A Shocked man holding some documents in the livingroom

Simple 15-Minute Projects to Slash Utility Bills

Watching as your home utility rates soar can be enough to give  a heart attack. Now is not the time to wring your hands and sit idly by. It’s time to get proactive.

A Shocked man holding some documents in the livingroom

So exactly how can you lower your utility bills? Check out these six projects each of which can be completed in 15-minutes or less, requiring no advanced skills or special equipment.

Soon you’ll be keeping more of your hard-earned money in your pocket—not your utility providers’.

Ready? … Set … Go!

Hot Water Saving Showerhead

If you multi-task while waiting for your shower to warm up—making the bed or pot of coffee—the hot water could have been running for minutes, wasting water and adding unnecessary dollars to your utility bills.

The ShowerStart showerhead adapter saves hot water. ShowerStart saves hot water like this: Turn on the shower and cold water exits while you do the things you normally do while waiting for the water to get warm.

Once the temp reaches 95F, ShowerStart automatically lowers the flow to a trickle—saving hot water until you’re ready to get in. When you are ready, you know your shower is warm, so you pull the cord to resume full flow and begin showering.

This adapter saves $75 – $100 in hot water costs plus 2,700 gallons of water each year, based on average utility costs and a family of three showering daily and saving one minute of hot water per shower.

 


Detect Energy Leaks

The Infrared Thermometer Thermal Air Leak Detector is an amazing tool that uses infrared sensors to measure surface temperature to help homeowners track down power-draining drafts in areas where energy is leaking out of your home.

Plugging leaks can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs! This super cool little device helps you decide where to seal and insulate your home. 

 


Socket Sealers

You can cut 10% from your energy costs by properly sealing and insulating areas around the home to makes it as airtight as possible. Start with all of the light switches and electrical outlets.

Install Socket Sealer foam inserts to stop warmed or cooled air from being sucked out of the house through the air gaps around every switch and outlet. Simply remove the cover plate, pop in a gasket, and replace the plate.

 

 


Water Heater Blanket

Just like insulating your walls or roof, insulating your hot water tank is an easy and inexpensive way to improve energy efficiency and save you money each month.

Check to see if your tank has insulation with an R-value of at least 24. If not, consider insulating your water tank to save up to 9% in water heating costs.

 

water heater blanketYou can find inexpensive pre-cut water heater blankets like this Frost King All Season Water Heater Insulation Blanket. If you don’t know your water heater tank’s R-value, touch it. A tank that is warm to the touch is heating the water but also the area in which it is located and needs additional insulation.

AMAZON $30.47

 


Smart Power Strips

Turn off all the lights then walk through your home, and you’ll probably see green and red “eyes” peering through the darkness. All of those glowing LEDs, clocks and power switches are sneaky electronic vampires. This phantom power drain costs you money, and wastes electricity.

Smart power strips like this  Smart Power Strip work to reduce your power usage by automatically shutting down power to products that go into standby mode (no more crawling under desks and furniture to manually switch a power strip to OFF). Amazon Alexa and Google Home compatible

Smart power strips will save you some serious cash. Statistics vary, but experts say standby power consumption in an average home ranges from 5% to 10% of your household energy consumption.

Smart power strips like this  Smart Power Strip work to reduce your power usage by automatically shutting down power to products that go into standby mode (no more crawling under desks and furniture to manually switch a power strip to OFF). Amazon Alexa and Google Home compatible.

Smart power strips will save you some serious cash. Statistics vary, but experts say standby power consumption in an average home ranges from 5% to 10% of your household energy consumption.

 

 


Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat lets homeowners program temperature settings for different times of the day and, with some models, different days of the week. For example, a programmable thermostat can be set to increase or decrease the temperature setting during the day when the family is at work or school.

It can also be used to automatically adjust the temperature at night when everybody is sleeping, and then to reset the temperature a few minutes before reveille.

There are many programmable thermostats available ranging in price. The Emerson Sensi Smart UP500W Programmable WiFi thermostat, pictured, is one of the best in-home temperature controls you can buy.

 

In addition to 7-day programming and vacation mode, the Sensi Smart can be adjusted via the Internet. And with the latest model, it is also compatible with Amazon Alexa. So if your plans keep you away from home longer than planned, you can adjust the temperature settings from any Internet-capable computer or the Wink app on your phone.

 

Question: What 15-minute money-saving project have you tackled recently?

 

 Published: 2-19-21; Updated and republished: 11-29-23


The Everyday Cheapskate website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

 

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  1. Suzanne says:

    In our state we have the ability to choose our electric and natural gas supplier. We still receive a bill from our local power company, but they must receive the gas and electricity from the suppliers we select. Sometimes our local power company gives us the best price. But there are times when the other suppliers are offering the best deals. By being vigilant about prices and choosing the least costly supplier we’re able to save money. Something else I’ve been doing for years is to buy stock in our local power company. Of course, the company has to be well-run and profitable for this to be of benefit and this is the case with our local company. And the dividends now offset the cost of our monthly bill.

    Reply
  2. Ron says:

    To all the folks out there that live in a deregulated energy state like Texas, make sure you sign up for a good plan that offers the best savings for your specific usage. The best way to make sure you’re getting the best price is to take your monthly usage from the past 12 months and use an online comparison site to run these numbers for you. The online rates that most energy companies advertise are just a gimmick and only apply when you use a lot of electricity. You need to find the best rate for YOUR usage!

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