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If there’s one thing that many Las Vegas natives share, it’s a higher-than-usual power bill. For some reason, it seems like living out in the desert costs more when it comes to electric bills, probably because it’s always so hot out.
But just because all of that is ‘normal’ in Las Vegas doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to lower your power bill. The truth is, if you were to do a thorough energy audit of your home or office, you’ll find plenty of things you could tweak slightly to save you money, especially in the long run.
Not to worry, though.
In this article, we’re going to go through five excellent ways to lower your power bill that aren’t too difficult to implement at all. When done correctly, you’ll be even more comfortable in your home, and you’ll pay less on that bill at the end of the month.
Let’s get to it.
Keep Your HVAC Systems Well-Maintained
First and foremost, here’s one thing you must understand about utility bills. Typically, the items with the highest energy consumption are the ones that involve heating or cooling. So, most of the time, we’re talking about your HVAC system at home.
Living in Las Vegas means that most of the time, you’ll be running your air conditioner to keep the inside of your home comfortable. Now, don’t worry, we’re not going to tell you to use your air conditioner any less than you usually do. That’s a personal choice.
But the one thing that you can and should do to lower your power bill is always to make sure that your HVAC system is well-maintained. Believe it or not, even a dirty air filter on your AC can cause it to become a lot less efficient at producing cold air.
That causes two problems: one, it fails to cool your home efficiently, and two, it ends up using excessive electricity to do its job.
A simple way to lower your power bill is to ensure that your AC and any other part of your HVAC system runs optimally.
Set Cooling and Heating Appliances To A Reasonable Temperature
Remember what I mentioned in the previous section: the appliances that consume the most electricity are the ones that involve heating or cooling. Now that we’ve talked about the HVAC system let’s talk about the other ones like your fridge and freezer and your water heater.
To minimize your energy consumption, make sure that these appliances are always set at a reasonable temperature.
For example, your fridge and freezer don’t have to be set at the coldest setting possible. That hot water heater of yours doesn’t need to be set the highest, either.
A typical household fridge and freezer don’t store the kind of items that need intense freezing.
Simultaneously, the Las Vegas climate is hot enough that your showers will focus on cooling you down rather than warming your body up.
By setting reasonable temperatures on these appliances, you’ll ensure that they are never working harder than they should. As a result, they’ll consume less energy and lead to lower power bills.
Learn To Love Fans
Suppose your home doesn’t have enough fans inside, assuming it has any at all. Well, you’re missing out. Aside from using an AC, the best way to keep your body cool is by ensuring there’s always airflow on the interior of your home.
That’s where fans can come in very handy.
Here’s something that many people don’t realize: a regular ceiling fan uses a fraction of the electrical power that’s necessary to use an air conditioner. Plus, its energy consumption is constant and doesn’t change based on the weather outside.
What does that mean? Well, you see, an air conditioner will use more energy if the weather is hot and it has to work extra hard to bring the temperatures down inside your home.
On the other hand, a fan uses a constant amount of energy to keep spinning at a steady rate.
Ceiling fans are an option, assuming your home has the wiring in place. If it doesn’t, that might involve an additional investment to get the proper wires in place before you can get a fan installed.
A more comfortable option would be to go out and buy something like a box fan instead.
Oh, and here’s a bonus tip: keep your windows and doors open when you switch your fans on, at least a little bit. That will create more airflow from the outside through your home, keeping you cool and keeping your indoor air fresh.
Switch Out To LED Lightbulbs
Another way to cut down on your energy consumption is to upgrade your lightbulbs. If you’re like most people, you’re probably using incandescent or compact fluorescent (CFL) lightbulbs.
Now, CFL light bulbs are energy-saving in their own way since they use a lot less energy than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. However, LED light bulbs have them both beat by miles!
You see, LED bulbs use one or more light-emitting diodes to produce light. Not only are they brighter and use less energy, but they also do not have heat the same way incandescent bulbs do!
So, while you may be directly reducing your energy consumption by upgrading your lightbulbs, you’re also doing the same thing indirectly by not raising your household temperature!
Now, there are many misconceptions about LED light bulbs. Some people believe they’re expensive and that they don’t have added features. That’s far from the truth. These days, the average prices of LED light bulbs have dropped so much that anyone can afford them.
Plus, many of the LED lightbulbs are dimmable and can even change color at the push of a button. That’s right! These days you can find remote-controlled LED light bulbs almost anywhere, and they can be programmed to change to different colors to reflect your mood!
Best of all, LED lighting comes in all sorts of shapes. Sure, you have LED light bulbs that can fit into your existing sockets. But you can also purchase them in other forms like LED strip lights to add backlighting to your TV or computer area.
With LED lights, the possibilities are endless!
Hang Your Clothes Outside
Last but not least, another fantastic way to lower your power bill is to line dry your clothes outside instead of using an electric-powered clothes dryer.
For many people, this might take a little getting used to. Understandably, many people are accustomed to taking their clothes out of the washer and throwing them in the dryer immediately.
But remember what was mentioned several times in this article: the appliances that consume the most energy are the ones that involve heating and cooling. That includes your dryer, which uses electricity to generate heat and dry out your clothes.
Living in Las Vegas does come with one unique benefit: you can hang your clothes out to dry, and they’ll be good in just a short time.
Without a doubt, that’s the most energy-efficient way of finishing your laundry since it cuts down on your dryer usage in the long run.
Of course, if you want to save energy at a much more serious level, you could do away with your dryer completely! Without a doubt, that will lower your energy bill to levels you may not have ever imagined.
