How to Lower Utility Bills Even if You Rent
March 8th, 2009You know that crummy feeling you get when the price of your favorite products go up fifty cents at the grocery store? It’s kind of the same way we felt when we got power bills in the United States.* We knew we were probably paying for energy that we didn’t even need.
As renters, we didn’t have control over the amount of insulation in our walls or the efficiency of our windows and appliances. But we could control a lot of other things. So wether you’re a renter or homeowner, here’s the list of top priority things Martin and I always do at each new home to chop our utility bills.
*In Germany, billing is projected for the upcoming year. You can’t analyze one month’s bill to improve the next, so practices like these tips are especially important to avoid a shocking bill at the end of the year’s cycle.
Six Quick Projects We Think Are Worth Every Second
1. Install a programable thermostat.
We actually carried around our own programable thermostat. We’d take down the cheap manual thermostat on the wall of our rental house and put up our own. It was super easy to do and cost about $30. Our power company offered rebates to homes with programable thermostats, so we just filled out a quick form and copied our receipt. A couple weeks later, we got a rebate check to cover the bill. Call your power company and ask them about a rebate program.
Total time: 15 minutes. Total cost: $0
2. Set and use said programable thermostat.
Most landlords don’t bother to install these thermostats. It isn’t always because of the cost (obviously, since ours was free). They don’t bother because – get this – most tenants don’t even set them. We know a property manager who says that none of his tenants have ever set the programable thermostats. They just leave the manuals poking out of the thermostats, and he’s gone in for maintenance to find the houses set to 80 degrees in the winter while everyone was gone for the day. Why not use what you’ve got if it can save you money? Keep the house cooler at night and when you’re at work.
Total time: less than 5 minutes. Total cost savings: double digits depending on how hot you like it, baby!
3. Check your air filter.
If your home is heated by forced air, check the filter. Some landlords do this. If yours doesn’t, you’d better hurry and do it. A clogged filter drastically decreases the efficiency of the heat that makes it into your ducts. Might as well get the heat you’re paying for, right?
Total time: less than 5 minutes. Total cost: $3
4. Invest in thick curtains.
A lot of houses don’t have thick, efficient windows. They cost more. If you can feel cold air by your windows in the winter or feel like you’re going to pass out from the heat coming through your windows in the summer, get thick curtains. I sewed some for our first apartment and made them floor length so we could use them in future apartments.
Total time: how fast do you shop or sew? Total cost: $50 – $100
5. Replace the light bulbs you use the most.
Within days of moving in somewhere, Martin would walk around our new house with two buckets. We had a bucket of “our” lightbulbs that were energy efficient CFLs (check out our lightbulb guide here) and a bucket for the super cheap and super electricity guzzling bulbs that came with the house. He would switch the bulbs to our efficient ones. When we moved out, he’d switch them all back. We managed to snag eight free bulbs at a energy efficiency event our power company was holding. We got rebates and bought the rest in bulk. Contact your power company for similar events. They’re annual in many communities.
Total time: 2 minutes per fixture. Total cost savings: $6 per bulb each year
6. Open the vents.
You’d be surprised by how many people complain how cold rooms are… only to discover that the vents in that room are all closed. We take a few minutes to make sure that they are open. If we don’t need a particular room to get as much heat (like our bedroom), we’ll close the vents a little. This picture is from a forced air system. It’s the same idea with radiators on your hot water heating system.
Total time: 10 seconds. Total cost: nadda
I love it when being green means saving money. Or saving money means being green. Whichever! It’s all good. Have any pointers we can all add to this list and save a little as utilities go up and the economy goes down?
In the mood for saving more money? Check out our list of things that won’t lower your utility bills and our trick for reusing old birthday cards!
