Looking for simple ways to save money?
You're spending ~$225 per month on water and energy. Here are some creative ways to save money.
As prices rise across the board, everyone is looking for ways to cut costs.
Household energy costs make up a significant portion of household expenditures.
Did you know that Canadian households spend an average of $4,281 on energy bills alone?
Energy accounted for 6.7% of current household consumption.
Not only is saving water and energy good for your wallet, it’s also good for the environment.
This blog post shows you how to reduce your water and energy bill and save some money.
But first, here’s a snapshot of the average households utility costs in the USA.
1) Monitor Your Lights
If you haven’t already, change your light bulbs to LED. LED bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent or halogen light bulbs (US Department of Energy). They also tend to last a lot longer, which leads to more savings over time. Consider implementing motion-sensored lights. If you have members of your household who are likely to forget to turn off lights this can solve that issue. You can also install a light dimmer. This reduces energy output and wattage, but make sure to check your lightbulbs are compatible with a dimmer.
2) Heat and Cool Your House - The Smart Way
Consider installing a smart thermostat. It allows you to program when you want your house to be cooled and heated. This can be controlled from your phone, which allows you to lower your household’s temperature while you’re gone, in case you’ve forgotten to program it. Making the switch saves 10% on heating and cooling costs. Be sure to check the location of your thermostat. If it’s under direct sunlight, or a drafty area, that can trigger the internal thermometer and will turn the AC or furnace on when it may not need to be. In addition, using a ceiling fan can make a room feel significantly cooler, and also uses 10% less energy compared to an AC unit (US Natural Resource Defense Council).
3) Monitor Your Water Usage
Implement water conservation tools to save water and energy. Low flow shower heads saves approximately 19 litres of water and saves about $145 per year in energy costs.
You can also use greywater in the garden. Greywater is wastewater from showers, bathtubs, sinks and washing machines that can be used to water the garden. Make sure than any soap used is eco-friendly to help your plants thrive. When using a dishwasher, don’t pre-rinse your dishes before putting them in. This helps conserve water by scraping food scraps instead of rinsing them
4) Limit Hot Water Usage
Limiting your hot water usage is a great way to conserve energy. Insulating your hot water pipes helps keep the heat in and wastes less water while waiting for your water to be heated. Furthermore, you can save this extra water and use it to water your plants, cleaning or flushing the toilet.
5) Spend Less Time in The Shower
On average, every minute of shower time uses about 12 litres of water. The average shower time is about 8 minutes, meaning every shower uses about 96 litres of water!
Implementing a shower timer saves both energy and water costs:
The Aqua-Tempus shower timer created by Arelia Innova limits water and energy consumption through 3 ways:
- Shower time- the programmable maximum is up to 20 minutes.
- Soaping time- encourages users to turn the shower off while soaping up, since the timer doesn’t run when the tap is turned off.
- Delay time- The shower can remain closed for a maximum of 20 minutes before being able to be turned back on between different users.
This prevents prolonged showers which has enormous savings in water and energy costs.
The Aqua Tempus has a built-in open faucet detector which can tell when a user has left the faucet open and automatically closes it to avoid wasting water.
This device is perfect for the household but also is great for public spaces such as hotels, gyms and campsites.
It prevents hot water from running out when it’s heated by a storage heater, acting like a shower button but it gives more control.
It also doesn’t require any electrical or plumbing installation, allowing for a “reach and connect” approach for exposed taps.
Arelia Innova cares deeply about developing sustainable products that help the consumer save money and save the environment.
They are the number one seller of energy saving devices in Spain and Portugal.
They are committed to making products for society that are sustainable and profitable.
The Aqua Tempus retails for €330.00.
6) Use Cold Water for Laundry
Did you know that 90% of the energy used in washing laundry is for heating the water? By using cold water your washer uses a lot less energy and in turn is a great way to save money.
You can also hang dry your clothes. Most articles of clothing can be hung to dry which saves on energy costs from the dryer. Your dryer uses about 6% of your home’s total energy consumption. If you have to use it, make sure you clean out the lint trap to stop the dryer from working harder than necessary.
You can also upgrade your washer and dryer. Energy Star estimates that that older machines (+10 years) cost the user $190 extra per year due to energy inefficiencies
7) Swap Your Appliances
When your old appliances stop working, be sure to use energy efficient appliances or smaller appliances when applicable. If possible, switch out your non energy efficient appliances and for smaller energy efficient ones to consume less energy.
You can also keep your oven door closed. When you open your oven door, you lower the internal temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes your oven work harder to get back up to temperature and consumes more energy. Try opening the oven just a crack when checking on food, or rely of the oven’s internal light.
8) Unplug Your Electronics
Be sure to unplug your electronics when not in use. Did you know that the majority of electronic power is consumed by electronics that are turned off? This is called phantom power and is easily reduced by unplugging electronics when not in use.
Turn your computer to sleep or hibernate mode instead of fully turning it off. This saves energy and time while waiting for your computer to boot up again.
When you add up all of these money saving, energy-centric acts of green, the financial (end environmental) benefits are great.
How many of these changes will you implement?
Do you have friends, family or co-workers who are looking to reduce their energy bills and save money? Share this blog post to your socials!
➡️ Are you interested in installing a shower timer?
With Acqua Tempus you will be able to significantly reduce your expenditure on water and gas, while collaborating in the conservation of the planet. They ship worldwide.
More Blog Posts:
Sustainable LGBTQ Owned Brands and Organizations To Support For Pride Month (and beyond!)
Sustainable LGBTQ owned Businesses to support! Learn about the connection between this community & their inclusion in the environmental movement.
The Guide to Veganuary!
Whether you are going full vegan or starting to eat less meat, our guide to veganuary will help you go plant-based in 2023.
