10 ways to save money on your utility bill this summer

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[00:00:28] Eric Goranson: I thermostats. If your system can take it, not all can. But if you're It gives you a lot of flexibility and it can help you understand what's going on in your house and manage those temperatures much better. So much better than just that old analog style system. But, here is one thing I want you to understand and this is when you sign up for these things.

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[00:01:14] Eric Goranson: Thanks for tuning in. It's just so amazing that we are late in July already and the summer is blasting by and I hope everybody's staying safe out there with all the different weather events and things that are happening across the country. Keep it safe out there. If you want to find out more about us, head over to around the house online.

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[00:01:54] Eric Goranson: And I just did a new update over there to show some new stuff. So you can check it out. Over there. We've got some brand [00:02:00] new videos up there. If you haven't done the deep dive, I've got more up there for you so you can take a look today. I wanted to talk about the top 10 things you can do to save money on your utility bills around your house.

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[00:02:29] Eric Goranson: And I think it's super important because it is a home energy monitor. And that is from sense. Now, since I have been a fan of for probably six or seven years, it's been a while and. When I was back in Boston, I went over to their Cambridge studios, probably closer to five years ago and took a look at what they were doing.

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[00:03:18] Eric Goranson: So it really helps you understand how much energy your home is using and really tells you where you can save it. So basically with this, on average from their users, They save about 8 percent on their electricity bills. And the cool thing with this is what's going on. And these guys are over at sense.

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[00:03:57] Eric Goranson: And you're like, Hey, why is my oven on? You can literally [00:04:00] walk in the kitchen, go, who forgot to turn the oven off. It's that accurate. So that's one of the things that I really like. And they do have stuff that like sense solar. So it'll work with your solar system. If you do have a solar system set up for your house, it's really useful.

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[00:04:40] Eric Goranson: A third of the electricity as that old one out in the garage. I wonder how long it would take for me to pay for another newer fridge, whether it's new or used to help save some money. So this is where you can really figure out what it is. And the other thing is, is it'll really to tell you how much it's actually using.

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[00:05:16] Eric Goranson: I was in there and I gave him my password and code to log into my system. They can't just do that automatically. So we log in. And the CEO sits there and goes, Hey, Eric, I had no idea that you had a GE washer and dryer stack set or a front load system. And I'm like, yeah, how do you know? He goes, I can just tell how the electronics and the motor operate, but that's that style.

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[00:05:52] Eric Goranson: You can jump on there. They've got a really good system as far as pricing. They're pretty good over there on that. If you [00:06:00] look at just there, I like the sense flex. They have the sense. Then they have the sense flex that has an extra monitor on it. So if you have an HVAC system or a heat pump, you can go over to that.

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[00:06:30] Eric Goranson: But yeah, so basically, wow, that's a great deal. So their list. It was 2. 99 this last week. They had it for 1. 99. And so you just pay for it once and there's no monthly fees. And so that's really cool. So just look at Cents Energy Monitor and that's where you'll find that. So impressive. That's a heck of a deal.

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[00:07:12] Eric Goranson: And add some security to my house because I am horrible when I'm exhausted and I'm tired and I've been working a long day. I do not remember that I need to go turn off all the lights. If I fall asleep, it just happens that way. So I went through, set up a, put smart outlets and smart switches in my house and I can hit on my home system.

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[00:08:00] Eric Goranson: So, that's one of those things that I think is really important. And it costs you a little bit more as you do it, but overall it saves you money in the long run because you're saving some dollars, which I do. And that's super important to be able to save you some money like that. So think about smart lighting solutions.

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[00:08:34] Eric Goranson: So they're shut down. They closed up about, Oh, 12, 18 months ago. And so I need to check out and swap those out. I'll probably just put some Lutron Casita in there. Cause those are just easy to deal with. And put in the system, it works well, but there's a lot of great systems out there that are tried and true.

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[00:09:07] Eric Goranson: So there's a lot of different companies out there making switches that work really, really well. All right, guys, we come back. I've got. Eight more things here to help you save money on your utility bills. Now that really aren't too expensive. There might be one or two that are a little bit more money here, but most of these are little things like what we just talked about, that you can nickel and dime to save you some serious money on that energy bill.

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[00:10:09] Eric Goranson: What's up, this is Dixie Dania and Satchel from Steel Panther. And you are listening to. with Eric G. Yeah, we love Eric G. And you should too.

