Lower your Electric Bill with Energy Saving Tips

Have you ever noticed the price of your electric bill lately? The monthly costs of your electric bill isn’t getting cheaper but more expensive! How can you lower your monthly bill and save money? Learn energy saving tips below and save money every month on your bill.

Tips to Lowering your Electric Bill

1. Instead of using Incandescent bulbs, use CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps). Compact Fluorescent Lamps last up to ten times longer and they’re 75% more energy efficient.
2. In the summer, instead of throwing your clothes in the dryer, hang up your clothes on the line outside. Use energy efficient appliances and wash your clothes only in cold water. There are detergent agents out there that you can purchase specifically for washing clothes in cold water.
3. In the bathroom, reduce the amount of water used during a shower by installing a low flow shower head. If you prefer to soak, save water by taking a bath.
4. Check the areas of your home where drafts exist. Caulk and weather strip areas to prevent heat from escaping your home.
5. Switch out your current thermostat with a digital programmable thermostat. When you’re at home or if you want your house cooled before you get home, it regulates the heating & cooling in your home.
6. Change the filter on the furnace, clean out your ducts and maintain your furnace. By using these methods, your furnace will run more efficiently.
7. If you have a wood, oil or gas heating element, for example, you can get a gas fireplace instead of keeping your oil furnace if gas is cheaper in your area.
8. You may want to consider installing solar panels. Even though it may be a bit expensive at first, it’ll be beneficial to you with electricity or oil savings. There are tax rebates that are beneficial to saving you money in the long run if you install solar panels.

Are you still unsure about how to lower your bill? Contact My Service Company and we’ll be there to assist you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hans_Chia

Hot Water Heater Maintenance

As a homeowner, extending the life of your hot water heater is very important and it’s best to check your heater twice a year in order to keep it running as smoothly as possible. As a commonly used household item usually located in the garage, it affects everything that we use on a daily basis including our kitchen, bathtub and sinks. To avoid your family from ever having to take a cold shower, below are tips that you can use to protect and save your hot water heater.

Check the Temperature and Lower the Level

On the hot water heater’s temperature gauge, the temperature is usually around 115-120 degrees. You can save money on your utility bills every month if you lower the temperature just a little bit. If you lower the temperature, you can prevent your heater from overheating.

Test the Pressure Relief Valve

There’s an easy solution if you want to take a look at your heater and see if it needs to be replaced. You will need to find the pressure relief valve on your heater. Lift it halfway and it should snap back automatically to its original position. As the water is being released back down the drain tube, you will hear a noise. If the valve isn’t working properly, you will have to start looking for another heater.

Flush System

At the bottom of your hot water tank, there’s small deposits that have built up over time from running your heater. In time, it can cause rusting and corrosion. You can’t do a complete flush of the system if the water tank is completely filled up and the whole system is off.

Instructions on How to Partially Flush your Heater

At the bottom of the hot water tank is a drain valve, add a bucket or any container underneath the valve. Turn the valve counter clockwise. The heater will continue to release no more than a few gallons into the container. If you have a water heater that runs off of electricity, make sure that it’s completely turned off. If it isn’t turned off completely, it can be a safety issue and if any connections are damaged, it’s best to call a technician out to come and fix it for you. If you have a gas heater, turn off the gas and pilot light before you do anything else.

If you have any issues that are problematic, contact My Service Company and we’ll come out and fix it for you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wesley_A_Barras

Green Air Conditioning

Air conditioners work like this. We take a liquid, put it under pressure and then pass it through a coil of pipe so that it turns into a gas. That change from liquid to gas known as a phase change releases or absorbs energy, or heat. Then we reverse the process and covert it back to a liquid and do it again. For a more detailed explanation, see this link.

So what makes an air conditioner environmentally friendly, or green? The type of refrigerant. 20 years ago, R12 was the refrigerant most commonly used. It had an ozone depleting impact of 1.0, meaning if your air conditioner leaked it really had a negative impact on the ozone. So, regulations came into play that forced the transition from R12 to R22. R22 has an impact of 0.1, a tenth of R12. That’s good, but now the regulation has been changed again and R410A is the new refrigerant being enforced. It has a impact of 0.01, a tenth of R22. In Canada, R22 is being completely phased out.

What that means to you is that if you have an air conditioner that was installed in the last 10 years, it’s a) not very environmentally friendly if it leaks, and b) not going to be cheap to fix if it breaks down. You would be wise to start considering the move to R410A. The really good news is that R410A units are not only more green, they are more efficient. That means you’ll save money on your electric bills in the hot summer month.

If you’re not sure about your old air conditioner, you would be wise to have it looked at by a trained, qualified technician before the summer begins.