We have a small, but cozy, three bedroom house. However, you will never guess how much we used to pay in electric each month: $206. That, I believe, is insane! I started to do a little bit of personal research, or as I like to call it, process of elimination. Just doing these simple steps dropped my electric bill by as much as $40 per month. I can think of many things I can use $40 for (heck that will fill up my gas tank for a week!!!)
First of all, I always look at my bill as see how many kilowatts per hour I used the month before. I compare it with my outside meter, located on the side of my house and subtract the number on my meter to the number on my bill. This will show me where I stand for next months bill and how to budget.
Now, on to saving money. The first step to lowering your electric bill is to make sure all lightes in your home are turned off when not in use. This is the most simple way to save. During the day, open up all the blinds and curtains in your home and use natural light if you can. At night, use the lights only in the room you are occupying. If you see the new energy saving light bulbs at the store, buy them. I know that it is a bit of an investment, but the lifetime of, say, ten bulbs used at the same time can save you over $350. The lifetime of one bulb is 10,000 hours and it only uses 13 watts per hour! I would have to say that is a great deal.
Things like refrigerators and hot water heaters shouldn't be turned off , but they can be turned down. Turn down the water heater to a level that is comfortable for you and do you seriously need your milk frozen? Probably not! Turn your fridge down to about a 3 or 4 setting.
Most people do not know this, but your desktop computer uses just as much electricity as your refrigerator when it is running all day long. So, when you are not on your computer, turn it off. I know that it takes about a million years for your computer to start back up again, but in the long run, it is worth it.
I have tested something out on my own, and I know many people will disagree with me. Use cold water when washing clothing. I do this in all clothes but my whites. To this day I have yet to see a difference in how clean my clothes come out. Plus, it saves the hot water in my tank from being used up. The more your hot water heater has to fill up the more electricity you will use.
If you have to have the air conditioning on in the summer, set it on 78 degrees or higher. If you dont' have to have it on, open your windows and let the fresh air in. It is ok to sweat! In the winter, make sure you turn the heat off at night. There is some logic to this. You are under covers and you're sleeping, you will hardly notice if it is a little cold in your house. During the days in the winter keep your heat set on 68 degrees. Not to cold, not too hot. It is just about right. If you can, or if you have one, use a space heater. This is especially a good idea if you are a single person living in a small space. I have two kids and a wife and we put our space heater in the middle of our floor plan and it heats up the major parts of the house. It keeps the kids warm when they are in their rooms and it keeps us warm when we are lounging in the living room.
These are very simple steps to use when you need to save some money on your electric bill. I have personally done all steps and my bill is dramaticlly lower. Use them to your full advantage and I can assure you, you will see a difference.
