- Find a Real Estate Professional
- Realtors®
- Mortgage Lenders
- Home Improvement Pros
- Other Real Estate Services
- Review an Agent, Lender or Pro
- Marketing on Zillow
- Real Estate Agent Advertising
- Join the Professional Directory
- Popular
- Real Estate Market Reports
- More
Answers (8)
- Dan, "the_country_hick"
- Contributions:4699
Turn the heat down. Turn the a/c up. That will save a lot of $$$.
Turn down the temp on your water heater. Unplug it if it is electric when not needed.
Unplug anything that has a remote control or clock in it (except for the actual clock you use). Many electronic items never truly shut off. They are a phantom power user. They appear to be sitting doing nothing turned off yet they are still using electricity.
The above are the biggest bang for the buck. You will save cash and spend $0.00 doing it.
If you wish to spend money look at insulation. Wrap the water heater. Insulate the attic and walls. A cheaper method to eliminate air infiltration is to search for gaps and cracks and fill them with weather stripping, spray foam, or caulking.
In arizona using a solar water heater (as mentioned below) should make a lot of sense. A bunch of black pipes will warm up the water easily.
Turn down the temp on your water heater. Unplug it if it is electric when not needed.
Unplug anything that has a remote control or clock in it (except for the actual clock you use). Many electronic items never truly shut off. They are a phantom power user. They appear to be sitting doing nothing turned off yet they are still using electricity.
The above are the biggest bang for the buck. You will save cash and spend $0.00 doing it.
If you wish to spend money look at insulation. Wrap the water heater. Insulate the attic and walls. A cheaper method to eliminate air infiltration is to search for gaps and cracks and fill them with weather stripping, spray foam, or caulking.
In arizona using a solar water heater (as mentioned below) should make a lot of sense. A bunch of black pipes will warm up the water easily.
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
A lot of people that I talk to seem to be considering solar hot water especially in the sun belt. I think the payback period can be as short as 3 years depending on the number of people in your house.
The federal tax credit which reduces the cost too. Many states like CA have separate rebate programs, but I not sure about AZ. You could check with your local utility to see if any are available. There is some general info about solar hot water here and some payback information here. Still the best bang for your energy saving buck is still probably good old fashioned insulation, caulk and weatherstripping.
The federal tax credit which reduces the cost too. Many states like CA have separate rebate programs, but I not sure about AZ. You could check with your local utility to see if any are available. There is some general info about solar hot water here and some payback information here. Still the best bang for your energy saving buck is still probably good old fashioned insulation, caulk and weatherstripping.
- Terri Rigdon, "terririgdon"
- Contributions:102
Your local utility company usually offers a free energy audit as well as provide you with all the rebate information and tax incentives available for any upgrades you make to your home.
- Tim Perkins, "Tim139"
- Contributions:3
You will need an energy audit from your local utility company to determine this. Many times this is free and you may qualify for "free" help with some upgrades through the utility company.
- HARRY DELIA III, "RealEstateandBeyond"
- Contributions:46
The local utility company should offer an energy efficiency audit. It will rank the home on its efficiency. Furthermore, it will recommend items to be more energy efficient. Consult with the experts before purchasing the home. The cost of the audit in my local area is $100. That is worth the money to me.
- Lee Ernst, "See Lee!"
- Contributions:162
For the money attic insulation or adding to your old attic insulation is cheap and really works. Another inexpensive thing is an attic fan. One type mounts to the roof of your house and has a sensor that kicks in at hot temperatures and draws that hot air out of the attic. The other whole house fan mounts to your ceiling in the house and you switch it on when you need quick air movement. That type of fan is really powerful.
- Naima Sumner, "Dallas Ft. Worth PRO"
- Contributions:2847
I've changed one of our HVAC system this year and upgrades to a 16 seer. My AC bill this summer was super low at $250 average compared to previous years up to $700. An excellent investment I think.
Added radiant barrier in the attic aka tech shielding, that helped too when it's 110 outside. House is only 12 years old so it already has the low E glass and other energy features. We put those energy saving bulbs but I really hate them. They light up nice and bright when I'm done in the room. That's one item I'm gonna fix very soon. I know not very green of me.
Next project would be to add solar screens for some parts of the home
Added radiant barrier in the attic aka tech shielding, that helped too when it's 110 outside. House is only 12 years old so it already has the low E glass and other energy features. We put those energy saving bulbs but I really hate them. They light up nice and bright when I'm done in the room. That's one item I'm gonna fix very soon. I know not very green of me.
Next project would be to add solar screens for some parts of the home
- Randy Hooker, "GoingForIt"
- Contributions:395
Buy a home that is as 'green' (energy efficient) as you can get. In Safford, that could be a bit tricky. Look for 'green' features, like dual pane windows, higher seer rating on AC, higher insulation factors. If you're lost, then seek out the assistance of a Buyer's Agent who is familiar with the area and can represent you in the process.
Best of luck to you!
Best of luck to you!
Whats the best thing I can do, to get the best bang for my buck in saving money on utililty bills?
-
- 0.0/5.0
Contributions:2Stating a discriminatory preference in an advertisement for housing is illegal. If you think this content is discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate and feel it should be removed from Zillow, please let us know by completing the information above.
We will review this content. Thanks for helping make the site more useful to everyone. To learn more, read Zillow's Good Neighbor Policy.