Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Go Green and Save Money in 2021

Do you have a New Year’s resolution? One of the most common resolutions is to save money. If this is one of yours for 2021 then we are here to help!

In honor of National cut your energy costs day and saying goodbye to 2020, we want to help you save money in 2021! Regardless if you are looking to save money as a homeowner, renter, or business owner, saving money is always at the top of your mind. The less energy you use equals more savings! Being energy efficient throughout your home or business is the smart choice when looking to save money. 

Money-Saving Ideas

Home or Business Efficiency Audit

In order to help become more energy-efficient, you can search for a company to do an energy efficiency audit for your home or business. In Massachusetts, Mass Save will do a free audit of your home. You can go to https://www.hersindex.com/find-a-hers-rater/ to search for a company in your area today. There are also federal tax credits that have been extended through December 31, 2021, for both residential and commercial properties. 

Energy-efficient Appliances and Windows

Once you decide to get an audit or not, you will need to decide what will save you the most money in 2021. Bringing your home or business to an energy-efficient standard will cost you money upfront but the savings will come afterward for years to come. Once you replace your appliances, they will last anywhere from 10-20 years and save you anywhere from 10%-50% less energy each year. In addition, your energy-efficient windows will save you between $126-$465 a year! 

Energy-efficient Lights and Turn Off Lights 

A couple of other ways to save energy and costs are to replace your light bulbs and fixtures will energy-efficient bulbs and remembering to turn off lights. These are two that often get overlooked but they are also cheaper options vs. replacing appliances and windows and can still save you money in 2021! On average, fluorescent light bulbs will operate about 75% more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Doing this will save you about $200 a year! Simply by turning off the lights in the rooms you are not currently occupying, you will save about 1.2 cents per hour if you have an electric rate of 20 cents per kilowatt-hour. This will not be a huge saving but everything counts when looking to cut energy costs and save money in 2021!  

Solar options

There are many solar options but one that you might not know much about is Community Solar. Community Solar is an option for both homes and businesses. It is offered to you for out-of-pocket expenses. Community Solar allows you to opt into a local solar farm, reducing your utility bill and cutting your energy costs even further. Typically you will save about 1 month of electricity per year and you are not paying to put solar panels on your roof. 

To find a local solar farm or to learn more about Community Solar, reach out to Solar On Earth today!