposed to just evaporating from the hot sun. Aerating your lawn at the beginning of summer or spring will also help the soil to absorb and hold moisture (and it will help to keep your lawn looking green). You can also save on water by trying to condense the number of laundry loads that you do. A few large loads will conserve a lot more water than smaller loads. Dishwashers can be set to an energy saver mode or can be adjusted to wash lighter loads.
Sewer
Sewer bills are usually one flat fee and therefore there are fewer measures that you can take to conserve on this utility. However, there are some preventative steps that you can take to ensure that you do not get fined by improperly disposing of waste. Be sure that you check the packaging of any chemicals that you think may be harmful before disposing of them. Most painting materials, pesticides, or toxic cleaners will have special instructions for disposal. Dumping them illegally and you may be charged to pay damages.
Trash
As with the sewer bill, there is little that you can do to reduce your trash bill this month unless you are using multiple trash cans and can consolidate your garbage into one trash receptacle.
