Utilities, including water, gas, and electricity, are some of your biggest expenses after housing. If you're not paying attention, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars more than you need to every year. And if you’re prudent, you could end up saving hundreds of dollars – which you can spend on home upgrades, personal indulgences, investments, or anything else you want.
So what steps can you take to save money on these utility bills?
General Strategies for Saving Money on Utility Bills
These are some of the best high-level strategies for saving money on all your utility bills:
- Upgrade your old appliances. If you have old appliances in the house, consider upgrading them. Modern appliances are designed with energy efficiency in mind, so they use far fewer resources and do an even better job than their older counterparts. For example, modern washers use less water, modern refrigerators use less electricity, and modern heaters use less electricity or natural gas. If your appliances are 10 years old or older, it might be time to replace them.
- Invest in a bidet. Though it may seem counterintuitive, bidets can actually save water. That’s because bidets function as a replacement for toilet paper, and the average roll of toilet paper takes 37 gallons of water to produce. It's true that this will actually increase your water bill, but because you won't buy nearly as much toilet paper, you'll save a lot of money in the long run.
- Only use what you need. Your utility bills are based on your consumption; in other words, the more utilities you use, the more you're going to pay. You can minimize your spending by minimizing your consumption, only using what's truly necessary for your daily life.
- Shop for the right provider. If you live in an area where you can shop for a better electricity or natural gas provider, compare rates proactively and choose the offer that makes the most sense for your needs. One simple act of price comparison can save you a lot of money.
Saving Money on Water
These are some strategies that can help you save money on water:
- Take shorter showers. You probably don't need as much time in the shower as you think you do. If you spend 15 minutes in the shower, try to shave that time down to 10 minutes. If you typically take 10 minutes, try to reduce it to 8 minutes. Reducing your shower times by even a couple of minutes can add up to excellent long-term savings.
- Use the right cycles on your washer. Pay attention to the settings of your washing machine. You may be able to use an economy setting or use less water for smaller loads.
- Rely on the dishwasher (and load it fully!). These days, dishwashers are more efficient than washing dishes by hand, on average. They become even more efficient if you get them fully loaded before using them.
- Reuse water when possible. Whenever it makes sense to do so, reuse water. For example, if you run some water to rinse off vegetables, consider saving that water in a bucket and using it to water your garden outside.
- Install low-flow devices. Low-flow showerheads, toilets, and other devices are designed to restrict the flow of water. Some people find restricted water flow to be a less pleasant experience, but other people don't notice the difference at all. Try out these devices and see if they work for your needs.
Saving Money on Electricity and Natural Gas
Electricity and natural gas are typically used for similar purposes, so we've collected strategies that can mostly be used to save money on both:
- Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable “smart” thermostat enables you to exercise much more precise controls over the heating and cooling of your home. Since heating and cooling are likely your biggest utility expenses, even small changes to your heating and cooling efforts can make a huge difference in what you pay each month.
- Seal air leaks. Air leaks can be devastating to the energy efficiency of your home. Work proactively to track down air leaks (commonly found around doors and windows) and seal them. While you're at it, you can add more insulation to your walls with the help of blown insulation – and make your entire house more energy efficient.
- Use secondary heating and cooling methods. Instead of cranking up the heater or air conditioner, use secondary heating and cooling methods. Putting on extra clothes, opening the windows, turning on the ceiling fans, or even using space heaters are more efficient strategies.
- Swap out your air filters. Change the air filter in your HVAC system according to manufacturer recommendations. Clean air filters promote better airflow, which in turn, leads to more efficient heating and cooling.
- Turn off what you aren’t using. Finally, turn off whatever you aren’t using; for example, you should always turn off the lights (which are hopefully LEDs) before leaving the room.
As you can see, none of these strategies are particularly expensive, nor do they require much of a sacrifice on your end. In fact, many of them won't have any measurable impact on your life. But collectively, they can save you hundreds of dollars a year, and potentially thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on utilities over the course of your life.
