Credit: Curtis Adams via Pexels
It might feel like the only solution to lower your energy bills is to buy energy-efficient replacements for your appliances. But this isn’t a green solution if your appliances are nowhere near the end of their lives. Getting a replacement when you don’t need it isn’t exactly the most sustainable, earth-conscious choice, and it certainly isn’t the most financially savvy one.
When to Get Replacements:
You should only get new energy-efficient upgrades when your appliances need to be replaced. If your dishwasher is ten years old and is barely hanging on, then, of course, you should try to save up and get yourself a replacement. It’s time to get a new one.
Another time when it’s appropriate to get a replacement is when your appliance breaks down without warning. If you open your fridge door and realize that it’s died in the middle of the night, you’re going to need a replacement as soon as possible. You’ll need to dip into your emergency fund and get yourself a reasonable replacement right away. If that replacement happens to be more energy-efficient, then that’s great!
What if you don’t have enough in your emergency fund? If you need to get an emergency appliance replacement and you don’t have enough savings on hand, you have two solutions available to you. You can put the rest of the charge onto your credit card and then pay down the balance later. Or you could try applying for a personal loan. With a loan, you can use borrowed funds to handle the emergency and focus on a repayment plan later. Click here to see whether you can get your personal loan online — you just might get approved.
Other Ways to Lower Your Energy Bills:
So, what can you do to lower your bills when you can’t get energy-efficient appliances? Follow these simple tips to lower your energy bills at home.
Clean Up
Keeping your appliances clean will help them run better, which will shrink your bills. It will also reduce their risk of overheating and breaking down earlier than they should.
What should you clean?
- Clean out your dishwasher’s filter every three months.
- Clean the inside of your oven every three months.
- Clean your kitchen’s exhaust hood and filter every three months.
- Clean or replace your furnace’s filter every three months.
- Clean out your dryer vent one to two times per year.
- Clean your refrigerator’s condenser coils once per year.
Seal Air Leaks
An air-tight home will use up less energy on heating and cooling. So, seal air leaks around your windows, exterior doors and vents with caulking and weatherstripping.
Air Dry
Skip your dishwasher’s heat drying cycle. Once the dishes have gone through a wash cycle, turn off the dishwasher, open the door and pull the racks out to let the wet dishes air-dry.
When the weather is warmer, you should air-dry your clothes, too. Hang up your damp items on a clothesline or drying rack in the open air.
Unplug
Your electronics can use energy, even when you haven’t turned them on. This is called phantom power — when your devices are plugged in, they still pull in energy. You can stop this by unplugging any electronics that you don’t need in the moment, like desk lamps, chargers and small kitchen appliances.
Going green isn’t just good for the environment. It’s good for your wallet, too. So, follow these green tips at home and lower your energy bills.
