Thrifty Tricks: DIY Secrets to Shield Appliances and Slash Bills

Ashley - July 21, 2023

Photo: Photo Credit: fixer.com

Whether you rent an apartment or own a home, you’ve likely noticed a serious increase in electric bills over the past few years. With prices of everything else soaring as well, it’s important to find ways to cut down on this necessary expense as much as possible. You may think you have your home fitted to be energy-efficient, but there’s always room for improvement! From the lightbulbs you use to the appliances you run every day, there are ways to make your appliances more efficient and reduce your electric costs. The best part? Everything on this list is a simple DIY project you can complete in an afternoon- or even just a few minutes! So, what are you waiting for? Scroll down to dive into the world of smart DIY projects that’ll help you protect your appliances and your wallet.

Make The Switch To LED Bulbs

Before you do anything else, you’ll want to start with the basics. You can save a significant amount on your energy bill simply by replacing your current iridescent bulbs with LEDs. Yes, you’ll pay a little bit upfront to buy all new lightbulbs for your home, but the average household saves around $250 a year by making the switch. LED bulbs typically use 75% less energy than iridescents, so they’ll reduce your energy usage noticeably. Those costs will really add up, especially when combined with all the other tricks you’re about to learn from this list.

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Install Smart Switches To Your Lights

Once you’ve replaced all your iridescent lights to LEDs, it’s time to take things a step further. Buy and install smart switches to all the lights in your home. This will allow you more control over when the lights are on and give you the opportunity to monitor your energy usage, so you can make adjustments to your routine as needed. Many smart switches have apps you can download onto your smartphone, so you can control the lights from anywhere. Realize you accidentally left the kitchen light on after you left for work? Not a problem! Simply open the app to turn the light off. This will save you a ton of money in the long run and help expand the lifetime of your lights.

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Invest In Weather Stripping

It’s not difficult for windows and doors to become warped over time. Even if they aren’t warped, it’s unlikely that they’re giving your home a complete seal from the outside. It’s estimated that homeowners can save an average of 15% on their energy costs by properly weatherproofing their homes. Thankfully, weather stripping is inexpensive, easy to find, and even easier to install. Head over to your nearest supermarket or home improvement store and grab yourself quality weather stripping. Then, identify the points in your home that need to be sealed, which is probably all of your windows and all the doors that lead to the outside. Make sure you install the weather stripping correctly so it creates a tight seal. This is an easy job that will save you big in the long run!

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Run Your Appliances At Night

This tip is one of the secrets of the trade that energy professionals have shared over the years. Apparently, energy companies will charge different rates based on peak times. So, if you run your appliances during the day when everyone else is, then you’ll be paying peak-time rates for your usage. Running your appliances at night, during less busy times, will save you money! You’ll be charged a different rate for your electricity usage, and you’ll wake up to a dishwasher full of clean dishes. However, peak times can vary based on location, so be sure to check with your utility company to find out when their peak and off hours are.

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Insulate Your Garage Door

There are a ton of benefits to insulating your garage door. It reduces noise transference, and it will keep your garage significantly cooler during the summer months and warmer during the winter months. Experts estimate insulating your garage door can make a temperature difference of 12-20 degrees! Of course, this also means you’ll be saving on energy costs because your precious heated or cooled air won’t be escaping through that massive door. There are plenty of simple online tutorials that can walk you through the steps needed to insulate your garage door. Remember to add weather stripping to the bottom as well to create a perfect and tight seal!

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Seal Your Attic

Most attics are unfinished. Unfortunately, that means most homeowners are paying to let their heated and cooled air fly straight out of their attics! Sealing an attic requires a bit more time, equipment, and knowledge than most of the projects on this list, but it’s a good stop to take if you want to make your home more energy-efficient. You’ll need to add insulation, weatherstripping, and possibly a layer of drywall or flooring, depending on the state of your attic. This type of project is best suited for a professional, but if you want to try your hand at it, make sure to check out some online tutorials. There are tons of articles and video tutorials that will walk you through the process step-by-step.

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Clean Your Refrigerator’s Coils

There are a few things you can do to maximize the efficiency of your refrigerator. First, keep the inside of your fridge clean and check to ensure it’s sealing well when you close it. Replace the seal right away if it’s worn and not maintaining the temperature properly. Also, keep your food evenly spaced in the refrigerator to allow for the best temperature distribution. In the freezer, keep things packed together for better efficiency. You’ll also want to make sure you’re cleaning your refrigerator’s coils frequently. You’ll want to remove the grate that hides the coils and give them a good clean every six months, but you can dust the outside of the grate more frequently to help prevent a buildup of debris. Keeping those coils clean will significantly impact your fridge’s efficiency, which saves you money on energy costs!

