How do you all slim down your electric and gas bills at home?
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17797)
United States
April 11, 2008 10:12pm CST
I try so hard, but still they are $30 a month each. I keep lights off, I wash dishes by hand instead of the dishwasher, 2 loads of laundry a week (it is just me and a 2 bedrom apt) and I do those before 7am and after 7pm when electric rates are supposedly a few cents lower (used to be, don't know if that has changed but it is my habit anyway) Really the only thing that runs is the fridge, and my PC, admittedly most of the day but often in "sleep" mode for a few hours, and I shall stop that, but the TV is really the only other thing I have going. Haven't turned on the AC (I live in CA) haven't turned on the heater but a time or so when the grand kids are here. The gas runs the hot water, the dryer and the stove, but I usually use the toaster oven, not the oven and the micro wave for heating up and not the stove top.
But still - $30 a month for one person that doesnt' do hardly anything using electric and even less gas? And then I get on my electric bill today, a 17ยข per unit increase coming up.
Those new fangled lightbulbs.. you know the ones that recently came out saying they save power and last a life time - they are a long, squiggle kind of mini flourscent bulb to use instead of the regular light bulb...are those really energy savers? I have one of those in the kitchen that I turn on most of the time while in there. But when I was workig property mangement, i worked closely with the electrician and AC guy on maintenance to office buildings and apartments and they told me that flourscent lights (those long tub kind) are better at saving the power, but turning them off and on all the time is what uses the power. Turn them on and leave them on even when you leave the room instead of turning them off and on several times over, helps save power. Are these squiggle light bulbs the same theory? Any suggestions?
7 responses
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
12 Apr 08
The CFC light bulbs work. They cut about $15/month off of our electric bills. $30 isn't bad for one person. My ex who is out of town 2 weeks of the month pays about that here. When he is gone there is nothing but his fridge running.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
12 Apr 08
But is it better to leave the CFC lights on or keep turning them off? Which is more efficient? Yeah, I know they are lower than most, but things are tight and gettig tighter - LA County just announce massive lay offs of city employees - not that I am one, but people out of work means alot of problems for the state and that effects all of us. So just trying to kee up with the times!
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
12 Apr 08
It is better to keep them off when you aren't home. I believe the bulbs we use are 13 watt and one puts off as much light as a 40 watt bulb. So that is 27 less watts of energy you are using when you have 1 light bulb on, multiple that by lets say 4 light bulbs, that is a decent amount of savings. Oh, we found that in our fans where we use to have 4 light bulbs, we only need 2.
1 person likes this
@DCMerkle (1281)
• United States
13 Apr 08
I'm just really conscience about what lights are on. If I'm not in that room, the lights are turned off. I never use the dishwasher unless I have a full load. I do all my major cooking on the weekends and heat up what I want during the week. I know with the AC season coming up, I'll use the fan at night as the nights are cooler. I'll keep the curtains closed when the sun is on my side of the building. I'll keep a towel under the door so when the AC is on it won't escape out into the hall.
That's just some of the things that I do. I hope it helps.
DCMerkle
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
13 Apr 08
Oh, forget about that towel under the door thing. I need to do that this summer to keep the hot air out. Did that in the last house we rented - window was falling out and landlord wouldn't fix them so it let air in - hot and cold! So i took sheets and rolled them up and put them on the sills to keep the air out and then kept the mini blinds down/closed and the curtains closed and never opened or used that window. I didn't figure this out the first winter season or the first summer season! But finally I noticed it the next year around and did it. Big Big difference - not in the utility bills but in the actual feel of hot or cold in the room. Even back in that house we didn't run AC or Heat - just couldnt' affordi t so we used a room heater and just took it to the room we were in and had a fan in every room during the summers. Thanks for reminding me - have to check that out!
@Sissygrl (10909)
• Canada
12 Apr 08
I dont pay for my utilities here in this apartment.. so i dont have to worry about cost really. I try to turn out all the lights and stuff when we go out. but being in the basement we tend to leave lights on all the day long cause the windows dont let a lot of light in. I dont mind the dark really.. but the kids need some lights to play in ;)
We have the squiggle lights as you call them. lol energy saving lights.. they seem to be better lighting for the sockets we have, and they are brighter, but geez dont look at them without a shade over the light. OUCH!