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[00:10:48] Eric Goranson: com. We have extended podcasts over there where we go into things a little bit deeper than the radio show here, or the typical standard podcast. And if you want to hear the show a couple of days [00:11:00] early, you'll catch it over there on Thursday. In its form instead of on Saturday. So there's a lot of little perks right there, including access to me directly.

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[00:11:38] Eric Goranson: And we get those big cold spells that people really don't like their heating bills as well. Whether that's electricity, gas, or oil, or whatever they're using, that can be a pretty expensive. So. Yeah. Yeah. My list here is just stuff that I recommend that can help you maybe save a dollar here, a dollar there.

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[00:12:18] Eric Goranson: I think in a lab they probably did, but they didn't take into account variable dimmers and turning them off and on. And that's really where the hard part is, is that cycling of them. Yeah, you plug them in and they're just running. They just keep going. It's that starting circuit that tends to have some problems.

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[00:12:51] Eric Goranson: Keep the warranty. Make sure that if you've got a warranty claim, send it in, get your money back on it, take it back to the store or whatever. Get your money back [00:13:00] because here's the thing. We are not holding these companies responsible if we don't do these warranty things. And that's what they're, they're banking on.

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[00:13:26] Eric Goranson: So I had a gas, a natural gas water heater, 40 gallon on my house. And I did the calculations on what that was costing me for the first 18 months in the house. Then I switched it out to a Bradford white brand. Aerotherm heat pump, water heater. And instead of sitting there burning gas to heat your water, this is like your heat pump at a house where it's got a compressor and a coil.

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[00:14:13] Eric Goranson: And so I went plus from a 40 gallon gas to an 80 gallon heat pump water heater. That thing is awesome. And what I like about the Bradford White units specifically is that they are repairable. So you can have an HVAC person come out under warranty, swap that out, and they can fix it. The other brands out there are not repairable.

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[00:14:52] Eric Goranson: So it's something that keeps it healthier. So another one of those things. It's really smart So take a look at a heat pump water heater and the cool thing [00:15:00] is yeah, they're expensive You They can be two or three times or more the price of a regular water heater, but a couple hundred bucks a year pays off pretty quickly in my situation.

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[00:15:30] Eric Goranson: And I like the Bradford White Aerotherm just because of the repairability and that you can get parts. I had a power surge at one point here and they sent me out a new control panel and it was a two minute fix. Very easy. Popped it in and out and plugged it right back in and that was just something that was storm related, not something that was water heater related.

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[00:16:17] Eric Goranson: That's it for 80 gallons. That's a lot of water. Now that's the cool thing with it as well. If you guys go on 500 Watts, it takes forever. You're right. It does take a while to heat up. But if I put it on the hybrid mode, if I have lots of showers going on, so holidays, I'm, I'm using a faucet out front to wash the car with warm water, where I'm using more of it or something like that, it will go into, it does have two regular elements that I can use.

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[00:17:02] Eric Goranson: Or a mini split for instance, or one of the different HVAC options can save you some serious money. I was saving when I went from my window type air conditioners, add two portables that ran in my house. I instantly saved 200 bucks a month. Going to an efficient air conditioner in my house, period, bam, that quick.

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[00:17:44] Eric Goranson: So that is something that's worth looking into if you're buying a new one. But I tell you what, you can really, really spend some money with window or portable air conditioners for three or four summer months for many in the United States or longer and save some [00:18:00] serious money. Now the problem though, is.

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[00:18:21] Eric Goranson: Will it pay for the system? Not even close. Will it pay a portion of it? Absolutely. Will it pay half of it? Probably not. Unless you're very low income and you're having some of the news things that are coming out here in the next year, probably won't help you there as much as you'd like it to. I would sure take a look at it now.

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[00:19:01] Eric Goranson: Hey, this is Ron Keel, the metal cowboy from Keel, the Ron Keel band and Steeler, we are rocking around the house with Eric G welcome back to the around the house show, the next generation of home improvement. Thanks for joining me today. I'm Eric G. If you want to find out more about us, head over to aroundthehouseonline.

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[00:19:41] Eric Goranson: Or their programs. Now let's talk about that a little bit in detail because there are some caveats to this that's important. I am a fan of smart thermostats. If your system can take it, not all can, but if your system can take it, it gives you a lot of flexibility and it can help you understand what's going on in your house and manage those [00:20:00] temperatures much better.

