My wife and I have been trying to cut back on the budget lately.  A summer full of household projects, a vacation, and general “if you want it, buy it” attitude has left us a bit leaner in the bank account.  It’s not too bad, we didn’t go into debt, just depleted some of our savings.

As we reviewed our spending, it suddenly occurred to me . . . we haven’t had to worry about spiking energy bills in the summer and winter in over two years.  Prior to moving into our new home, we would have to account for a couple of HUGE electric bills in the summer and a couple of HUGE natural gas bills during the winter.  With our new, energy efficient,  all-electric home, that just doesn’t happen anymore.

I logged into my account at my electric utility and reviewed the last 12 months bills.  My average bill was $154, with the highest being $216 and the lowest $103.

Many of my friends routinely will see a $300-$400 electric bill during the summer and a $200+ natural gas bill during the winter.

Translation?

Because our bills are much lower and more predictable, the impact to our budget isn’t noticeable.  Sure, we could use levelized billing so that our bills didn’t spike, but it’s nice to know that our lower bills will result in fewer emergency budget “discussions” throughout the month.  This, of course, makes for a happier marriage in my household.

So, what can you do if you don’t already have an energy efficient home?  Read the tips here at EnergyTipoftheDay.com and begin to implement them as soon as you can.  There are many low cost tips you can use that will begin saving you money today.

Photo credit:  enywise