Be Green: 6 Simple Ways to Cut Down on Your Energy Bill This Summer

By: Alicia Schuller, Marketing Coordinator, NHS of Baltimore

1. Get an “Energy Audit”- many utility companies including Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) offer free energy audits that will tell you exactly where your home is leaking energy. You will learn where the problem spots for heating and cooling are, as well as what you can do to fix the problems.

2. Buy a programmable thermostat- it will allow you to pre-set several different temperature settings that will kick on throughout the day. Setting the temp higher when you are away from your home will definitely help conserve energy. BGE offers a rewards program for folks who install a programmable thermostat in their home, as well as a special Energy Savers program that allows them to “cycle” your air conditioning on and off, remotely, during times of your choosing- further saving you money.

3. Turn off lights when they aren’t being used- leaving the lights off in rooms you’re not using not only cuts down on your energy bill, it will keep those rooms cooler as well. To take it a step further, you can purchase motion detector switches for rooms that are not used heavily, such as hallways and bathrooms. You can pre-set them to go off after a certain amount of time.

4. Replace your outdated light bulbs- placing Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) in all of your lamps inside and outside will cut your electric bill drastically. They use 3/4 less energy than standard light bulbs, and although they are a bit more expensive, they typically last three times longer than a standard bulb as well. BGE offers several incentives to their customers who use energy efficient bulbs.

5. Turn off electronics when they are not being used- many electronics such as laptops and cell phones, have a “stand by” or “sleep” mode when they aren’t in use. Although they are using less energy, they are still using enough to make a difference on your monthly bill. This is called “vampire energy”, which can also be sucked out of your DVD player, television and microwave, even when they are switched off. When going on long trips, it would be wise to unplug these devices all together.

6. Clean behind your appliances- cleaning and clearing all dust and debris from behind appliances such as your refrigerator, clothes dryer and air conditioning unit will definitely make a difference. When these devices become clogged or blocked with dust, dryer lint, or other debris, their fans have to work harder to cool their motors down- thus consuming more energy. If you have central air in your home, cleaning or replacing the filter on the unit will increase its efficiency and decrease the amount of energy it uses.