By Rolando Marrero
Spring offers a fresh start, and it’s also the right time to prepare your home for summer. By identifying and addressing energy inefficiencies now, you can help keep your energy bill as low as possible during the warmer months.
With the recent back-to-back rate reductions, customers will already see a savings of more than $14 in May on their energy bills. To keep the savings rolling, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) shares five tips to help customers keep their bills as low as possible.
Upgrade Your Shower: Lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees to save 3 to 5% on water heating costs while still getting plenty of hot water. Also, do a showerhead test to check for water inefficient showerheads. Replacing your old showerhead with a water-efficient one can help save more than $70 a year.
Spring Clean your Refrigerator: Inspect the area underneath and behind your refrigerator as dust builds up over time and leads to inefficiency. Vacuum or brush the cooling coils to ensure your refrigerator runs efficiently.
Seal Any Leaks: Check the sealing of your windows to ensure air isn’t escaping your home. If you find any leaks, caulk, seal and weather-strip around cracks and openings to keep your home cool.
Make the Switch to LED: Check your home for any incandescent lightbulbs and upgrade them to LED ones which use less energy and last longer. Making the switch now can lead to about 85% in energy savings for lighting.
Optimize Your A/C Unit: It’s no surprise Floridians rely on their A/C heavily, especially once the temperature starts to rise. If your A/C is more than 10 years old, consider upgrading your unit. FPL offers an A/C rebate that can be combined with the federal tax credits for up to $2,150 in savings. Also, consider upgrading to a smart thermostat so you can be in control of the temperature while you’re at home and away.
To learn more about your home’s energy usage and get more personalized tips to save toward your monthly bill, check out the FPL Energy Manager, an all-in-one tool that shows you where and how your home consumes energy and provides customized tips to make it more efficient.
You can also request a free Onsite Home Energy Survey, where an FPL Energy Expert will visit your home, inspect your energy usage and offer valuable tips and solutions.
For more energy saving tips and tools, visit www.FPL.com/WaystoSave.
