Whether it’s Summer or Winter, there’s no escaping those high utility bills, but there are many ways you can slash that utility bill by as much as 20% or more!

A lot of these nifty tricks and tips doesn’t cost a fortune and they can make day-to-day living at home more comfortable.

Savings on Electricity

Saving on Lighting

1. Using Energy-Saving Bulbs

This is not really a trick; it should be common sense by now to use energy-efficient lightbulbs.

According to Energy.gov, the average American household dedicated 5% of their energy budget to lighting. Lightbulbs are now becoming cheaper, more efficient, and safer.

Whether you’re a homeowner or renting, making the change to energy-efficient bulbs are worth every penny.

In one of the apartments, I lived in, it came with these 53 watts bulbs and to light up my living space it took 12 bulbs total which totals out to 636 watts per hour!

I leave the lights on for at least 5 hrs per day, that’s the equivalent to me running a blender and leaving a curling iron on for 5 hours!

I was able to produce the same amount of lumens and warmth with six – 7 watts LED bulbs that I picked up for $1 each at my local Habitat for Humanity Store, which only requires 42 watts to achieve similar results.

This is a type of saving you can start immediately and changing the bulb doesn’t take much effort.

Some of the bulbs comes with 3 wattage settings so you can reduce your energy consumption even further if you don’t need that much light or give you a more wattage function when you need that extra midnight oil.

2. Window Coverings and Curtains

A quick and cheap way to instantly slash that utility bill is to properly seal and the seam around your windows.

If you’re living alone and don’t mind the visual, you can use plastic food wrap and cover your windows along the areas where a seam occurs for $1 or so.

It will help block the cold air from coming in during the winter time and prevent cold air from leaking out during the summer time.

For a more aesthetically pleasing option, you can purchase yourself a blackout curtain, they serve as insulating barriers, keeping your rooms cooler during the summer and warmer in the winter, not to mention the noise reduction from outside and proving maximum privacy.

You can pick one of these up for as low as $20-$25.

3. Use your Blinds and Curtains

I briefly mentioned using blackout curtains, but if you have regular curtains it can help keep your place cooler in the Summer if you have bright color curtains to reflect off the light, use dark color curtains to absorb more light to heat up the room.

If you have blinds, angle your blinds with the overlaps pointing towards the window to keep your place cooler during Summer time, it does so by reducing the amount of light getting in.

Vice versa, in the Winter, you want to angle your blinds with the overlaps pointing inward towards the room to let in more light to warm up the room.

Also, use as much natural lighting as possible to save even more on electricity.

Savings on A/C & Heating

4. Replacing Air Filters

Replacing the air filters in your ducts can save you a ton of money on electricity.

A dust clogged filter doesn’t allow for proper airflow of temperature distribution.

Rooms don’t get heated or cooled to the desired temperature, your A/C and heating unit works harder, drawing more electricity and wearing out the components faster and you get a “yikes!” electric bill in the mail.

It’s science.

Replace your air filter every 3 months or 90 days whichever comes first.

5. Use Fans instead of A/C

While we’re on the topic of fans, use fans, like ceiling fans, box fans, tower fans, pedestal stand fan, whatever fan, just use a FAN!

Using fans are significantly cheaper than using A/C and I mean SIGNIFICANTLY!

An air conditioner can use about 5-30 times the electricity of a fan!

A standard ceiling fan uses between 10 to 120 watts of electricity, a window A/C unit can use between 500 to 1,500 watts and a central A/C unit can use between 750 watts to 3,500 watts.

If you really want for maximum cooling, place a bowl of ice in front of the fan to quickly cool the air.

If you have a ceiling fan, there’s a switch of the side of the ceiling fan that will allow you to toggle the direction of the spin.

In the Summer, have the ceiling fan spin counter-clockwise, this will pull the hot air upwards and direct the cool air down.

In the Winter, have the ceiling fan spin clockwise, this will pull the cool air up and direct the warm air down.

6. Use Draft Stopper & Weatherstrip

Additionally, to using window coverings, adding draft stoppers under to doors will prevent air from leaking out as well as prevent unwanted air from coming in.

They’re rather inexpensive and quick to install.

Some draft stoppers are made from silicone and other from foam, I’ve tested both and I’d say they perform as advertise trapping in wanted air and blocking out unwanted noise.

For hard surface flooring I recommend using the foam or fabric draft stopper, for soft carpet flooring, you can use both, but the silicone might collect a lot of hair off the floor due to static.

