How do we save on electricity?

[yoopermom]

(Sorry, I really did try the search, but...)

We don't have air-conditioning, so I don't have to worry about turning that off to save $$ on electricity, but I'm confused about the rest. Are we better off:
a)unplugging everything all the time except when in use (frig/freezer being obvious exception)
b)doing the above but putting electronics on powerbars and just flipping the powerbar switch
c)is it harmful to any electronics to power on and off and it's better just to leave them on?
d)does it save more $ to have laptop plugged in when using, or to run on battery and then recharge when drained?

I'm really out to save every nickel and dime possible, even if it drives the men crazy My only worry is all the electronics in the house: tvs, dvd players, DISH receivers (including a DVR), DS's gaming systems, rechargers for all the portable electronics, etc. If I had my way we'd just ebay the majority of them and be done with it!

So how do I cut down this electric bill? TIA!
Terri

 

[cglaura]

I don't unplug appliances except chargers & game systems (I have them on a strip). It is just too much to have to reprogram tv, vcr/dvd etc.

To save this is what I do:

Put a timer on your hot water heater. We only use hot water 1 hour in the a.m. for showers, and then a few hours at night for dishes and laundry. So I have the timer set for 5 hours of the day. There is an override button, so if you needs change on an occasional day you can have hot water anythime.

Check if your electric co. has a time of use program. They put a special meter on your home....higher rate 8am - 8pm, lower 8pm - 8am. Try to do any major stuff (laundry, dishwasher, etc.) during the low peak times.

Fluff your clothes for 10 minutes then hang to dry.

Any lights you leave on for extended periods (for example I leave my porch lights on all night for safety reasons), use CFL bulbs.

If you have electric heat, use ceiling fans to circulate so you can keep some rooms off. I switched from propane to electric a few years ago. The propane was whole house, but electric is for each room. So I can close off the rooms I'm not using (unless below freezing) and just heat what I need. If freezing I keep the normally unused rooms on low to avoid house damage. This actually saved me $75 per month, especially with rising propane costs.

All of these things combined save me about $80/month ($155 if you include the heating change).

 

[yoopermom]

Great ideas, thanks! I'm going to have to call the electric co. tomorrow to ask about time of usage (we did that back in the 70s, now that I think about it).

I know the dryer is an electricity hog, so I'm really going to try and line dry everything (no matter how much the boys complain about stiff towels). I have more time than $$ now that I'm laid off, so to the clothesline I go!

I will have to ask DH about a timer for the water heater, too, hmmm...

Terri

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Put the towels in the dryer on fluff for 10 minutes after you line dry them. It uses no heat but fluffs them so you still save a lot of money but no stiff towels so no complainers. It also helps shake out any pollen or anything that got on there when they were on the line.

I've noticed unplugging the big drains like the coffee pot, tv etc. when we are gone does save a lot. I don't do it every day but when we go away I unplug everything and shut everything off except the freezer and fridge and leave 1 outside light on and we never use more than 18 kilowatts in the entire weekend or week we are gone. So it must help to unplug stuff.

Switch all the bulbs to clfs. That is a huge savings. I bought them a few at a time with coupons to save on the initial spending. Also fixtures with more than 1 bulb, only put in two instead of 4 (like a ceiling fan or vanity) You get enough light without waste.

 

[dzneelvr]

Walk around your home/garage at night and look for any lights that you can see, such as on your PC or recorders, stereo units, razor-flashlight-cellphone rechargers, etc. If you can see them, then power is going to them and you should shut them off totally. Our company made it manditory Jan. 1 to shut down all PCs rather than just log off and idle overnight. This one step was projected to save us $80,000 annuallyGranted, at home I don't have near enough to save that amount; but it's made me more conscious of the appliances and entertainment devices that were sucking juice and I didnt even realize it

 

[mcorbo]

I replaced all our incandescent bulbs with CFL's and our bill went down about 15% over last year.

