How to Save Money On Electricity

Many people want to save electricity to save money. Others want to do so to save the environment. Whatever your motivation, there are some easy ways to do this.

	Switch to energy saving light bulbs. Don't look at the high initial price tag, because the long-term savings are much greater than the amount that you pay at the cash register! Standard energy saving bulbs are called "compact florescent" bulbs. However, now you can find LED light bulbs for around $5/bulb that use 1/26th the amount of energy as a standard light bulb (and 1/4th that of compact florescent). Each LED bulb will save you over $100 in electricity over the life of the bulb.
	Turn stuff off. Leaving your television, computer or lights running while you away from home is a pure waste of electricity. Turning it off really helps. This is obvious, of course, but it takes some practice to get used to it.
	Don't heat the house as much in the winter, or cool as much in the summer. Wear warm clothing instead in the winter and drink hot tea, and in the summer, drink beverages from your fridge with ice in them. Stay warm and cool by other means!
	Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater to the lowest level that you can and still get stuff done. There's no sense in keeping 50 gallons of water scalding hot, if you always mix it with cold water anyhow.
	When buying a new washing machine, buy one that has an excellent spin cycle. These will typically be front-loading washing machines. Dryers are inherently inefficient and there isn't too much one can do about them. However, if your clothes come out of the washing machine almost dry because they were spun so well, then the dryer - no matte what dryer - will have to work a lot less.
	When buying a new hot water heater, consider getting a tankless water heater. Such water heaters will heat the water instantly as it goes through the heater, so you're not keeping 50 gallons of water piping hot all the time.
	See if your electric company charges you different amounts for electricity used at different times of day. If they do, do the electricity intensive work during the times of day when it's cheapest.