Quick Ways To Save On Electricity

45 comments

Updated: March 28, 2023

There are lots of ways to save on electricity. All it takes is a little effort and some plain common sense on our part. You don’t have to be an electrician or an engineer to implement some of these techniques.

In fact, if you look around your house and be conscious of your habits at home, you will discover lots of ways on how you can save money on your electric bill.

But before we go through some of the easiest ways to save on electricity, you have to realize that everything always starts within ourselves.

It takes discipline and a small amount of sacrifice on our part if we want to significantly lessen our electric consumption.

Furthermore, you have to understand that this is a household effort, which means getting the cooperation of your family (or housemates) is essential in making this a successful endeavor.

For starters, the best way to save on electricity is to focus on the biggest energy users in your home, which are the air conditioner, the refrigerator and your home lighting fixtures.

Optimize the use of these appliances and you’ll see a noteworthy drop on your electric bill. Below is a short list on how you can lessen the energy consumption of these items in your household.

Airconditioning

  • Install an aircon that is suited for the space that requires cooling. Talk to your local appliance technician to know the right specifications for you.
  • Always keep the filters clean, making this a twice a month habit is usually enough.
  • Set the thermostat to the right temperature setting, 27° Celsius works for me. Putting the thermostat at a colder setting will not cool your home any faster.
  • Don’t place potential sources of heat such as lamps, computers and televisions near the airconditioning unit. This will cause the airconditioner to run longer.
  • If your unit has a timer, set it to turn off automatically two to three hours before your wake up time. This will not only save you electricity but will help you to get up on time and not run late.
  • Whenever possible, turn the AC off and simply open the windows and use an electric fan to circulate the air in your room and reduce the heat.
  • Wear loose and comfortable clothes at home so you won’t feel the need to turn on the AC all the time.

Refrigerator

  • Use a refrigerator that is properly sized for your needs.
  • Frost free type refs consume more electricity than the conventional type, if you had a choice, use the latter one.
  • In line with using conventional ref types, remember to defrost when the ice becomes more than 1/4 inch thick.
  • Give your unit room to breathe, place it at least 4 inches away from the wall so as not to overwork the motor.
  • Refrain from placing hot or warm food inside.
  • Thaw frozen food in the fridge, this will help in the cooling, really.
  • Refrain from frequent opening of the door. Organize your ref and keep an inventory stuck on the door so you won’t waste so much time searching what’s inside.

Lighting Fixtures

  • Turn off the lights when not in use. Make a conscious effort to check around the house, you’ll be surprised to discover that there are some lights that are running needlessly. Make it a rule at home to turn off all the lights when leaving a room.
  • Use natural light at daytime if possible.
  • Use LED bulbs. They use 75% less energy and lasts 25 times more. They are more expensive, but the efficiency and durability will help you save money in the long run.
  • Use lower wattage lights for areas where illumination is not critical.
  • Using a dimmer helps reduce wattage and thus, helps you to save more electricity.
  • Clean bulbs regularly to optimize the light.
  • Place floor lamps and hanging lamps in corners. The reflection off the walls will give you more light.

More energy saving tips

  • For those who experience winter, read up on how to save on your heating costs. This is important because heaters are big electricity-guzzlers.
  • Unplug your appliances when not in use specially televisions, computers and VCR’s. Simply turning it off is not enough because these items still use electricity when on stand-by mode.
  • Too lazy to unplug every cord? Use a power strip extension cord that has a switch to simultaneously cut the electricity to these appliances.
  • Use a fabric conditioner so you don’t have to iron most of your clothes, specially those you just wear at home. Furthermore, iron your clothes in bulk.
  • If you have the budget, replace your electric stove with a gas stove. On the other hand, when used properly, a microwave oven can really save you time and money on your electric bills.
  • Use the power settings on your computer and set it to automatically go into Sleep or Standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity. Do these instead of using a screen saver.
  • Use LCD monitor instead as it uses significantly less energy than CRT monitors and a laptop is more efficient than a desktop.
  • There is no such thing as a “plug-it-in-and-save-electricity” device. Don’t be scammed. These may be sold in reputable stores and someone you know may have bought one and swears that it’s effective, but still, I’m not convinced because if they really work and they don’t harm your appliances, then why don’t big electronic companies produce their own versions of the device?
  • Lastly, for Pinoys, if you suspect that your home is being tapped with an illegal connection or your meter is not running correctly, don’t hesitate to request for a free check-up from an electrician.

Do you have your own tips on how to save electricity? Why not share them in the comments section below.

Also, if you want more money saving tips, don’t hesitate to subscribe to Ready To Be Rich so you won’t miss out on these type of articles.

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45 comments

  1. nice site! pwedeng pa-link?

    HHAHAHA CHARING LANG!!! normally yan kasi sinasabi nang mga hehehe gaya nung nsa taas! first tim ko kasi and i know you’ve been visiting my site and never accorded the same presidential honors chuva hehehe

    simple lang how to save electricity, paputol mo koneksyon sa meralco and then apply ka nang electricity ki mang karyo sa neighbor ninyo. babagsak ever ang monthly mo. hehehe! i should know, kasi when i have my business, yong saksakang sosyal na internet cafe sa Espana no Europa, hayup yung katabi naman, biglang nagkaron nang jumper and my electricity shooot up from Php12k to about Php36k a month!!!

    ayun sarado na yung business ko. laking savings ko sa electricity. hehehe

  2. @Tom
    Thanks for the visit and the compliment.