 

[goofy5]

we turn off all lights when not using them. I keep all small appliances unplugged. Hang dry alot of shirts and things only dry towels, jeans, shorts , socks etc. Use energy efficent lightbulbs

 

[MoniqueU]

Are the CFL bulbs as high wattage as the regular? I have to have the highest wattage bulb because of an eye condition. TIA

 

[yoopermom]

I've started to watch for sales on the bulbs, thanks.

And great laundry trick about fluffing "after" the line drying. My towels will thank you!

Great thoughts so far, thank you!

Terri

 

[ekatiel]

If you live somewhere where you can choose your electric provider, you might want to shop around, or at the very least, call your current provider and see if they can lower your rate. We were paying 20 cents per killowat hour until I called our company. We signed a 2 year contract for a set rate of 12 cents per killowat hour. Our bills have been SIGNIFICANTLY lower. --Katie

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Are the CFL bulbs as high wattage as the regular? I have to have the highest wattage bulb because of an eye condition. TIA

They have various equal to wattage bulbs. I think I have seen ones equal to 75 or 80 watts. We use the 15 clfs equal to a 60 watt bulb. They are a different brightness than incandescent so I don't know if it would help your eye condition or not. Good luck.

 

[englishteacha]

I tried to save some electricity today by hanging my laundry outside. Then we had a sudden thunderstorm. I already had filled all my indoor hanging space so the stuff from outside came in and went in the dryer. Darn.

 

[Nie0214]

I turn off power strips and it saves a little bit each month. If your stove is electric, maybe make more than you need one night and store leftovers. Or have a sandwich night.

 

[sunnyday123]

When you say you unplug everything, what's included in that? Table lamps gaming systems, pc's..... I am totally clueless but need to make a serious dent in my electric bill. My main issue is hot water. I only do dishes at night, but I do wash during the day. My hot water is something crazy like 60% of my electric bill. Is that normal?

 

[Nie0214]

When you say you unplug everything, what's included in that? Table lamps gaming systems, pc's..... I am totally clueless but need to make a serious dent in my electric bill. My main issue is hot water. I only do dishes at night, but I do wash during the day. My hot water is something crazy like 60% of my electric bill. Is that normal?

Are people doing laundry with hot water? Can they do it with cold instead?

 

[sunnyday123]

Are people doing laundry with hot water? Can they do it with cold instead?

it's just me and an 11 year old!! And I only use warm/cold on the washer. I'm about ready to take all the laundry and beat it against a rock. I told Dd this summer she's showering outside with the hose. We'll lay it in the sun so the water is warm.

 

[oldbay]

it's just me and an 11 year old!! And I only use warm/cold on the washer. I'm about ready to take all the laundry and beat it against a rock. I told Dd this summer she's showering outside with the hose. We'll lay it in the sun so the water is warm.

I only use warm on the towels/whites to get them clean. I use the cold on the darks/colors - it helps to keep them brighter and less fade. I think most clothes recommend you wash them on cold.


Also, I do unplug lots more than I used to. I now unplug the microwave & toaster oven. I do think this has lowered my bill significantly and I have switched half the bulbs to cfls. I light having some with the regular bulbs - better light, IMO. I do not unplug the sat. dish as it takes about 10 minutes to reboot in the morning. I do have the computer on a power strip - better in case of an electrical surge and turn the switch off when not in use during the day/night.

 

[minnie1928]

When you say you unplug everything, what's included in that? Table lamps gaming systems, pc's..... I am totally clueless but need to make a serious dent in my electric bill. My main issue is hot water. I only do dishes at night, but I do wash during the day. My hot water is something crazy like 60% of my electric bill. Is that normal?

I just wanted to say that I love the picture in your signature line.

 

[abeyst]

My HW heater is gas, so I guess I could turn it down to the lowest temp setting? I don't believe I have a way of putting that on a timer, do I?

 

[daleswife]

Im no help, but your question reminded me of something my dad always use to say every time he would open up the electric bill.....

"TURN SOMETHING OFF......ELECTRIC BILL IS OUTRAGEOUS.....TURN SOMETHING OFF!!!!"

My dad is great.....I find myself yelling that now....LOL