When I was living in my apartment, it was really hard to get the temperature to stay still and one of the root causes for this problem was that the weatherstrip around my front door was old and torn and left many gaps and wide seams for all the air to leak out.

I picked up a roll of weatherstrip for fairly cheap on Amazon and just taped it right along the seam and sealed the gaps and I was able to enjoy my A/C in the Summer and my heat in the winter without breaking my bank.

7. Close your Vents

If you plan on being in one room for a prolong period of time and need a little juice to either heat up or cool a room faster, just close the vents you’re not using and it will direct the air to where it actually matters.

I probably set foot in my laundry room once a week and only for like 5 minutes, meanwhile, I staying in my living room every day for 5-7 hours.

The faster you can get to the desired temperature, the sooner the A/C or heating unit will cut off.

8. Leave your Fan on AUTO

First let’s debunk some myths:

Is it Cheaper to Leave the A/C on All Day?

No! If you want a chill room just when you get home, just set it to kick on a couple of hours before you get home. Running A/C on a hot summer day can easily cost $2 per hour, so there really is not point of keeping it on if you’re not at home.

Is it Cheaper to Leave the Heat on All Day?

No! Only run heat when you needed or when you, your family, or pets are present. If you’re on gas, I would still advise you the same, only turn it on when it’s needed or appropriate to.

Leave Fan ON or on AUTO

Leave the Fan on AUTO. Always.

If you just keep the fan running at all time, you’re going to wear out your unit faster, if you rent and you don’t care, keeping the fan on will still cost you more in electricity per month than if you set your thermostat on auto.

9. Lower your Room Temperature when Sleeping

According to the Sleep Foundation, 65°F or 18.3°C is the optimal bedroom temperature for when you go to sleep, program your thermostat to reach 65°F at night and to raise the temperature to 70°F just before you get up in the morning, so you won’t be waking up to cold floors.

Savings on utilities will vary based on which seasons you’re in, you’re more likely to save money in the Winter with this trick than in the Summer.

Saving on Laundry

10. Wash Clothes at Night

This might be easier if you own a house, don’t have roommates, or don’t live in an apartment with curfews.

Running major appliances at night, like washing and drying clothes off peak hours is much cheaper than doing them during the day.

Yes, electricity is not charged at a flat-rate, but by a time-based rate. You will be charged more for electricity during the day than at night.

Depending on the energy company you use, they might charge more during week days than weekends and holidays.

Off-Peak hours are generally between 11:00PM and 7:00AM, which is when electricity is at its cheapest.

11. Save Money on Drying Clothes

You can save time, money, and the electricity when drying clothes by simply using wool dryer balls, you can pick a sack of them for $10.

The dryer balls acts as a fabric softener, but it also fluffs out the clothes while it’s tumbling in the dryer.

You can cut your drying time by 25-50%!

A typical clothes dryer uses 3000 watts of electricity to dry your clothes, if you can cut your drying time by half by using these reusable dryer balls, you can save a ton of money on electricity!

12. Always use Cold Water for Rinse Cycle

According to BC Hydro, 90% of the energy used by washing machine goes towards heating the water, you can save $70 per year on electricity cost if you just wash on cold water. That’s over $5 of savings per month!

And there’s been many tests conducted to see if washing clothes on cold water wouldn’t be as clean as using hot water.

I’m here to debunk the myth. The truth is that washing clothes using cold water is just as effective as hot water, there’s actually more benefits to using cold water.

Clothes are less likely to stretch, tear, and fade using cold water. Some stains actually get embedded into the clothes if washed in hot water.

Save yourself some money and wash your clothes on cold water.

Savings through Habits

13. Unplug when Done Using

For many of the hardcore money savers, you might have heard about appliances or devices drawing in power if plugged in even when not in use.

It’s often referred to as “Phantom Energy” or “Energy Vampires” and if you have a big house or lots of devices plugged into the wall, the minute amount of energy can really add up when combined.

According to Energy.gov, you can save an extra 10 percent on your monthly utility bill if you just unplug your appliance, electronics, and devices when you’re not using it.

Personally, I find it a bit difficult and rather inconvenient to have to do this all the time, so a simple way to make it easier is to get a surge protector. I can turn off all the power going in with a flip of the switch and I only have to unplug one cord from the wall instead of 7.

