Please post ideas that you have implemented into your own home. There may be some one hasn't thought of!

I use compact flourescent lightbulbs in 2 of my most used fixtures. The living room lamp, and the kids overhead light. This has saved me a ton of money already. Start after your family to TURN OFF THE LIGHTS! My DH and my kids go all over the house turning on lights, but NEVER turn them out! UGH!

I have an electric stove. I've been turning off my burners just before food is done, the burners stay very hot for several minutes, enough to finish whatever is cooking.

Line drying clothes or using dryer at night. I found that by using my dryer early in the a.m. (7:00 or so) and at night (after 8:00), the energy used for the dryer costs less.

My kitchen faces the afternoon summer sun. I bought mini blinds for the back windows to cut out that hot sun that makes my kitchen "cook":D

Turn off the computer monitor when not in use. I leave my computer on all day, so I can jump on and off. If you are going to be away from it for 15 minutes or more, turn off the monitor! Saves energy.

Unplug phantom users of energy-cell phone chargers, etc. These use energy whether the phone is in there or not. Just feel it when it is plugged in, it's warm.

These are a few I can think of. Add yours!:)

Argh. I wish I could turn my monitor off, but my :comp: is a hard drive and monitor all in one.

Thanks for the tip about the cell phone chargers! I'll unplug mine, seeing as how I don't have service anyway. :laugh:

Our car has a diesel engine and has a built-in engine block heater that uses up a ton of electricity. We only use it if the temp drops below 30 degrees, which isn't often here. :winter:

I do the electric stove thing, too. :)

(Wow Sara, what a bunch of great smileys! :dopey: )

You probably do all these but here are some more.

Put window quits infront of the windows to keep out cold air and warm air in.Put blankets or towels infront of doorways to keep the cool air from slipping in and the warm air from slipping out.Also do this on window sills.Put plastic over windows.All these are used to keep your house warmer longer.So you won't be turning on the heat so often.

Insulate your water heater.I haven't done this,but I will do next winter,our winter is almost over.

Make keeping the lights off a game.Whoever spots someone forgetting to turn them off gets something from that person.Say dh leaves the lights on and dd catches him,he has to give her a nickle.

Use cold water when washing clothes,and rinsing dishes.

Wash dishes by hand.I ran my dishwasher and went outside to check the meter and it kept spinning faster and faster,when it went off I checked it again and it was a lot slower,if you have to use the dishwasher open it up and let the dishes air dry.

Check that meter atleast 3 times a day,I check mine when we don't have anything turned on(lights stove etc),when I do laundry and when dh is home and the lights are on more.It has really made me think about the way we use power.

Here are some things I do.......

~ Hang clothes to dry whenever possible. We live in a neighborhood that doesn't allow clotheslines so I have to hang what I can in the showers. I try to only dry things like bedding and towels in the dryer.

~ When I do use the dryer I try to wash and dry in consecutive loads. That way the dryer never has a chance to cool back down and doesn't use as much energy to reheat with each load.

~ I use the microwave instead of stovetop.

~ We use our outdoor grill (we can use it year round here) instead of the stovetop or oven as much as possible.

~ I have two Nescos and use them instead of the oven. I have a 6 qt. which is great for homemade soups and chili as well as meatloaf, zucchini bread, etc. I take the 18qt. outside and plug it in out on my porch. It will hold up to a 9x13 size baking dish so I can make a variety of things in it.

~ I keep all appliances unplugged when not in use (like the toaster, coffee maker, etc.). Even though they are turned off, there is still an electrical current running to them as long as they are plugged in.

~ I open the windows and use the celing fans as much as possible to avoid using the a/c (can't do that in the summer though! LOL).

~ I turn off lights when not in use (dh is BAD about this one :( ).

~ I collect water from my a/c condensation drain to use for watering outside plants. I also use bathwater for watering plants.

Hi everyone! I`m new here. May I join your group? I love being frugal!`Here`s what I do to save electricity:

I cook with an electric pan, which is 80 % cheaper than cooking on the stove top. I measure the exact amount of water I need to boil in my electric kettle(again 80% cheaper than on the stove top). I boil my water in the electric kettle if I need boiling water for cooking pasta, potatoes, rice, etc...

