You don’t necessarily have to spend money to save money—this is one strategy for cutting energy costs we’ll go over in this writing, but there are completely free ways to get the job done as well. Following we’ll go over five ways of reducing energy expenses that are either free, or end up producing some level of collateral profit for you in the fullness of time.
Atmosphere Planning To Cut Down Daily Usage
First: do you have window shades? Do you have windows that open or close? Well, you can use this to your advantage. Open the windows at night to let out the hot air and suck in the cool air. In the early hours of the morning, close those windows and pull the shades.
This will trap cool in the home until the afternoon, at which point you can open the windows again. Through such methods you can cut down your recurring utility bill as pertains to HVAC expenses.
Cost-Offsetting: Investing Now For Later Payoff
You can offset future costs through present investment. Wind and solar energy can be installed for about $10k and a week’s concerted effort. These will bring greater property value than your associated costs. Additionally, they could potentially totally offset your utility bill. Inside ten years, what you save in utility costs will overcome initial investment.
Simply Refinance Your Electricity Provider
Usually there’s more than one provider of electricity in town, and this is especially true in Texas. You can expect a cost spread of between 4 and 13 cents per kilo-Watt hour, or kWh. If you’re paying 13 cents per kWh now, you could switch to a cheap provider and cut your bill in thirds—check out the following website for Texas options: http://texaselectricityplans.com/.
Strategic Renovations And Tax Breaks
If you spend $5k to $10k on a solar energy array that works properly, first, you’ll cut out the majority of your daily utility bills. Even if you only cut this in half, that could be a savings of $600+ a year. Next, you’ll get a tax break which can cover the investment cost. Third, you may be eligible to be paid per kWh produced.
Beyond that, it’s expected that your property value will expand based on the level of sustainable energy solution you bring to the table. Sometimes property expansion is about what you paid in. If you’re savvy, though, you can triple your money. So in this scenario, the option isn’t really “free”, but you make money, so that offsets investment cost.
Cutting Out Your Vehicle
A car is expensive; it’s going to cost you a minimum of $3k a year in repair and maintenance—probably more like $8k, if you’re like most people. That’s not to mention insurance and gasoline. If you really want to save on energy costs, sell your car, purchase public transit options, carpool, and ride your bike.
This will save you thousands of dollars a year, cut down your energy footprint, and educate you pertaining to available secondary options. The only downside is you’ll have a reduced ability to travel in an interstate capacity, or outside the country. That said, cutting out a vehicle can save you a lot of money year over year.
Weighing Your Options To Save Money And Energy
There are also options like gravity lamps which use gravity much how a cuckoo clock does to generate electricity. You could even switch out all lightbulbs in your home to LEDs. The options are quite numerous, so do a little research, and find which solutions fit.
Strategic use of electricity, green energy options, reduction of vehicular use, tax breaks, and refinancing your present grid electricity option are all good ways to do this that are either free, or can make you money after minimal investment.