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
12 Apr 08
They are bright aren't they! I have one in the kitchen only and turn it on everytime I go in there so I was wondering if that was costing ...to turn it off and on so much. I dont mind the dark much either. At my PC I have a 40 watter desk lamp and dark in the rest of the room. Have all I need with the lamp so why turn othres on? I even often dont turn the light on when I go intot he bathroom, depending on what I am doing! With the curtains open, there's enough light to do most things! Not like I'm in there for a long time!
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
13 Apr 08
Move over coffeebreak, I wanna go live there !!! :)
We're lucky if our bill is even 300! Usually goes close to 400.
True the house is divided in two apartments, but still we it's only my in laws downstairs and us up here, not an army!
We use energy efficiency everything, light bulbs that are supposed to waste less- yeah those squiggle ones too, we try not to use a machine until it's full, we make good use of daylight, etc. etc. etc.... still the amount on the bills is usually the same.
And we're not too bad. I was just talking to hubby's aunt and she tells me her gas bill was also almost $300. The thing is that it's only two people, and they are even more careful than we are.
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
13 Apr 08
I'm guessing after all I/we do to be energy efficient, it just gets down to the cost per killowatt of where we are. I don't see anything else I can do. I don't even run the heat during hte winter - just extra clothes and blankets and it works just fine. I am in SO CA so neither season is horrible (except the triple digit summer heat waves we have) but it just seems so high for one person, doing (or not doing as the case may be!) as much as I am for energy efficiency.
@motorheadbanger (441)
• United States
12 Apr 08
Would be nice to pay just $30 a month for electric. some parts of Maryland are paying around $400 or more a month. Usually the only thing I have on is my computer and it hits sleep mode for two or more hours a day. I also keep the light off as much as possible. Thankfully where I live at in Maryland we arent paying the outrageous bills for power.
The reason the bills are so high in some part is because Constellation Energy Group and something with the state goverment.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
12 Apr 08
State government - yeah - sometimes our worst enemy!!! LOL!! I did recently hear they were raising water and power rates in the county next to me, so when I read the insert in my electric bill yesterday that it was going up, I shouldn't have been surprised.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
12 Apr 08
If you know you're going to be away from your computer but don't want to bother turning it off, you can still put it in sleep mode. Even if it normally does after a certain amount of time, why wait? Do it when you know you won't be using it.
I've also heard that anything that is plugged in will use a small amount of electricity, whether the item is actually turned on or not. Try unplugging things when you're not using them (toaster, can opener, lamps, washer/dryer, etc).
If you do it with the TV it may take a few seconds for the picture to come on after plugging back in because most of them have the 'instant on' feature now, but that confirms that it is using that small amount even when not turned on.
I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but it sure doesn't hurt and it's easy enough to do.
I keep tabs of my monthly bills in a notebook, but I never really watched the actual amount of electricity used. I think I'm going to start writing down the kwh used each month and see just how I'm doing.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
12 Apr 08
Thanks for the suggestions. I dont' keep things plugged in (in the kitchen) as about 19 years ago I walked into a fire in my kitchen and it had been cause by a faulty electrical plug so ever since then, I fear of that again, so I only plug in as needed. I'll work on the PC one tho - yes it does go to sleep mode after a while but like you said, why wait!
@p3halliwel2005 (3156)
• Philippines
13 Apr 08
Usually electricity is high from the constant opening of the refrigerator and ironing. I have a high electric bill as well but it went down when I had a maid. I have heard of energy saver that you can plug to your electricity but I don't have money yet to buy it. I do have a computer (which is always on), refrigerator, A tv which is also always on, 5 electric fans, 5 lights, oven toaster, rice cooker and iron that mostly is the cause of my electric bills and also having to charge the cellphones now and then..
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
13 Apr 08
A Maid helped you electic bill go down? WHat'd she do? I do the fans in the summer instead of the central AC - can't afford the AC! ANd yes, I was just thinking yesterday about the freezer as I opened it for the dozenth time that day- I drink ICed tea all day long so I open the freezer several times - okay, many times! - during the day for ice so I have a small little cooler lunch box thing that would be perfect size to hold couple trays of ice cubes - I should fill that in the morning and then use that ice and not open the freezer all day long. I do this with a large cooler when I have family gatherings so all could have easy access to ice.
