6 ways to save on your energy bill

As energy costs increase during winter months, smart consumers look for ways to save on their bills. Here are six easy ways anyone can save energy and save money.

Do a nightly energy sweep

Before you go to bed, take a moment to walk through your house and turn off anything that doesn't need to be on throughout the night. Your TV, cable-box and other electronics can be turned off in between uses or off at night entirely, which will add up in savings on your energy bill throughout the year.

Set your water heater at 120 degrees

The Environmental Protection Agency says that if your water heater is set at 140 degrees or higher that it can waste over $60 annually in heat losses. Keeping it at 120 degrees will ensure you don't lose any unnecessary money.

Close up small leaks around your home

Those small cracks in walls and other parts of your house may not cause you a lot of energy loss on their own, but when included all together, the energy loss is equivalent to leaving a window open in your house all year long. Use caulk or expanding foam to seal up those cracks around the home where energy, and money, can escape.

Check your meter and energy bill

Many homeowners and renters are used to just paying whatever amount they see on their energy bill each month, but it's worth taking a second glance at your meter to make sure you've actually been charged for the right amount. If you notice something off about your energy bill, contact your utility company to have the situation resolved.

Wash and rinse clothes in cold water

Keeping your clothes at a colder temperature when doing laundry can save 60 cents per wash, and your items will still get perfectly clean.

Replace 100W Light Bulbs with 23W CFLs

23W CFL bulbs use 77 percent less energy than 100W, adding up to $10-$20 in savings a year per bulb.

PECO Smart House Call

Energy saving isn't something that needs to be done on your own. PECO offers programs and rebates, like the PECO Smart House Call, that help customers save energy and money.

PECO Smart House Call provides an unbiased evaluation of your home and offers home energy solutions that can save you up to 20 percent on you energy bill and improve your home's performance all year long.

By signing up for an energy assessment or energy audit with a certified Energy Advisor from PECO you may be eligible for energy-saving products at no additional cost like energy-saving light bulbs, low-flow showerhead(s) and energy-saving power strips. After your energy assessment or energy audit is completed, you will receive a personalized report with recommendations for your home to help you capture additional energy savings. Additionally, your Advisor will help you find additional rebates based on your unbiased evaluation.

Any PECO residential electric customer is eligible to receive a home assessment. You must be a PECO electric heat customer or PECO electric customer with central air conditioning to be eligible for an energy audit.

If an audit was performed on your electric heated home, you may be eligible for air sealing, attic ceiling insulation, wall insulation, duct sealing for air source heat pump systems, and maintenance for air source heat pumps.

Learn more about the PECO Smart House Call Program.