If your household use lots of devices turning on at various times of the day (and night), it can get quite hard to figure out what is really giving you high electric bills. In our experience, it hardly means giving up your favorite activities or becoming less comfortable. Recall from Five Ways to Reduce Energy Bills that this type of electric use is called variable use.

Sometimes, an easy DIY (do it yourself) fix is all it takes while other times it’s time to replace a malfunctioning device.

One important first step is to just know which devices are the energy hogs and worth considering fixing, replacing or cutting back usage. This chart might help you get started looking for energy hogging devices.

Get a Home Energy-Monitoring Device

A good example is the Rainforest EMU, but there are many other options. Some are just standalone displays, while others provide a web interface to your data.

In addition to showing you how much energy your home uses in near real-time, your energy-monitoring device also can reveal:

• the rate at which your home uses electricity
• the real time price of electricity, if you are on a Time of Use (TOU) rate plan;
• your historical energy use – helping you evaluate what events cause spikes in your consumption.

Imagine if you could identify the biggest electric loads in your home, take this information, and immediately react to it. It could help you to lower your energy use as well as reduce the money you spend on your bill each month.

Tips on Turning Off Items

If the fear of a nagging spouse doesn’t do it, try doing a last lap around the house before bed. Post-It reminders or adding it as a household chore for kids may help. Finally, you can control the devices yourself with a motion-sensing plug. Here is one example product.

There are other devices that can help even the best of us. Learn more here and here.

Use a Line or Rack to Air Dry Clothes

Line drying your clothes not only saves you money, it will also help your clothes last longer. In many homes, the clothes dryer is the third largest energy-consuming appliance.

Line dryers are cheap! Here’s an example of a 5-line indoor/outdoor retractable version.

Some tips to make line drying work for you:

• Save time by drying shirts directly on hangers.
• To get the soft clothes feel, after air drying until damp, throw your clothes in the drying for just a few minutes. They feel as if they have been in there the whole time.
• Inclement weather? Dry inside on a rack where there’s good circulation.

See other tips at Care2.

Consider Upgrading Appliances for Efficiency

Upgrading your old appliance to an EnergyStar certified model will ensure it meets the latest energy efficiency standards. Not only will you be able to enjoy the latest features, but your appliance will do it with less energy, saving you money in the long run.

Search for qualified EnergyStar products and be sure to contact your utility to find out if they have rebates for upgrading to an energy efficient appliance.

Consider Upgrading to Heat Pump Technology

You may be able to save a significant amount of money by upgrading your electric water heater or dryer for a more energy efficient one. We’ve talked about heat pumps and why they are worth considering before.

Take advantage of improved technologies, especially heat pump (“HP”) water heaters and dryers. These electric HPs are far more efficient than existing (resistance-based) electric water heaters and dryers — they can use one quarter of the energy to do the same work. HP dryers are fairly new in the US (though they’ve been in Europe for quite a while) but HP water heaters and space heaters have been available in the US market for several years and become cheaper every year.

Generally the best time to upgrade your appliances are when they are old. You might also be able to get a rebate from your utility company. Often, there are rebates associated with these heat pump products because they are so efficient.

Reduce Overused Appliances

If you know about an appliance that is currently used more than normal, consider reducing its use. Perhaps you leave the hair dryer on when doing something else, run the dishwasher after every meal or use a welder? Leave the game console running? You might highly enjoy these activities, but take a minute to think about how much it might cost you. Small changes can make a big difference.

Dishwasher Energy Saving Tips

Here are a few tips to help save energy and water with your dishwasher without sacrificing convenience. Thanks to energy.gov for these suggestions.

• Keep your water temp to a moderate 120 degrees. You only need hotter than this if you have a specific dishwasher with a “sanitize” setting.
• Scrape off large pieces of food rather than pre-wash. You generally only need to pre-soak for burned or dried-on food.
• Run the dishwasher only when it’s full but not overloaded
• Let your dishes air dry for free! You can use a light wash cycle and when done, prop the open the door slightly to dry your dishes in case you don’t have an automatic air-dry switch.
• Avoid the rinse/hold feature on your dishwasher. It’s not needed with modern soap and machines.

Research a New Water Heater

Have an old electric resistance water heater? Don’t be stuck in a cold shower ready to buy the first water heater that can be installed. Now is the right time to research and make sure you get the best solution for your home without over-spending in the long run.

• Your first step is to reduce hot water use in easy ways so you know how much you really need in your home.
• See if you can do some DIY maintenance on your current water heater
• Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) have improved tremendously over the past few years.
• Do research. Use this infographic to give you and overview and use this site as a starting point about your options. Be sure you’re aware of the various fuel types you have available, the size you need for your home use, energy efficiency you desire to reduce operating costs, and of course the cost of the system over its lifetime (e.g. don’t forget routine maintenance costs).
• Consumer reports provides a very good buying guide, as does Enervee
• Here is another good reference to double check a separate resource.

In summary, you need to do research to understand your specific available options and needs (which might be more or less than what you have today!).

Calculators you find online might be a good guide but ultimately you should speak with a contractor. Talking with them about fuel type, size, energy efficiency, and cost will ensure you pick the right water heater for your home.