Energy costs are rising and maybe your electricity bill has gone up, too.  And the rate increase in your electric bill may coincide with a decrease in your hours or a freeze on pay raises at work.  Folks all over the country are stretched and need to save wherever they can.  Here are some ways to help you reduce your electric bill.

The first step may sound silly.  But are you doing it?  Are you turning off your lights and appliances when you leave the room?  Do you log off of your computer at the end of the day and turn it off?  And don’t forget to turn the TV set or radio off even if you only leave the room for a few minutes.  When you turn the TV set off, do you leave the cable box or DVR on?  Some people leave their porch light burning all night long.  Couldn’t they turn it off when they go to bed?  Being aware of the electricity that you are using and turning it off when you are not using it will help you reduce consumption and save money. 

In fact, you should go beyond turning appliances off.  You should unplug them.  I only use my microwave once every couple of days.  I finally decided that I didn’t need to keep it plugged in all the time just to keep the clock running.  I already have two other clocks in the room.  Energy leaks come from appliances just being plugged in, even if they aren’t turned on.

Switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs.  Here in Chicago, there are usually city-sponsored energy fairs a couple of times a year at which they give away CFL’s free.  And the websites of local utilities often have coupons for them.  It saves even more money to switch to CFL’s if you can get them at a reduced price.

Use the washing machine and dishwasher only when you have a full load.  And when you replace an appliance look for the Energy Star seal or other information that your new appliance is energy-saving-friendly.

Monitor your use of heat and cooling.  Using the time-setting device on the thermostat allows you to set the temperature low during the day and turn it up when your family is on the way back home.  And be moderate concerning just how warm or cool your home needs to be in order to be comfortable.

When you get into the habit of lowering your energy usage, you will find that it’s easy and no trouble to do most of these steps.  And you will probably find new ways to save on electricity once you start looking out for the opportunity.  Keep it up.  Lots of small steps, one after another, will get you far.

And if you really want to save on your energy bill, consider converting your home to solar or wind power.  That way, you can eliminate your monthly electric bill altogether.  To learn more about converting to solar or wind power, turn to Earth4Energy.

To read more about saving energy, check out:

• University at Albany – SUNY – Reducing the Electric Bill – Sustainability director Mary Ellen Mallia holds a compact fluorescent light bulb as resident assistants Brad Machado and Kelsey O’Brien ready boxes of bulbs for the residence halls. National Grid’s Sue Nealon, right, helped secure $5000 …

• ways you can reduce electric bill posted by : jared brock – it seems like everytime you turn around, prices are increasing. have you looked at your utility bills lately? prices have skyrocketed! sit back and relax. i am going to share with you some ways to reduce electric bill. …