14. Turn Off when Not Using

Similar concept like before, but this tip doesn’t cost you anything, but it’s something that needs to become a habit if you want to save money.

There’s been so many times that someone has exited a room and left all the lights on when they leave work and it stays on for 15 hours; now imagine that at home.

It’s literally a flip of a switch or a tap of a button!

The same thing goes for using water, while brushing your teeth or washing your face turn off the faucet for just those few seconds can save a lot of water over time.

Simple habit, easy saving.

15. Use Microwave When Possible

I honestly don’t see this mention much on the internet, but cooking uses a lot of electricity and I mean a lot! An average kitchen stove uses between 2000-5000 watts. Meanwhile an average microwave uses between 600-1200 watts.

Sure, the food might not taste the best coming out of a microwave, but if you don’t mind reheated food and you’re trying to save money, a microwave a best friend to college students or to anyone that don’t have time to cook.

16. Charge your EV elsewhere

As electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular, free charging stations are spring up all over the place and usually are incentivized by your local city and neighborhood, take advantage of the free-charging if there is one around you.

According to Alternative Fuel Data Center from the U.S. Department of Energy, if electricity cost $0.13 per kWh, charging a 200-mile range EV fully will cost you $9 per full charge.

Most public charging station have a Level 2 charging, which will add about 12 miles of range per hour on average, so why not just go to a café or library and read for an hour while you charge up your car?

And if parking is an issue, just remember most parking lots that offers charging features usually offer premium parking spaces much closer the actual spot you want to be and it’s for EVs only, so a lot less competition fighting over parking spots.

17. Fleece Fabric & Wear Socks

One of the best ways to save money during the cold season is to insulate yourself rather than your living space.

Wearing socks will help maintain your body temperature, since your feet is so far from the heart, it takes longer time to pump blood to warm your feet and thus socks (Farm To Feet Socks) do a fantastic job at keeping you warm.

Using fleece blankets, bed sheets, and snuggies gives you the best of both worlds, comfort and warmth.

If you, yourself are warm, you can reduce the need to turn on heat, thus reducing your utility bill.

18. Call Your Utility Company

You might be surprised that your utility company might want to help you save money, but they actually do.

A lot of companies have energy-saving programs and offers incentive to their customers with their energy consumption.

Before you call, just check on their website to see what they have offered, and if you don’t see any, call anyway.

There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.

You might be wondering why utility companies offer such program?

The utility companies sometimes will team up with other companies to offer products or services, their vendors get a cut, they get a cut for being the middle man, and you save money by purchasing and using energy-efficient products and service.

Savings with Smart Devices / Tools

19. Invest in a Smart / Programmable Thermostat

At first, I wasn’t all too eager to ditch my existing thermostat as I see there’s nothing wrong with that, I was wrong.

You need to get a smart-thermostat, it’s life changing! It’s like upgrading to an ultrasonic tooth brush from a manual one.

A smart-thermostat works by connecting your heating and cooling to the Wi-Fi, with specially crafted algorithm the thermostat and automatically adjust your room temperature for maximum comfort at the time you need it to.

Sometime I will forget to turn off my A/C or heating when I leave, but with a smart-thermostat you can just turn it off remotely with your smartphone.

It’s really handy when you are not expecting guest to be at your place, you can cool it or heat your place up to give them a nice welcoming.

Also, the smart thermostat will usually keep track and provide you with a comprehensive report of your monthly energy consumption with regards to climate control.

Lastly, check with your utility companies to see if the offer discounts on smart/programmable thermostats. If it is cheaper to get it retail, get it retail, and remove it and take it with you when you move, just don’t forget to put the old one back with the correct wiring.

Get a professional to do the installation, if you’re not confident to do the wiring on your own. If you’re, you can usually pick up a pre-owned smart thermostat for around $70, about the average cost for one month of electric bill, but you will save money every month for the foreseeable future.

20. Smart Plugs / Switches

Busy life usually leads to being very forgetful and that means we leave things on even when we meant to turn them off. Smart Plugs can give you the access to turn off your lights and any device you plug in remotely.

Running late to work, but you forgot you left your electric space heater on? Turn it off via smartphone, it’s convenient and it saves you money, and in extreme cases reduce the chance of potential hazards.

21. Invest in an Electric Monitor

This is actually a really awesome tool that I think everyone should have at home.