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[00:20:26] Eric Goranson: Under peak conditions. Now read your fine print, understand what they want to do. Here's what can happen. You sign up for this program. They're like, cool, here's your new one shows up in the mail. And the next week you're ready to rock. You install it. All of a sudden you have a heat wave. There's an energy shortage and you're like, Hey, who turned my thermostat up?

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[00:21:09] Eric Goranson: If that's something that's going to bother you personally, then you Read the fine print and understand if you could opt out of those or not, you might be able to opt out, but they might not give you the thermostat for free. So take a look and see what you can do with that and what the rules and regulations are.

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[00:21:42] Eric Goranson: Now there are companies out there in the utility world out there. They're given rebates when they do that. So it could save you money. It could say, Hey, we're going to kick it back, but we're going to give you a 5 credit or something like that. These are things that could give you some money and they could be savings.

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[00:22:17] Eric Goranson: If you're gone on vacation, you can have it. So you turn the temperature where you want it. By the time you get home, if you want to change it when you're on the road and say, Hey, it doesn't have to be 70 degrees in here while I'm cruising around gone all day, I can let it be a little warmer and catch up when I get back home.

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[00:22:53] Eric Goranson: Yes, that is a positive many places in the country. If you add insulation, you'll get [00:23:00] 110, 120 percent of that back per the cost versus remodeling report. So cost versus value index that they put out by remodeling magazine. That is one that in the last few years has said, Hey, this is something that has really added.

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[00:23:34] Eric Goranson: Think about ventilation. Do not get up there. Do not run down to your home center, blowing more insulation and cover up all of these soffit vents and, and cause other issues. So make sure that you're doing this smart. Make sure that you're paying attention. That you've got the proper airflow in that attic that you're not blocking off any of those areas when in doubt, keep it back.

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[00:24:15] Eric Goranson: Make sure that you've got that under control. So spend some time up there. If you're going to do it, consult a home energy management company. One thing you can do, As a side note that could save you a ton of money, have a home energy audit done. That could be tax deductible. That could be a rebate for that from your local energy company.

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[00:24:52] Eric Goranson: That's super leaky. And causing some other stopping that. But here's one thing that I, and I just have to say this building science is an important deal. [00:25:00] So take any home energy audit with building science in mind, because sometimes a house that breezes not bad. I'd much rather have you have a leaky house and pay a little bit more for your HVAC than to close it up, not have any fresh air coming in and make that house sick.

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[00:25:45] Eric Goranson: Cause I've seen people cause some serious problems when they're like, Hey, doing siding and windows spending 40, 000 and they wrap that house up, seal it up tight, but they didn't deal with the ventilation issues that need to come with that. And that can cause other problems. So [00:26:00] really take a look at it.

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[00:26:20] Eric Goranson: And all of a sudden, where are you pulling the air out of for that 1200 CFM hood? Now it's not coming out through the cracks in the house. Now it's coming out other places, which could be a big issue. So be very careful, plan ahead for these things and make sure that you don't cause a bigger mistake by trying to fix one thing.

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[00:26:54] Eric Goranson: Controlling humidity in your home is great because your body feels humidity, the same as temperature. [00:27:00] So that's why when you walk in someone's home and smart sermon that thermostat says it's 70, but you got 60 percent humidity, you go, man, it feels stuffy in here. You walk in and it's 32 relative humidity and it's 70 degrees.

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[00:27:32] Eric Goranson: So, that's just something to consider right there could save you some money in the long run. So, another 1 to think about. So, take a look at attic installation, take a look at cross base floor installation, that kind of stuff. And if you're doing any remodeling, of course. It's great. If you've got a wall opened up to go ahead and fix that installation while you're at it and put the best you can in there, it'll save you some money in the long run, and it's probably tax deductible, or you can get some energy rebates on it.

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[00:28:19] Eric Goranson: You can order from a lot of the custom hot tub cover companies out there. These aren't going to be the name brand ones out there, but they are. Universal companies that make custom covers for certain brands of hot tubs, right? So make sure that when you do this order a tub cover that is thicker. We'll be right back Don't change that dial.

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[00:29:03] Eric Goranson: It's the end of the show drinking down people. It's time to go Welcome back to the round the house show the next generation of home improvement Thanks for joining me today. If you're catching us on the radio And if you're catching us on the podcast, thanks for listening this far through the show we're ending up into the final today.

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[00:29:44] Eric Goranson: com. And we're really been talking about the top 10 things you can do to save money on your utility bills. And the next one here is pretty important. And this is one that might take some soul searching. This could be one of those things where you're like, ah, I'm going to take a look at my habits. It'll [00:30:00] take a, take a peek at how I operate things.