    @reyna elena
    Salamat sa pagbisita, it’s such an honor… really… walang halong biro yan 🙂

  4. No problem dyosa. I know, electric bills usually go up during summer. That’s why I got inspired to write this post. Thanks for commenting.

  11. naku ha? get this. last meralcom electric bill na binayara ko sa condo is only Php500. hehehe! eh uuwi ako ngayong May?! todo todo ever ang aircon and i know, that right around this time of the year anak nang litson, parang oven ang init dyan! HAHAHAA!

  12. @reyna
    Yes, it’s really hot here in Manila right now, that’s why people, including me are going to the malls to cool off (and save electricity). 😀

  15. great tips fitz! I will take note of this 😀 lalo na yung sa aircon.. from 500 or less pesos na kuryento ko.. umaabot na sa 7,553 ngayon.. putek… hehehe

  18. very nice tips! I’ll link you in my blog. Would you also mind if I feature your posts? thanks and keep up writing useful posts like this!

  19. Hi boy kuripot! 😀

    Thanks for linking and sure, you can feature my posts in your blog, just don’t copy and paste the articles okay?

  20. Thanks for this post. We all need it, whether to conserve electricity or to conserve our budgets! Thanks for the tips.

  21. sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, we all need these tips to somehow lower our expenses on electricity bills…btw, can i turn off my frost-free type ref every night without damaging my expensive ref? thanks and more power!

  24. Galing!

    Gusto ko tuloy magkaroon ng sariling bahay nang magkaroon ako ng heavier sense of responsibility. Para tumipid ako sa kuryente.

  27. comment on item #6:
    There is no such thing as a “plug-it-in-and-save-electricity” device. Don’t be scammed. These may be sold in reputable stores and someone you know may have bought one and swears that it’s effective, but still, I’m not convinced because if they really work and they don’t harm your appliances, then why don’t big electronic companies produce their own versions of the device?

    this is because if they do this the electricity consumption will be lesser, this means lesser income to them.

    kindly think before you write something…

    please…

  28. Hi Bernadette,

    I suppose you mean electric companies (Meralco). Yes, it will mean lesser income for them.

    However, what I’m actually referring to are electronic companies (Sony, Phillips, etc.) – if plug-it-in-and-save-electricity products do work, then why don’t they come up with their own brands. Why are all such devices being produced by almost unknown companies. Think about it.

    Anyway, if you could likewise read the reference website I mentioned in the article, you would find very comprehensive testing regarding power factor devices and surge suppressors and he has proven that they cannot help you save electricity without harming your appliance.

    More here:
    Power Factor Devices article
    Surge Suppressors article

  29. hello. I’m from japan and I saw a lot of foreign commenters who searched the web on how to save electricity.well I gotta say It is a recourceful web page than other webpages I saw.you see my father is a very wealthy person.we live in tokyo and my father is been searching for recourceful webpages like this one.my dad is at work and the very recourceful webpage that we could find.the creator gets the reward of $ 700,000

  35. – Avoid using microwave to cook food (eg. rice)
    – Electric water heater should be turned off when not in use.
    – Amplifiers/ speakers for TV’s also consume a substantial amount of electricity.
    – Paint the wall with light colors.
    – Study the positioning of appliances (eg. cabinets) so as not to block sunlight and ventilation.

    Lastly, educate all the members of the family and let them actively participate in electricity conservation.

  36. Thanks for this, I am having problems with my electric bills lately since it almost doubled from last month. Maybe I will just turn of the fridge.

  42. TECHNOLOGY PROVEN ENERGY SAVINGS INITIATIVE: SprayFoam (SpraynSeal by IKEBA Enterprises) Roofing System – for Residential, Commercial & Industrial roofing application.

  43. When my bride and I first discussed adding split type air conditioning to our Bulacan home, I went on a quest to find energy efficient windows, doors and a source of insulation. So far, I have yet to find a glass company or building supply yard that offers any thermo-pane windows, efficient doors and almost nothing offered for insulation. I have come to the conclusion that most builders could care less about this issue. Way too many homes are built for visual appeal and NOT for long term efficiency. I am often appalled when invited to view brand new construction and see poorly crafted ill fitting windows that obviously leak a LOT. When you look at a door and see daylight around the entire unit, you know it is an energy waster. NO attempt to install any gaskets! The law of thermodynamics tells you the heat will travel toward what is cold. All those penetrations into you home are places where outside (hot) air will travel to the inside and drive up your energy bills. A well ventilated attic will reduce the temperature above your ceiling. Adding insulation in the attic will also help a lot to reduce attic heat from adding to the load on the air-con. Retro-fitting an older home is much more difficult than building a new, energy efficient home but will still pay big benefits. This is especially true for a DIY (do it yourself) person improving what they currently own.

  44. Hey all! The tips mentioned above are really helpful to save electricity at home, especially the ones for particular appliances that consume a ton of our power supply daily. I would like to add a tip that has been instrumental in saving electricity and that is to install a home energy monitor. I live in India and OHM Assistant is the best home energy monitor in the markets here. It keeps track of all my electronics and it even notifies me if any device is consuming more than normal through the electricity monitor app without any difficulties. This will aid you in reducing your power consumption and in changing your household habits to optimize the best energy conservation outcome.

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