Can Going Green Help You Get Control Of Your Budget?

The reality of energy consumption in the US is one that not many of care to face. When nearly one in three households in the United States struggle to pay their electricity bills and one in five go without other basic necessities, our collective money worries are not only hitting our wallets, but also the economy.

No matter the reason we fall behind, the energy bills have to be paid - most of what we use electricity for are necessities like heating in the winter and cooling in the summers. Unfortunately, around one in five households keeps their climate control at unsafe temperatures just to save money on a monthly bill. As energy costs as a whole are predicted to keep increasing through 2020, individuals may continue to overlook simple and sometimes obvious ways to save.

If it’s the thermostat demanding a majority of the energy, as it is with many homes, turning it down or off may not necessarily fix the issue on its own. In this case, consider checking on the home’s insulation especially around windows and doors. Sealing cracks around doors, keeping windows shut tight, even heavy curtains around bigger windows can help get the job done. After an insulation check, turning down the thermostat a notch, often just by 7 to 10 degrees for a few hours a day can knock off hundreds of dollars from an annual bill.

Ready to take control of your energy bills? Thermostat control is only the beginning of easy changes - from LED light bulbs to gaming consoles to solar panels. Take a look at this infographic for more on managing a power bill and solutions for every budget.