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Insulate Your Ducts

The ducts in your home are responsible for carrying heated and cooled air throughout the home. If these ducts aren’t properly insulated, then you’ll lose a ton of air in the transfer process, which will cause your energy bills to increase significantly to maintain comfortable temperatures. Insulating these ducts isn’t a difficult process, so long as you can reach them comfortably. This is another project that you may want to consider hiring a professional for. However, if you’d like to do it yourself, there are a ton of resources online that can walk you through the process and provide you with a list of materials you’ll need.

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Only Run Full Loads In The Washer

If you really want to save on water and energy costs, then remember to only run your washer when you have a full load! There are other tips you’ll want to keep in mind when doing laundry. Use cold water to wash your clothes whenever possible because it saves dramatically more energy (around 90%). Try to wait to do laundry until you have a day when you have multiple loads to do. This way, you can do the loads back-to-back, which will save energy because your dryer won’t have to work as hard to warm up in between loads. Also, make sure you’re cleaning your washer and dryer every six months! There are tablets you can buy and run through the washer to help keep that machine clean, and there are plenty of online tutorials that address cleaning your dryer as well!

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Clean Your Dishwasher Filter

Many of the tips on this list will be about cleaning and maintaining your appliances to maximize their energy efficiency and extend their lifetimes. Your dishwasher is an important part of your daily routine, and it needs to be cleaned frequently. The filter should be removed and cleaned every three to six months for best results. Along with that, here are some other tips for maintaining your dishwasher and lowering your energy bill. Choose the light-wash or energy-efficient cycle every chance you get. Run the dishwasher at night and let your dishes air dry rather than heat dry.

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Choose Blackout Curtains All Year Round

Everyone knows blackout curtains are amazing for keeping the light out of your home. But did you also know it can help maintain the temperature in your home? They essentially act as a layer of insulation in front of your window, and they do wonders to keep the heat in during the winter and keep your space cool during the summer. Blackout curtains will trap the heat in your rooms during colder months and they work wonders for repelling solar radiation and heat during the summer months, which will help your space stay cooler. If you want to test out this trick before committing, try putting blackout curtains in windows that experience direct sunlight during the summer. You’ll notice a significant difference!

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Replace Your Furnace Filters Often

Homeowners have so much to keep up with, and it’s not surprising that some things get forgotten about. Changing out the furnace filter needs to be one of your top priorities if you want to extend the lifetime of your furnace and reduce your energy costs. A dirty filter will make your furnace work significantly harder, which puts significant strain on the appliance and costs you more money. HVAC professionals recommend replacing your filters every three months, and this is a rule you definitely want to stick to! It also doesn’t hurt to check them more frequently during the wintertime when furnaces tend to be under the most strain.

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Adjust Your Water Heater Temperature

Most water heaters are set at a pretty high temperature, but it’s not necessary to have a temperature that high. You could be wasting a ton of money on energy costs to keep your water at a high temperature without even realizing it! Gas powered heaters often have a single knob for temperature control, but electric heaters may have two. Check your user manual to find the energy efficiency setting and learn how to adjust the temperature controls. Set the temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This will still work to get your dishes and clothes clean without using up a bunch of excess energy.

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Let Your Clothes Air Dry

Dryers use a ton of energy to get your clothes dry. Seriously, you will save a ton of money by only running your dryer when it’s absolutely necessary! If you live in an area with enough space and reasonable weather, it’s time to invest in an old-fashioned clothesline. It’s less convenient to dry clothes this way, but it will save you a ton of money. There are also clothes-drying racks you can buy to put in your laundry room or another room in your home if you can’t hang a clothesline outside. Let your clothes air dry as much as possible and only rely on your dryer when it’s absolutely necessary.

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Replace Your Home’s Siding

This is another project that takes significantly more time, materials, and knowledge than others on this list, but it’s also one of the most valuable! When your home’s siding falls into disrepair, it’s essential to replace the siding. Some people will try to patch damaged areas, but that won’t help your home be more insulated and energy-efficient. It’s probably best to call a professional to replace the siding for you, but it is possible to do this job yourself. You’ll need a good chunk of free time to complete this project, along with the right materials. If you decide to do the job yourself, make sure you have a solid tutorial to follow!

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Don’t Use Sleep Mode

Many people put their computers or laptops into sleep mode when they’re not in use, but this can actually take up a significant amount of energy. Shut your electronics down fully when you aren’t using them. It can save you up to 50% of energy usage! You can also try unplugging electronics and appliances when they’re not in use to save on energy costs. Also, if you aren’t using them already, make sure you invest in some power strips! They’ll make it easy to turn electricity off to all your appliances or electronics at once, and they often have surge protectors to keep your electronics and appliances safe during storms.