I use an Electric Monitor called “Kill A Watt” to measure how much wattage my device is using if I don’t know it. If you really want to do the math the equation for Power is P = V (Voltage) x I (Current) – V is in Volts and I is in Ampere or A.

As you can see this is already getting pretty annoying to calculate, so you literally just plug the electric monitor in the wall socket and plug whatever device you’re testing for into the electric monitor and it can tell you the voltage, the amperage, the wattage, the hertz, and kWh.

I absolutely love this thing!

It can help prevent overloading the circuits at home as well as finding out those “Energy Vampires” scatter around your home.

22. Solar Power Battery Banks

There’s a way to reduce your annual utility bill, while the savings are minor, but if you’re a person that uses a lot of mobile devices throughout the day, it might be beneficial to purchase a reliable solar power battery bank and leave it by your window.

You can charge your phone, headphones, tablets, mouse, and any USB devices with essentially off-grid electricity.

A solar power battery bank really comes in handy if you’re out of a trail walk or camping and your phone dies on you, so it’s actually quite versatile.

Savings on Water

23. Fix Leaks

Faucet Leaks

Dripping faucets, it’s never fun to deal with, not with the dripping sound, nor cleaning up the puddles on the floor, but especially the water bill!

According to Energy.gov, if your faucet drips one drop of water per second, that’s 8.64 gallons of water per day, 259 gallons per month, and 3,153 gallons per year! That’s insane!

Most leaks are actually fairly simple to fix, get yourself a couple of adjustable wrenches, one rubber mallet, one pair locking pliers for when you need that extra oomph to loosen a nut or something.

Lastly, get yourself the “fix-all of leaks”, Teflon tape.

Literally most water leaks can just be fixed by unscrewing a pipe or a connector, removing the old Teflon tape, wrap the threads in 3-4 layers of Teflon tape and screw back in and tighten.

Works on faucet heads, showerheads, leaky pipes, leaky hose, but doesn’t work on toilets I’m afraid.

Toilet Leaks

Most common cause for leaks in toilets is because the seal/gasket no longer sit properly or have degraded over time.

The seal varies by toilet, most of the time the seal is all it takes to fix the leak, but on occasion, you’ll have to replace the whole “Refill Flush Assembly”, which actually isn’t all that expensive, average cost is around $25.

The assembly is located in the tank behind the great white round one, it usually has a chain or cord that lifts the hatch to let the water drain out.

Don’t be grossed out by the water in the tank, your toilet bowl water is probably cleaner than river water.

The assembly doesn’t require any special tool, most of what you need can be found in an average American toolbox.

24. Changing Showerheads

Most apartments come pre-equipped with shower heads that may be a bit outdated and doesn’t offer as much spray/rinse options as aftermarket shower heads.

Energy.gov recommends that the flow rate of the showerheads should fall under 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm).

If you don’t know what is the flow rate of your showerhead, try to fill a bucket marked where 1 gallon is and time how long to fill up to a gallon. If it takes less than 20 seconds to fill a gallon, you need to switch a showerhead.

Most of the water-saving showerheads will fall between the 1.5gpm to 2.0gpm, but in my opinion you should try to get one that is 1.5gpm and lower if you really want to maximize your savings on your water bill.

You can find effective showerheads that uses only 1.25gpm with many modes to choose from and most Americans shower’s daily, so you can quickly see your savings add up in no time.

25. Use Low-Flow Fixtures/Aerators

Kitchen Faucets

Why only saving money on shower heads when you can save money on faucets too?!

So, if you don’t know what aerators are, they are attachments to the tip of a faucet that limits the flow of water as well as filter minor debris and makes the water crisp and bubbly.

Even in new kitchen, the flow-rate on kitchen faucets hovers around 2.2gpm which is not bad, but you can save more by using one with an even lower flow rate.

I picked up this kitchen faucet aerator a couple of years ago and really slaps! It restricts the flow to 1.2gpm and it comes with a 360 swivel and a stream mode & spray shower mode.

(Disclosure: The kitchen faucet I bought is no longer being sold, but any aerator 1.8gpm and under is good)

Just make sure you get the right thread for your faucet!

Bathroom Faucets

For your bathroom faucet you can pick up aerators that’s got a flow rate of 0.5gpm, but here is the tricky part.

You might now think twice about this, but different aerators can actually make the faucet louder.

High pressure with very low flow aerator can create a jetting sound which can be quite irritating for some people, so you’ll really have to shop around and make sure what you buy fits your faucet as well as light on the ears.

