There are plenty of very expensive ways to save energy and reduce your utility bills, but if you’re on a budget or don’t want to spend unnecessary money on home improvements, Realgy Energy Services has a list of 5 energy-saving ideas that will cost $10 or less.

1. Turning off your lights when you’re not in the room will cost $0 but will save you money!

Lighting accounts for about 10 percent of a typical household’s electricity bill, so turning off your lights when you’re not in the room is a great way to save some money off lighting costs, whether or not you upgrade to CFL light bulbs.

light-switch

To find out how much money you can save simply by turning off lights when you’re not using them, head over to energy.gov

 

2. Installing low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators for under $10 each can help reduce the amount of hot water you use in your home.

This improvement can be a significant source of energy savings since about 73 percent of the water used in a typical shower is hot water. Using low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home’s water heating costs by as much as 50 percent.

fresh shower

 

3. Replacing an old incandescent light bulb with a CFL will cost less than $10.

Incandescent light bulbs may be cheaper than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) but they also waste a lot of energy, Ninety percent of the energy used by a traditional incandescent bulb is given off as heat. In addition, incandescent bulbs burn out much faster than CFLs which last at least 6 times longer and use about 75 percent less energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, upgrading 15 inefficient incandescent light bulbs to CFL or LED bulbs could save about $50 per year.green light

Still confused about the difference between watts and lumens? Check out this Realgy Energy Services blog post: Watt vs Lumens: How bright is that light?

 

4. Use a $10 power strip to slay energy vampires.

Just plug your devices into it and flip the strip’s power switch on when you want to use your devices and off when you don’t. Make sure not to use power strips with devices that have to run in standby mode to operate, like DVRs

Standby or vampire power as it is most commonly referred to, wastes $10 billion of electricity annually in the United States alone. The average US household has about 40 electronic devices that constantly draw small amounts of power.

power strip

 

5. Depending on how much you need, most homeowners can weather strip their windows and doors for under $10.

More than 20 percent of all the heated and cooled air that escapes your home sneaks out through gaps around windows and doors. When installing weather stripping, it is a good idea to measure the perimeters of the doors and windows needing weather stripping, total them up, and add about 10 percent to that number to make sure you have enough weather stripping.

weatherstripping

Learn how to select and apply weather stripping at energy.gov

If you are still looking for ways to reduce your energy bills, enroll with a registered energy supplier like Realgy Energy Services. Check out Realgy Energy Services rates and see how much you could be saving www.realgyenergyservices.com

 

Sources:

ENERGY STAR, “Light Bulbs”
Energy.Gov, “Lighting Choices to Save You Money”
Energy.Gov, “Reduce Hot Water Use for Energy Savings”
ENERGY STAR, “Standby Power and Energy Vampires”
Energy.Gov, “Weather Stripping”
Energy.Gov, “When to Turn Off Your Lights”