All my lightbulbs are fluroescent 13 watt and they are equivalent to 60 watt regular light bulbs.

I do many things you all have mentioned and have started this two years ago and can you imagine that my electric bill has come down from 155 $ a month to 90 $ a month!

Glad you could join our little family, simplemom! We are a very friendly bunch. I hope you will hang out with us often! Any frugal tips or suggestions are always welcome!:)

thank-you Danielle!

I`ve been reading a little what everyone has been posting at these boards and it seems very energetic and positive! That`s why I thought it was a great place to join!

I have a tip I have found and tried, I`d like to share: Cooking rice with minimum electricity. Here`s how:

Let`s say you want to cook a cup of white rice.

Boil 2 cups of water in your electric kettle( if you have one)
Transfer the 2 cups boiled in a thick heavy pot(with heavy cover)
Add one cup of white rice and salt.
Bring to a boil again. Close stove top burner.
Cover and let stand for an hour. (Don`t peek!)
Your rice will be cooked!

Great, hey! Of coarse, you have to plan in advance. Being frugal women, here, I`m sure many of you do plan lots in advance, so hope this will be another one for you!

Have a nice day! :catfly:

I think I have pretty much mastered this dept. Right now, my electric bill is anywhere between $40 and $45 a month (no lie!!). WOOHOO!

I have a brand new house, so when we went shopping, I made sure to get all Energy Star rated appliances. I make sure to keep my fridge and freezer packed, and I make sure hot foods are completly cooled before putting them in the fridge or freezer so it won't run as much to cool it down. I also have my dishwasher set to air dry, it also has a water saver cycle and and energy saver cycle (it doesn't boost the temp of the water up as high).

I am slowly replacing all my bulbs with the compact fluorescent ones, I also have my overhead lights on dimmer switches. At night, instead of leaving an overhead light on in the kitchen for us to go in and out of, I turn on the halogen lights on the vent over the stove. In other rooms, I use little table lamps that use a nightlight bulb.

I also hang all my clothes up to dry. In the winter, I use drying racks and only use the dryer for huge things like sheets, or if I have a number of sweatshirts, or jeans. In the summer, everything gets hung outside.

If I'm heating up something for ds like chicken nuggets or fish sticks, I use the toaster oven instead of heating up the big oven. In the summer, I constantly use the crock pot or the grill instead of the oven. If I want to heat up some water for tea, I run the water through the coffee pot (and it's alot quicker that way).

Instead of having a water heater tank, we have an instant tankless one as part of the furnace, so I'm not paying to keep water hot that I'm not using.

Thats about all I can think of for now. I love to hear other's tips, since I'm sure there's other places I could cut back on.

Laura

:bump:

I have my tv, vcr, dvd and stereo on a power bar like my pc. When I go to bed at night I turn everything off thru the power bar and then I unplug my microwave.

saves on the passive electrical use

We have ceiling fans in each room. It really helps with cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. We also make sure the weather stripping around doors and windows are still in good shape.

:bump:

~turn your heat down 2 degrees during the winter months. It will save an automatic 2% in your heating bill.

~use your crockpot when you can.

~turn your a/c up 1 degree, it will make a difference.

~install overhead fans. It makes a huge difference and you'll find you don't need your a/c on has high.

~if at all possible, don't use your dryer. It will save you a large amount each month. Our electric bill went down a whopping $20 per month when I stopped using my dryer years ago. I don't even have one. I use the clothesline and clothesracks.

~I'm with Graci, in that our computer is on a powerbar. Its unplugged at night.

~check your water heater. Most homes have them on too high.

Aluminum foil on the windows (to reflect heat OUT in summer)

Styofoam inserts in windows in winter- I cover with cheap fabric for some flair.

How can you cut energy costs w/ water reclaimation? If you have a well, you have to pump the water. That takes energy. Reuse the rinse cycle for your next wash and you've not only saved water usage but cut your energy cost and probably maintanance on your pump, too.

Graci