Lower Your Power Bills this Summer: 5 Easy Ways

You’ve all heard of different ways to lower your power bills in the summer, but don’t some of them include ridiculous and weird tasks, such as covering your windows in styrofoam? Or even more ridiculous? Not wearing clothes! Sure, walking around naked all summer may keep you cooler, but we’re talking about ways that won’t embarrass you that way. Everyone wants to lower their power bills, right? If that’s you, then here are some ideas that won’t embarrass you or your mom or result in calls to the police.

Turn up the thermostat

Yes, turning up your thermostat even one or two degrees can make a big difference in your power bill. And if you’re at work during the day, this method is even easier. Of course, in the winter, you’ll want to turn your thermostat down. Naturally, you might also consider a programmable thermostat that could reduce the temperature while you’re away from home.

Run big appliances at off hours

Does your power company have peak hours? When you run an appliance you are essentially buying power from your power company. In our case (San Francisco), peak hours are from 4:00 – 9:00 pm. So if you run the dishwasher, washing machine, etc. at other times, you’ll spend less. CNet has a good explanation of peak hours if you want to know more: Peak and Off-Peak Energy Explainer.

Use energy-star appliances (or maintain your old appliances)

Make sure your furnace and large appliances are kept clean and maintained regularly. If you don’t know when the last time your furnace was cleaned, maybe it’s time to start a house journal. We’ve written about energy efficiency before. Well, actually, we had Tim Meredith, an eco-conscious writer, write the guest blog post. You might like Ways to Make a Home More Energy Efficient.

Get an energy audit

Does your power company offer a free audit? If so, take advantage of it so that you can see where your energy dollar is being spent. There are also professional energy assessors. See this post from the Department of Energy: Professional Home Energy Assessments. An energy assessment can tell you where your home might have a leaky door or window.

Window film

You knew we were going to talk about window film, didn’t you? When you install window film, a single-pane window acts like a double-pane window, and a double-pane window becomes like a triple-pane window. So your indoor temperature evens out, you’re more comfortable, and you spend less on that energy bill. Window film can be energy efficient as well as beautiful. You might like our article about Wabi-Sabi.

We work all over the San Francisco Bay Area

Have questions about window film? Give us a call and we’ll walk you through some ideas! We’d love to help you choose the best window film for your energy-efficient home or office. We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin–and beyond! Give us a call at 415.623.8700.