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Add A Radiant Barrier To Your Attic Ceiling

A radiant barrier is a piece of highly reflective material. It will reflect radiant heat rather than absorb it, which helps keep your attic cool and protects against wasting energy. Not only will this keep you from wasting energy throughout your home, but it can also help extend the lifetime of your roof and attic ceiling! Radiant barriers can be found in most home improvement stores, and they’re pretty easy to install. Check out some online tutorials to learn how to get the job done properly.

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Get Your AC Serviced Regularly

We’ve talked about getting your furnace serviced and keeping up with cleaning some of your other appliances, so now it’s time to talk about your air conditioning unit. Servicing your ac is just like servicing your car. This will help increase its lifespan and efficiency, so you definitely don’t want to skip this! Experts recommend getting your AC serviced twice per year. You can also help increase the efficiency of your ac by ensuring you’re keeping the filters clean and setting the AC at a reasonable temperature.

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Consider Investing In A Tankless Water Heater

Traditional water heaters use a ton of energy to keep 20-40 gallons of water at a high temperature all the time. Tankless water heaters use 30%-50% less energy and will save the average household about $100 per year. The advantage to tankless water heaters that makes them more energy efficient is they only heat water when needed. This is why they’re often known as “on-demand” heaters. They generally run on natural gas or propane. These units are also more compact and can be mounted on a wall, so they’re perfect for homeowners with limited space.

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Clean Lint From Your Dryer Vent

Everyone knows to clean lint from the filter every time they use the dryer. But how often are you cleaning the lint out of your dryer’s vent? This should be done on a regular basis, at least once per year. Typically, you’ll want to use a vacuum to get out all the accumulated lint. Doing this will increase the performance of your dryer, which will lower your energy costs. It’s also a key way to prevent house fires, since lint is extremely flammable. Not cleaning lint from dryer vents and ducts causes hundreds of thousands of house fires every year, so it’s essential to make sure you stay on top of this task.

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Consider Switching to Triple-Glazed Windows

If you’re planning on replacing your old windows soon, you should look into triple-glazed windows. Double-panned glass works well to keep out the temperatures and provide your home with insulation, but triple-glazed windows are even more effective. They can save homeowners two to three percent on their energy bills every year. This may not seem like a significant difference, but if you plan on replacing your windows anyway, then it might be worth the upgrade!

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Clean Your Water Heater Regularly

Water heaters use a significant amount of energy and it’s essential for homeowners to learn ways to make these necessary appliances more efficient. Sediment tends to collect on the bottom of water heaters, and if you don’t clean it regularly, it can damage your water heater and seriously reduce its efficiency. Your water heater has to struggle to heat up the layer of sediment before it can heat up the water, which takes a ton of extra time and energy. Professionals recommend cleaning it at least once a year to remove the build-up of sediment. This will help extend the lifetime of your water heater and make it more efficient.

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Wrap Pipes With Insulation

Exposed water heater pipes are a drastic source of energy loss in most homes. The exposed pipes lose a ton of heat as water travels through them, which leads to a larger supply of water and energy being used. The best way to combat this is by wrapping the pipes with insulation. This is a super easy process that anyone can do in an afternoon. Head to your local home improvement store to grab insulation. Then, wrap all your exposed pipes. Make sure the wrap is tight enough to provide sufficient insulation and check them once every few months in case you need to rewrap them or make adjustments.

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Get A Chimney Balloon

Homeowners with chimneys need to know about this trick! So much air gets sucked out of chimneys ever year, wasting a ton of energy and money. However, you don’t need to call a professional to solve this issue for you. All you need is a chimney balloon! You can easily find one of these at your local home improvement store or online. They’re inflatable “balloons” that you can inflate using a pump or the power of your lungs. You stick it up your chimney from inside the home and it seals it off. This will save you hundreds on your heating and cooling bills every year!

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Look For Air Leaks Outside

It’s helpful to look around the outside of your home for opportunities for air to escape outside. Often, you’ll find areas where piping or vents lead outside, and you’ll notice that these areas haven’t been sealed as well as they could be. The holes used to provide the piping or vents access to the outside are often partially sealed, but there’s usually room for improvement. You can use a rubber plumbing boot to create a tighter seal and make the area look less obvious. Not only will this save on your energy bill, but it will also increase the aesthetics of your home!

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Lower Your Thermostat

Experts suggest that homeowners will save one percent on their energy bill for every degree they lower their thermostat. Professionals recommend lowering your thermostat to 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Not only does this help you save on energy costs, but it will also help you sleep better! During the daytime, an average temperature of 68 degrees is preferred by most people. However, if you get cold, don’t run and turn the thermostat up! You’ll actually save more money in the long run by keeping your thermostat low and getting a portable heater in whichever room you’re spending time in.

