Can Cutting Your Power Bill Help You Take Control Of Your Budget?

Nearly three in 20 households in the United States receive a disconnection notice for their electricity every year – one in three struggle to pay their bills every month. As energy prices are on the rise and will likely to continue increasing through 2020, many more Americans may be left to make hard financial decisions even at the expense of necessities.

The reality is we simply cannot shut off our water heater, unplug our refrigerator, and go without heating or cooling. Over 60% of our overall energy usage comes from basic necessity appliances, yet one in ten homes keep their indoor temperature at unhealthy or unsafe temperatures to help reduce out-of-control energy bills. Instead of cutting back on the things we need, let’s address the wasteful appliances in our home. Seems easy, but many households, even those that struggle to make monthly energy bill payments, overlook simple and fast ways to save.

An afternoon of appliance inventory and simple unplugging can make a big difference. Rarely used printers, for example, can take up unnecessary electricity, as well as laptops, gaming consoles, streaming devices, and desktop computers. Make it a habit and encourage your family to power down these devices when not in use, and better yet unplug them altogether. For an average household, shutting down computers when not in use can save over $160 per year on annual energy costs. Drafty doors and windows may send a chill down our backs but can eventually hit our wallet too. Sealing windows and doors, especially during extreme temperatures seasons can save $200 on annual energy costs while also keeping our indoors as comfortable as possible. As a total, taking extreme measures to eliminate wasteful energy use in this way can result in $850 per year knocked off energy bills.

Some households may take it a step further with some power-saving tech. Though this may seem almost counterproductive – adding more devices to combat energy usage? Well, not exactly. Smart outlets that are perfectly designed to fit right into traditional wall outlets in a home give individuals the ultimate power in how much energy is being used. These tiny yet innovative outlets are programmable to cut power on a timer, automatically shut off if we forget to unplug something, and with a little extra time can even seamlessly replace traditional outlets altogether. For ultra-precise energy monitoring, the Sense app and device take it straight to the top. Attacking to the home’s breaker box directly, this handy gadget identifies power consumption down to each specific device from garage doors to TVs to blenders. Perfect for pinpointing hidden energy wasters, the data is sent right to a user’s phone.

Whether you’re looking to manage high electricity bills or just looking to be more environmentally conscious at home, simple changes can spark big results. Starting with mindfulness of turning appliances off all the way up t investing in a residential solar panel system, there’s options, tips, and tricks for every household. See more in this infographic below.