Utility Bill Shock? Here’s How To Save Money:

Over the last two (granted, colder than normal) months, our utility bills have nearly doubled and are significantly higher than this time last year. Why? What are we doing wrong?

There are many, many ways to save money on your utility bills and they range from quite inexpensive to quite expensive but worth it in the long run.

Featured image via Brendan Wood/Flickr

With our moderate temperatures, houses in California are notoriously unprepared for temperature extremes. Many homes have minimal insulation and some have none at all. Many homes are older and have wasteful windows, furnaces and other appliances.

Now, let’s start with the cheapest, and in many cases, free options.

1. Turn down the heat – Yes, it’s nice to have your home at a toasty 70 degrees all year around, but it can be expensive. A five degree difference can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Wear sweaters. In my house, it’s not uncommon to see me walking around in my bathrobe during the middle of the day. At night, turn your thermostat down to 55 or 60 degrees and pile on the covers.

2. Cover drafts – This isn’t the best looking alternative, but rolled up towels under the doors can make a big difference. You can cover those single-pane windows with plastic weather proofing to help the draft there. Covering your windows in plastic isn’t the most elegant solution, but it does make a difference on your comfort and utility bills.

3. Unplug – Even when off, many of your electronics continue to use electricity. Plug things that don’t need to constantly run (like your refrigerator) into power strips and when not in use, flip off that switch.

4. Get curtains or other insulated window coverings – Cover your windows in a more attractive, but somewhat more expensive way. Thermal curtains or other window treatments can save you hundreds a year.

5. Get Rugs – Wood and tile floors are cold and they have a tendency to cool the entire home. That’s why homes in hot climates often have tile floors. If you don’t want carpet, invest in some rugs. They will help preserve heat and they will keep your feet warmer.

6. Insulate – Here’s where things start go get expensive. Look to spend between $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot, so for a 2,000 square foot house, you could spend between $3,000 to $7,000 for insulation. Obviously, it won’t pay for itself during the first year but it will over time and it will help add to your resale value, as will these next two.

7. Get new windows – Your single-pane windows are a huge source of heat loss, and during the summer, heat coming into the house. On average, a good double-pane window will cost you about $500 – $1,000. For houses that have 20 or more windows, that can really add up, but it will save you a lot of money in the long run.

8. Get solar – This subject is a bit more complicated and can be expensive, but also a huge cost savings. Solar will be the subject of next week’s blog post.

9. Check with your utility company – Utility companies often offer rebates on energy efficient upgrades. Your first step is to invite them out to do an energy audit. They will tell you what’s eligible for a rebate and what’s not. They’ll also have some great tips.

How to Choose a Mover with Unpakt:

Before Unpakt, planning a move used to be a time-consuming process. You started by calling a bunch of moving companies and asking for their pricing, which they almost certainly would never give you over the phone. This turned into having several strangers come into your home to scrutinize, measure and itemize every single item that you planned to take with you before they would give you an “estimate” of what your move would cost, subject to lots of variables. Worse, at the time of your actual move, they would often add on charges for slight alterations of the items to be moved, date changes or even bad weather, leaving people stunned and broke. Luckily, Unpakt has a better way!

Get Started

Start by entering some basic information like the date of your planned move and your moving from and to address. From there, you can enter the items you want to move, or you can use the “add typical furniture” feature which adds items to your move plan based on the home size. If you’re not sure how many boxes you’ll need, use the Unpakt Box Guide which will help you get an accurate estimate, so you don’t end up with way too many or not enough boxes. You can then select to add on great additional services like professional packing, special handling or storage-in-transit.

Compare Moving Companies to Save Time and Money!

Once you’ve entered in the details of your move, we’ll calculate exact prices based on what items and services you selected. Because Unpakt uses, a standardized formula the prices are guaranteed! Which means there are no surprise costs or bills!

With Unpakt, you’ll be able to compare moving companies based on prices and real customer reviews so you can find the best company within your budget. Better yet, all of the moving companies on Unpakt are verified which means they are experienced, insured and reliable.

Make Changes at Anytime

Another great feature of Unpakt is the ability to save your move plan for later, with no need to start over. You can make all the changes you need to knowing that your pricing will only change if you add or remove belongings, change the dates or add or remove services.

Book it!

When you’ve found a great moving company that fits your budget and has great reviews, it’s time to book! All you’ll have to do is enter your credit card information, and you are all set! Your guaranteed price for the move is locked in. Unpakt will only charge the credit card you entered two business days prior to your move date.

Do Something Fun!

With all the heavy lifting of the move about to be done by your experienced movers, it is time for you to relax and look forward to your new home! Maybe get online and find out about all the interesting spots near your new home, or map out scenic commuting routes to your new job. With Unpakt’s transparent pricing and policies, you can trust that your move will be uneventful and smooth.