Most households spend a couple thousand dollars, if not more, on utility costs each year. These costs can include gas, water, and electricity expenditures. However, you can greatly decrease these expenses by altering your energy usage. Don’t worry—the methods listed below don’t require serious lifestyle changes, such as taking fewer showers to conserve water or living in the dark to save electricity. In fact, these alterations may even make your life a little easier while saving you money. To learn more, check out these tips on how to save money on your utility bill.

Properly insulate your home

Insulating your home will slow the movement of heat through your walls, attic, and roof by creating a thermal barrier. If your home isn’t properly insulated, warm air will escape in the winter and cool air will escape in the summer. By reducing this air flow, you’ll use far less energy to control the temperature of your home, and your utility bill will greatly decrease as a result.

Use energy-efficient light bulbs

Swapping out your old incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs is an extremely affordable change that can save you a ton of money. These energy-efficient light bulbs last much longer and put far less strain on your energy bill. While incandescent light bulbs use around 60 watts of energy, CFL bulbs use only 14 watts, and LEDs use 10 watts. For those in the Houston, Texas area, a great option is to research light companies in Houston.

Fully seal appliances

If your fridge, freezer, and oven aren’t properly sealed, cold and hot air can escape. This air leak doesn’t just make your appliances less efficient; it also wastes a lot of money by upping your energy costs. To save money, make sure to fully seal all your appliances.

Get a programmable thermostat

If you aren’t at home, there’s no reason for your air conditioner or heater to work as hard to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. By getting a programmable thermostat, you can schedule it to drop or raise the temperature a few degrees whenever you’re at work or away from home. By doing so, you could save a considerable amount on your electricity bill.

Repair leaky faucets

While that slow-dripping faucet might not seem like that big of a problem, it’s wasting gallons of water throughout the day. Over time, this can make a serious impact on your utility bill. To make sure this isn’t happening to you, check all your faucets and repair them immediately if you notice a leak.

Swap your showerhead

Simply switching to a more efficient showerhead can save thousands of gallons of water each year. Low-flow showerheads work just like regular ones, except they push out less water. These showerheads are generally inexpensive, and they can significantly reduce your utility bill, especially if you or someone in your household is particularly fond of long showers.

Use cold water to wash your clothes

Most of the energy used by your washing machine is used to heat the water. By opting to wash your clothes in cold water instead, the amount of energy the machine uses will greatly decrease. As a bonus, the colors of your clothes won’t fade as quickly.