Lowering your electric usage

**cmu** · 12-21-2011, 08:02 PM

I am looking at ways to lower my electric usage... already went around the house getting wattages off my appliances etc and figured up how much they cost me to run... so far it is the water heater and the oven (no suprise there)

So I was wondering what methods you all have used to lower your electric usage the most??

**NikoSan999** · 12-21-2011, 08:13 PM

Oven...use your toaster oven.

You can make anything in smaller amounts in it.

Dosen't heat up the house....thus less air conditioner....cooler house.

1/2 the cook time..maybe less cause it dosen't have to heat up a huge area.

Put a timer on the hot water heater. Off at night..on early enough for showering or washing up...then have it scheduled to turn off and back on for dishes and showers...then turn off and start over. It would only be on a few hours a day versus 24 hours. Some timers can be set to turn on and off twice a day...some only once. Once turned off it will stay hot for quite awhile.
Since you're in Florida a heater blanket is practically void.

**Sumacaroni** · 12-21-2011, 08:23 PM

Vigilance in turning off lights throughout the house every single day when not in use, especially outside lights - porch light and driveway lights seemed to be continually on Grr.

Keeping our forced air furnace set at 65 degrees - previous years we've had it set to 72. We've adjusted to wearing sweatshirts and using blankets to stay toasty in the livingroom. The furnace runs far less this way.

Everyone reusing their shower towels twice in a row and jeans get worn to school at least twice (they're not dirty per se) before hitting the laundry basket so I do less laundry, especially less dryer usage by a couple loads each week. Every wash/dry seemed to bump the usage 2KwH. Adds up within the month.

Our Christmas tree is on a timer for only a couple hours/night.

My goal was 10% less usage. We've easily managed that in the last quarter and saved $47 in the process.

**MaryCarney** · 12-21-2011, 09:51 PM

Ditto on the water heater timer - we bought one at Lowe's (I think it was called Little Grey Box) and saw an immediate $10/ month drop in the bill. I WOULD put a blanket on the WH too - it will help.
(Oh, and each person in our house has a bath sheet - and they get washed weekly with the person's sheets. I'm a nurse, have done this for YEARS with no problem. Think about it, you use a towel to dry your freshly bathed body. Saves me 4-5 loads of laundry/week.

**savvy_sniper** · 12-22-2011, 09:04 AM

There are lots of small things you can do that will add up. BUT the biggest bang for your buck will be adding insulation to the attic, energy efficient windows, doors, A/C and furnace.

I live on the Texas Gulf Coast and put in a new energy efficient A/C and furnace almost two years ago. The old one was too small and VERY inefficient (only 10 years old). I lowered my electricity usage by 1/3 and my gas by about 1/4.

We will be putting more insulation in the attic shortly. New windows are in the plans for next year.

**shoiji** · 12-22-2011, 11:52 AM

In the summer I do alot of cooking in the microwave and crockpot.

The tv's, cable equipment and computer are on strip cords that I make sure are turned off at night before I go to bed. The computer is always completely off when not in use.

Lights are always turned off when leaving a room. At night I usually have only one light on. If I am watching tv I will turn all the lights off.

This website has really good information to help save money on utilities:

ENERGY BOOMER

**227melissa** · 12-22-2011, 01:17 PM

The Summer months is where we have to really watch our usage, deep south, hot hot hot. I quit using my Dryer and oven when the AC goes on, cover windows with heavy drapes to keep the heat of the sun out, close doors to rooms not used, use high power floor fans to keep air circulating. We turned our back bedroom into a Den, this room stays cooler summer and warmer in the winter than any other room in the house.

**krbshappy71** · 12-22-2011, 02:33 PM

Check out the Electric Use Challenge, it is a long thread of all the things a bunch of us have been doing to get our electric bill down as low as we can. Mine this month was only $55! That includes water, electric, trash, sewer, recycle.