How much do you spend on electricity in the summer? Do you want to learn how to lower your electric bill?
If you’re anything like most households, I’m assuming your electric bill increases as the temperature gets warmer. It makes sense — as it gets hot outside, you turn the AC up to stay cool inside.
The average electric bill in the U.S. is $117 per month according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
But with the air conditioner on full blast in the summer, your bill can easily be much higher in the summer.
I know how good it feels to walk into a nice cool house after you’ve been outside during the summer. However, keeping your house cool adds up, and it can be a big shock to see your electric bill during the summer.
What you may not realize is that there are many ways to lower your electric bill, even during the summer.
Some of the advice below may seem obvious — yes, I will tell you to adjust the temperature on your thermostat so you’re not keeping your house so cool. But, I’m also going to share ways to keep your house cooler without keeping the AC on so much.
You will also learn other energy saving tips that you may overlook and want to start trying. They will teach you how to save on your electric bill in the summer in not so obvious ways.
What I love about learning how to lower your electric bill is that there are multiple benefits. You can save money, and you are also using less electricity and therefore being less wasteful.
You’re doing good things for your budget and the environment by finding electricity savings tips, so it’s a win-win!
Here’s how to lower your electric bill in the summer.
Use your air conditioner less.
Okay, so I understand that this can be quite difficult depending on where you live as some areas can get extremely hot. This is also really obvious advice, but I’m going to say it anyway in case you need a reminder: one big way to learn how to reduce your electricity bill in the summer is by using your air conditioner less.
So if you should use your air conditioner less in the summer, then you might be asking what is the best temperature to set my thermostat?
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends keeping your AC at 78° in the summer to stay cool and avoid a high electric bill.
That may feel too warm at first, especially if you keep it in the low 70s or even 60s. Try to get as close to 78° as possible.
You can adjust your thermostat by a degree or two at a time and work towards 78°.
Switch to a programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat can be a great purchase for most homes, and they are quite affordable for what they do.
A programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home at exactly what you want it to be, and you can have it scheduled to change throughout the day. This way, you don’t have to change it throughout the day — the thermostat will remember what you set it to and change it for you.
This can help you save money because:
- You can set your adjustable thermostat to come on less when you’re away at work. You won’t be wasting money cooling a house that no one is in.
- You can set your adjustable thermostat to use less electricity when you are sleeping.
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Use more fans.
If you want to learn how to lower your electric bill, using fans throughout your house can help you use your air conditioner less.
If you have ceiling fans, portable fans, etc., then you should use them. It can make the room you are in feel much cooler. This will then allow you to set your AC a couple of degrees higher so that you can save more money.
When you are not in the room, though, you should turn off the fan though as it’s just a waste of electricity if no one is in the room.
Block out the harsh sun.
The sun can bring a lot of heat. While natural sunlight is great, you may want to limit it at least a little bit if you want to learn how to save on electricity in the summer.
You can simply close the blinds and curtains that you have, and even purchase black out curtains or thermal curtains to help even more.
Another thing to think about is using light colored curtains in your home. White and lighter colors reflect thermal energy while dark colors absorb it and can make your home hotter.
Cook and do chores at night.
There are some chores that can cause you to sweat or heat up your house. Cleaning is something that can make you break a sweat, so consider doing it later in the day when it’s not so hot.
Cooking is another thing that can heat up your house, especially baking. You can find meals that don’t need the oven, like grilling or cooking in the InstantPot.
Think about it like this: why make it more difficult for your AC to cool down your house?
Your air conditioner has to work harder to compensate for the extra heat in the house, and that takes more energy. Using more energy increases your electric bill.
Take care of your air conditioning system.
In order to save money, you may have to spend a little money as well.
You should always take care of your air conditioning system, as routine maintenance can help it run better and also help the system last longer.
This means replacing the filter and completing maintenance on the actual system on an annual basis, clearing leaves off the exterior system, and so on.
Unplug unused electronics.
Computers, TVs, chargers, and more all use power even when they’re turned off.
By unplugging items that you’re not using, you can learn how to lower your electric bill in the summer and throughout the year.
Turn off lights around your home.
While turning off lights won’t save you a crazy amount of money, there’s really no need to leave lights on in a room that no one is in.
Might as well save some money, save electricity, and save some light bulbs as well.
Use budget billing.
Many electric companies offer budget billing, which is when they look at the total you spent on electricity last year, then divide it by 12 to give you flat monthly payment. This is how much you will pay every month for the year.
This isn’t exactly a way to save on electricity, but it can help you budget your electric bill throughout the year.
The only downside is that you may not realize when you’re using more electricity than normal, and that can make next year’s budget billing cycle cost more.
Keep your home sealed.
Installing or replacing old weatherstripping or caulking around your windows and doors is a good idea if you want to learn how to lower your electric bill. That’s because you are sealing up your home to keep your AC in and the hot air out.
Another way to keep your home sealed is to install storm windows in place of screens. This gives you another layer of temperature protection.
This tip can really help in the winter if you live in a place where it gets expensive to keep your house warm.
Take short, cool showers.
If you’re someone who takes long, hot showers in the summer, you may want to lower the temperature and take less time.
Lowering the temperature on your shower can cool you down if it’s hot outside so you’re using your AC less. But also shortening your shower time by 2 minutes can save around 5 gallons of water. This has an additional savings because you’re heating less water too.