The aerator I replaced in my bathroom was this one, it limits the flow to 1.5gpm, which is not the best, but it was better than 2.2gpm with the stock aerator. This was the only one that fits my faucet head at the time, so maybe you can find one that save even more on water.

You should probably inspect/clean the aerator every 3-6 months, depending on usage and humidity.

(Video Coming Soon)

26. Take Quick Cold Showers

According to Harvard University, the average American spends about 8 minutes in the shower, the EPA estimate that the average shower head uses 2.5 gallons water per minute. Totally out to 20 gallons of water per shower.

Energy.gov reports that the total daily average gallons of hot water used is 64 gallons!

You’ve seen those trash cans that people push out to the curb for pick up? Yeah? That’s 64 gallons in capacity! We use that much hot water every day on average.

Next to washing clothes, showering uses to most amount of water, but that is something that most people can limit their water usage on.

You don’t need to take long shower to hydrate your skin, you just need to apply moisturizer after, in fact you can do more harm to your skin if you take hot shower during winter time because it increases the chance of inflammation and dries the skin.

The optimal showering time is 5 – 10 minutes, but 5 minutes is sufficient time to cleanse yourself.

Save water, save money.

27. Water Plants with Rainwater

You can conserve reduce your water bill if you just collect natural rainwater from outside to water your house plants.

Just leave a jar or bucket with a mesh screen on top secured with a rubber band so the bugs and debris don’t get into the water.

Savings on Natural Gas

28. Lower your Water Heater Temperature

Gas Water Heater

This may not be available for someone living in newer apartments, but if you have a gas water heater, you can go to the water-heater closet and adjust the water temperature.

There’s a knob that you can adjust to tell the water heater what temperature you want the water to be at all times.

Energy.gov recommends that you lower your water heater to 120°F, since for every 10°F reduction in temperature you can save between 3-5% on water heating cost.

The knob will be labeled:

Hot – 120°F

A – 130°F

B – 140°F

C – 150°F

Very Hot – 160°F

Sometimes “Hot” won’t be labeled, in that case just turn right until it passes one increment before “A”.

Electric Water Heater

If you have an electric water heater or if you live in a newer apartment, there are two panels on the electric water heater, one on top and one on bottom.

First you have to disconnect any power going into the water heater, so go ahead and go to the circuit box and just shut everything off for safe measure.

Take a Philip head screwdriver and remove both panels, one at a time.

Remove the Styrofoam insulation carefully and take a flathead screw drive and adjust the temperature to 115°F-120°F.

If you’re not comfortable performing this task on your own, consult with a professional HVAC technician.

29. Add Heat & Sediment Traps to your Water Heater

For people that have electric water heater, don’t worry, you don’t need this, but you always won’t get the savings either.

For the people that have gas water heater, pay close attention.

If you have a really old gas water heater, you need to have a heat trap for your water heater. Adding a heat trap to your water heater can save you as much as 60% of energy given you around $15-$30 per month worth of savings on your gas bill.

Most gas water heating units these days comes with the heat trap, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

The other thing is to install a heat sediment trap, it’s a relatively cheap way to get a huge insurance on your water heater, especially if you own one.

The heat sediment trap collects unwanted debris and prevents it from getting into the sensor which cost just as much as the entire water heating unit to replace.

It’s a $15 add on for a $$$ peace of mind.

Savings through Upgrades

30. Replacing with Energy-Efficient Electronics and Appliances

Sometimes there’s just not a way to save money if what you’re using is outdated or simply not energy-efficient.

You can’t get 50 mpg from an old car that can barely get 10 mpg, similarly with your appliances and electronic devices, you can save more on electricity if the hardware itself draws in more power to perform the same function.

Just bite the bullet and get yourself something a little nicer and the savings will essentially pay for itself in no time.

Perfect Balance

Saving money on utilities doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice comfort to get the savings you want.

All you need is to:

1. Create good habits of turning off things when not in use.
2. Replace or fix old and out of specs components with new ones that are energy and resource efficient.
3. Set a range of comfort that won’t affect your daily habits.
4. Invest in smart devices to keep things automated and optimized.
5. Apply quick, easy, and inexpensive hacks to your routine.

Feel free to leave a comment below to share how much you were able to save on utilities with these tips and tricks as well as share some tricks of your own to save money on utilities.

Thanks!