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Seal Your Duct Joints

Duct joints are another area in the home where a ton of air can escape. Sealing those joints will help conserve how much energy you’re using and make your heating and cooling units more efficient. All of that will help reduce your energy bills, so you definitely don’t want to skip this one! There are a couple of ways you can seal your duct joints, but using a mastic sealant or metal tape will give you the best seal. Both of those options are long-lasting, so you won’t have to worry about resealing the joints frequently. Just check them once a year to check if they need touch-ups.

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Use Your Microwave When Possible

Did you know that microwaves use significantly less energy than either a gas or electric oven? If you switched to using your microwave more often, you’d save a ton on your electric bill! One hour of microwave usage uses about half the total energy of a natural gas oven and 60% less than an electric oven! The moral of the story? Use your microwave instead of your oven whenever possible. You’ll still be able to make delicious meals and even baked treats using the microwave, and you’ll save a ton of money on your electric bill.

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Make Use Of Your Ceiling Fan

In an average home, running an AC unit costs you about $0.36 per minute. The cost of running a ceiling fan is only $0.04 cents per minute. Now, we’re not saying to ditch your AC unit entirely, but using your ceiling fan will allow you to comfortably set your AC four degrees higher than usual, which will reduce how often it turns on, thereby saving you money! You can apply the same trick during the winter to keep warm air circulating through your home and keep your thermostat lower. Just make sure you have your fan set to spin counterclockwise in the summer and clockwise in the winter. This will create the correct air drafts to keep your home warm or cool!

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Don’t Run The Bathroom Ventilation Fan Longer Than Necessary

Did you know that bathroom and kitchen ventilation fans replace inside air with outside? While this probably sounds like common sense, it creates a serious efficiency issue. When you’re running your AC or heater and have one of these ventilation fans on, you’re dragging all the warm or cold air inside your home, which makes your AC or heating unit work harder to maintain the temperature in your home. Only run these fans when absolutely necessary to reduce the strain on your equipment and increase your home’s energy efficiency!

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Put Tinting Film On Your Windows

This is another great trick you can do yourself in an afternoon. Window tinting film is sold in most home improvement stores or can be found online easily. It’s an inexpensive material that works well to insulate your windows by reflecting the solar radiation in the summer and creating a barrier against the cold air in the winter. Cover all your windows with this tinting film to increase the energy efficiency in your home and reduce your bill each month. Combined with the other tricks on this list, your home will be the most energy-efficient house on your block!

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Use Alternative Lighting

We’ve all heard the advice to turn off lights when they’re not needed, and there’s a reason that’s such good advice! Lighting accounts for 12% of most people’s electric bills, so you can drastically reduce your costs by using alternative lighting sources. Opt for non-electric mood lighting like candles or solar-powered lanterns whenever possible. Not only will they save on energy, but they create a cozy atmosphere in your home. Plus, using your lighting less will extend the lifetime of your bulbs, which also saves you money in the long run.

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Be Careful Of Where You Place Your Appliances

Here’s a neat tip that can save you a little money and help the feng shui of your home. You should always be careful of where you place your appliances! Putting appliances that give off heat, such as televisions or lamps, next to your thermostat will actually trick your thermostat into thinking your home is warmer than it actually is! Doing this during the summer means your thermostat will tell your AC unit to kick on more frequently. During the winter, it will trick your thermostat into thinking your home is warmer than it actually is, causing you to turn up the temperature to stay comfortable. Keep appliances that give off heat away from your thermostat to avoid this issue.

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Install A Door Sweep

Go to any door in your home that leads to the outside. Can you feel a breeze coming through when you stand in front of it? Or do you see sunlight peaking through the bottom of the door? If either of those applies to you, then you need to install a door sweep. It will help insulate your home and cut down on energy costs (and unwanted bugs!). Door sweeps made of aluminum and vinyl are the best choices because they’re durable, weather-resistant, and sturdy. It’s super easy to install one of these, as you usually just need to screw it onto the bottom of your door. Check out your local home improvement store to grab the supplies you need, and you’ll have this project completed in an afternoon.

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Seal Holes Under Your Sink

The plumbing underneath your sinks often isn’t fully sealed. You’ll find large holes where the plumbing goes into the wall, and these holes can be sealed to help reduce energy costs and improve efficiency. Grab a can of expanding foam sealant from your local home improvement store, spray around the hole, and let the foam do all the hard work for you! Make sure to check under your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room sinks. You can also use this expanding foam sealant for other areas in your home where small holes are causing efficiency issues.

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