Reducing Your Utility Costs

Reducing Utility Costs

Utilities are services that make it possible for you to use and function in your home, such as heat, electricity, and water. Those are the main utilities, but others include telecommunication services and waste removal. This article will give you more information on reducing utility costs when living in Chicago.

Sometimes you can reduce your utility costs simply by changing your service provider. In the Chicago area, the only provider of electricity is Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), a division of Exelon Corporation. Obviously, there is no escaping ComEd. Peoples Energy is the only supplier of natural gas in Chicago, so they are responsible for heating your home; however, you do have some alternatives which we'll address later in this article. The Illinois Telephone Corporation is the main supplier of telecommunication services in Chicago, but the competition in this specific sector is huge, so you have a lot of options here to reduce your telephone costs. The Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) supplies water to all the businesses, residents and manufacturing industries in the City and surrounding suburbs.

We all know that electricity bills vary depending on how much power you use. You can reduce this utility cost by turning off all appliances in your home when they are not being used. You can reduce your energy consumption up to 30% by using appliances with the new Energy Star label-starting with your oven and refrigerator, because they are among the biggest energy consumers.

On average, 60% of the energy your home uses is for heating and air-conditioning. Heating costs are seasonal utility costs that change during the year, being significantly lower in spring and summer than in winter. One cost-reducing technique here is to research your payment options, as some providers offer flexible billing systems that accommodate fluctuating utility costs like heating.

There are a number of things you can do to reduce your air-conditioning costs. Replacing a 15-year-old room air conditioner with a new Energy Star room air conditioner could save you up to $56 a year on electricity. Using a programmable thermostat (they cost about $25) will automatically raise the air-conditioning temperature at night and lower it again in the morning, and will lead to instant savings on electric bills--set your air-conditioning thermostat at 78 degrees Farenheit or higher during the warmest months. Also, change or clean your air filter per the manufacturer's recommendation.

You can pare down both heating and air-conditioning bills by installing new windows. Replacing drafty windows with energy-efficient ones is a very smart move.

There are many telecommunications providers in the Chicago-area with new ones emerging all the time. Check the price and service packages offered by telecommunication companies. Compare them and identify the best provider for your particular needs. DSL lines allow telephone and Internet use simultaneously. You can employ the new Voice Over IP technology especially if you are making long distance calls.

Water is our most-used resource, so reducing the utility cost associated with water is of prime importance. Check your indoor water-using appliances and equipment regularly for leaks. Toilets are the biggest water consumers in your home--older models use 3.5 gallons of water per flush. Replace these with newer, more efficient ones.

Your second-largest water consumer is your clothes washer. In addition to installing an Energy Star model, you can reduce your laundry-related energy costs by only washing and drying full loads; always rinsing in cold water; removing the lint from your dryer screen; and making sure the clothes dryer exhaust is not blocked.