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[00:30:26] Eric Goranson: Cause that sure adds up. Now the question is, is what's that costing you to run day in and day out? And that can be interesting because sometimes the food that you put in there that you're storing, you might not be getting that savings. Now if you're a, a rancher or you go out and buy that half a cow and you store it all winter or something like that, totally get it.

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[00:31:10] Eric Goranson: So that means you could be costing you two, three, 400 a year, depending on what your energy rates are. And so if you think about that, that adds up pretty darn quickly. And so that can have an impact on your bills. Now, if you've got two of those, that could be a lot. So that's where that stuff really starts to make sense where you're like, wait a minute, and if you're running it in a warm location, like a garage or something like that, that can add up pretty, pretty crazy.

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[00:32:11] Eric Goranson: So be careful with that guys. And the same thing with refrigerators too. If you've got an old 19 seventies refrigerator out in the garage, cause it was the old one, it was your grandmother's that might pay for itself to replace it, or maybe you don't need another one. Maybe you just need a smaller fridge.

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[00:32:43] Eric Goranson: If it's out where it's 90 degrees all the time in a garage for months on end, you're paying a lot to keep that stuff going. And with food prices these days, you might be better off just not storing as much frozen food. So think about what those costs are. It could be costing you some serious money, especially if it's [00:33:00] something you don't really use.

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[00:33:21] Eric Goranson: So something to consider that could save you money. Now here's another one too. If you pay for water, there are things that can save you some serious money. If you are sitting there. Pan for water. Now, if you're in a well, just got electricity cost, not that big a deal. But for many of us, especially in my area, for instance, my water is very expensive.

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[00:34:00] Eric Goranson: And when we came out with the 1. 6 gallon flush, geez, 20 something years ago in the nineties, 30 something years ago, geez, goes away quick. Doesn't it? So you think about that. We had toilets that weren't working well. And we swapped those out. The 1. 6 gallon stuff when it first came out was garbage and literally your old toilet worked so much better than your new ones do.

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[00:34:40] Eric Goranson: I can save gallons a day in toilet flushes. That's their setup pretty quickly. And so I've seen people out there change out those old toilets and go to a one gallon flush, and you can save a couple hundred bucks a year on water. If you have high water rates now, it could be 50 a year. If you've got lower water rates.

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[00:35:14] Eric Goranson: I think they make great toilets. DXV is another great brand from American standard. That's their high end line. Toto is the number one manufacturer of toilets out there for making great stuff. So they are the king out there and you're not going to go find them at your typical home center. But that's something that you can spend three or 400 bucks and get something basic and get something that's going to last you forever.

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[00:35:52] Eric Goranson: Get rid of that 150 one that you picked up from the home center. The last time you replaced it, put it in there. You're going to save so many clogged [00:36:00] toilets and toilet related issues. The first time your management company has to go call a plumber to come out there. You are now ahead. So that's the secret right there to make sure that you're using less water.

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[00:36:25] Eric Goranson: I wish I wouldn't have got that. And everybody will go, wow, that thing's amazing. And it's so easier to clean. You can even get stuff. Now, if you want to spend some big money to get something, that's completely self cleaning, you'll never have to clean the toilet again. Cause the toilet will do it for you.

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[00:36:53] Eric Goranson: But how much we use toilets, especially if people are home during the day. I hope these things can help you think about ways to [00:37:00] save money around your house and to dial in those utility bills. Because as we know, those are not getting any cheaper. And quite frankly, they've been getting pretty expensive.

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[00:37:26] Eric Goranson: I literally cannot. I've got protected trees, half a dozen of them here that are no way I could get moved. There's a few other ones, but long story short, there's no way I could put solar here. That would make any sense because I don't have full sun except for a couple of tiny places in the property for a couple of hours.

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[00:38:08] Eric Goranson: And our top 10 things you can do to save money on your utility bills that are really cost effective, that don't cost you a significant. All right, guys, thanks for tuning in today. I really appreciate it. Hope you guys have a great rest of your weekend or early week, depending on when you're listening to this.

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[00:38:48] Eric Goranson: We have she's 500 videos up there now, just about. From the show around the house, Northwest of our last, what, 75 episodes. So we've got a lot of content there. If you're tackling a project. Something [00:39:00] for you to consider. All right, everybody. Have a great rest of the weekend Enjoy your summer weekend or your week depending on what you're doing.

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