Here's How to Save on Energy Bills in the Midst of Epic Heat Wave (and What Not to Bother With)

Many of us are trying to save energy, whether for financial or environmental reasons, or both. With a heatwave on the horizon for much of the U.S., keeping those energy bills in check is more important than ever.

After pleasant summer weather for much of the country, meteorologists are predicting the last few weeks of June to be a scorcher, with high humidity and temperatures exceeding 90 degrees in the Midwest and Northeastern states.

Two easy ways to save money on energy during the hot spell: For one, check the filters on your air-conditioning units and replace them if they are dirty or worn (allowing the unit to work more efficiently).

Also, consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat so your home's temperature will adjust automatically throughout the day—eliminating the need to forget to change it when you're not at home.

While both of these tips can save you money and keep you cooler, there are many myths about saving energy around the home simply don’t work.

Here are 15 changes that won’t actually lower your utilities and keep more money in your wallet .

Turning off the AC when you’re not home saves energy

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If you let your house heat up during the day, your AC unit will actually work harder when you return home.

This is a situation where compromise works better. Instead of completely turning off the HVAC unit when you leave, leave it on at a higher setting.

Electricity costs less than other energy

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This is the myth that perpetuates the space heater and ceiling fan myths since electricity is generally more expensive than natural gas or propane.

If you're looking to cut your utility bill, you’re better off using heating systems powered by the latter resources rather than relying on electricity.

Making the HVAC work faster saves energy

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Some people try to save energy by turning their thermostat way up or down to reach their desired temperature as quickly as possible. Then, they turn off the unit to let it “coast” for a while.

But this doesn’t work and can burn out your system faster than letting the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system do its thing more reasonably.

Appliances cost less to run at night

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All things being equal, running devices such as the dishwasher at night will not save you money.

Some utility companies reward customers for using appliances during off-peak hours. Those folks can indeed save money by running appliances at night.

However, the rest of us pay a standard rate for energy usage at any time of day.

Only your HVAC matters when reducing energy usage

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Some people focus solely on their HVAC system when trying to reduce energy usage.

Yes, the HVAC uses a lot of energy. But don’t discount the amount of energy that other items — including appliances, computers, and televisions — use daily.

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Ceiling fans significantly lower the temperature

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Similar to space heaters, some people may believe that using a ceiling fan is a more efficient way to cool a home than using the AC.

While a ceiling fan may feel nice, it doesn’t actually cool the air. In fact, it can actually radiate heat from its motor.

New windows pay for themselves in energy efficiency

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New windows certainly can save energy, but they can also be very expensive to purchase and install. In fact, it’s difficult to recoup the cost in energy savings.

Switching a light on and off uses more energy than leaving it on

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Turning a light on does increase energy usage initially. However, that increase is not enough to justify keeping the light on indefinitely.

The surge lasts less than a second, so you'll probably waste more energy leaving the lights on for long periods when you don’t need the illumination.

Closing vents in unused rooms saves energy

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You can close the vents in unused rooms, but your attempts to save energy this way could backfire.

When you close vents in one room to redirect hot or cold air to another room, it can create buildup in HVAC ducts, which in turn can cause leaks.

Using space heaters saves energy

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People will often try to save energy by keeping a home’s main heat source down and plugging in space heaters. They assume that electric space heaters must save more energy than actually using heat throughout the entire house.

But that’s not the case. Instead, those little space heaters suck up a lot of energy, pushing your bill higher.

Turning appliances off stops energy usage

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Even when an appliance is turned off, it can still draw some energy. It may look like it’s sleeping, but it's still adding to your bill. If you want to stop the energy flow completely, you need to unplug the device.

Washing dishes by hand uses less energy than a dishwasher

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Today’s energy-efficient dishwashers use less water and electricity. Washing dishes by hand actually uses more water.

If you use hot water, the water heater uses more energy. Filling up the dishwasher and pressing a button is actually the energy-efficient way to go.

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CFL bulbs are the most energy-efficient choice

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While compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are slightly less expensive than light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, that doesn’t make the former the better energy-efficient option.

While CFLs are more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs are still the gold standard for energy efficiency.

Heavy drapery will keep the cold air out

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It sounds like it could make sense, right? Heavy drapery should act as insulation to keep drafts and cold air out on frigid days.

But not so fast: Opening up that drapery will let sunlight in, which will heat your home. Focus instead on keeping the windows locked to create a tight seal that keeps out cold air.

A screensaver will use less energy

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A screensaver full of movement and graphics can actually use more energy than letting your computer drift off into sleep mode.

Instead, change your settings to let your computer go to sleep faster and use less energy.

Bottom line

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Energy-saving myths abound, and many of them are well-intentioned and may even sound like they make sense.

But these myths don’t really work in an era of more energy-efficient appliances, HVAC systems, and homes.

If you want to get ahead financially and help the environment, you will have to consider other ways to reduce your energy usage.

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