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Electric Usage Challenge

58K views 1K replies 92 participants last post by  cmu 
#1 ·
I thought it would be fun to challenge ourselves to reduce our electric usage in the month of October. I have a goal to keep my daily usage below 25KWH (21 would be awesome!), down from last month's average of 31. My lowest average in the last year was in the month of April and it was 20.6 kwh- this was a bit of a fluke because the next lowest average was 27.1

I look at my meter every few days, sometimes even every day- particularly if I know I did more laundry or dishes or in some way used more electical that day, and I like to keep track of how much.

So I am challenging myself to continue monitoring my usage and I am going to post my results as often as I check my meter. If anyone wants to join me, I'd welcome the company! :D

As of 10/1:
daily avg since last bill = 21.29 KWH
 
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#78 ·
meter reading today: 9679....229kw usage (up 15kw)

dh really burned the tv up yesterday (but i guess it's okay...we didn't go anywhere else or spend any money...)

gas therms remain the same: 493...42 therms
 
#80 ·
interesting video....they were all taking 1/2 hr showers...and then they cut it to 10 mins....geez...i think dh and i are in and out in about 4.... (i need to time it just to see)...i know it can't be 10....i would go crazy in there for 1/2 hr...lol....

but it goes to show you that every little bit helps...look what they cut and they didn't even use power-strips........hum.....
 
#82 ·
I have been tracking our electric usage for the last 27 days and we are averaging 37 kwh a day. This is for an all electric house. Last month before I started tracking we were at 58 a day. That's quite the savings.
Everything is being hung out or on drying racks. I flipped the breaker to the dryer since I am not using it.
I put just about everything on power strips (we already had extras in the garage- so I didn't have to buy any).
Water heater is on a timer.

Lots of little things add up to bigger $ savings.
 
#83 ·
Ok ladies, just got to this challenge since I am a newbie(3days old to FV) but I am up for the challenge...I live in an apartment and can't locate the meter...but I am going to keep track of usage on my bills....my next one is due in soon....that was before I started my energy saving efforts...so the one after should give me an accurate reflection of my efforts! I can't wait to save money and help the environment...thanks for the inspiration and motivation!!!
 
#84 ·
today the meter read 9691 that's 241 kw usage so far....

i am now consistant with 12 kw a day.... i've been racking my brain to try to get it to 11...(hey-this is a 'challenge'..remember)....don't give up...don't give in .....

gas therms are at 494...up 1 in 3 days...won't complain...i do need hot showers once in awhile....

last months bill should be arriving anytime...
 
#85 ·
LOL! re: husbands. Well, I came home from a meeting tonight. DH was settled on the chesterfield with the TV on and one light...in that room. The entryway light, the hall light (both upstairs and down) were on. Sigh...

I think I'll check my bills. But I know they'll be way higher than when I started this challenge because we have such extreme winters up here. Really the only way to compare is to do the same month every year. But you can tell when we have cold weather...the bills go through the roof!
 
#86 ·
peanut- and when you get the bills...make sure dh sees them..i mean really sees them...and then silently run around and do EVERYTHING you can to bring them down the next month...and then show him again...show him how quickly it can start going the other way....that's what it took for my dh...one month of that and he was like 'cool' we can do this..... guys need to see the PROOF>>>>
 
#87 · (Edited)
sabrelvssammy: He pays the bills with me, so he knows what's on them. He just doesn't think we need to be conscious of spending in that area (though he does turn the heat down every night). I get a little miffed when I think he was the one who wanted me to be more frugal in the first place. I guess it's okay for me, but not for him??? Makes it hard to try and do a good job...
 
#88 ·
yea but if he sees what it 'could' be....instead of what it 'is'? you don't think he would say..."oh yea!"....
 
#89 · (Edited)
today's electric usage: 9707kw 257 kw used for the month
i am stuck at 12 kw per day....

gas therms at 44... up 1 from yesterday....

just a side note: i cooked on the stove today (3 burners going full blast for 1.5 hrs) the meter moved 4kw...now the fridge might have helped a little...nothing else was on at the time.....(that will reflect in tomorrows of course.....)
 
#90 ·
Our most recent bill is $60 less than a year ago for the same month. I know we are doing better but would still like to see more improvement. I try to take a reading every day. I also am tracking the washer/dryer, how many loads a day. Hopefully now the weather is getting better and I can line dry more.
:)
 
#92 ·
Our big change was we put in a outside wood boiler / furnace.
Almost $ 10, 000 . I figure a payback time of 10 yrs roughly.
It heats our domestic hot water - I figure this is roughly a $ 1 a day less I pay the electric company. Our house is a lot warmer, and the blower does not run as often like the propane made it work. I figure our cost of wood to heat the house at $600 at the current prices.
Propane usage dropping from 500 gallons a year to approximately 20 gallons, just for the cook stove now.

I made enough noise that hubby rewired part of our garage last fall. I saw no need to have a string of 4 lights on just to run his radio. Now radio is on a single line by itself.

We were running a small electric heater last winter in the new room. Now the wood heat from the OWB keeps that room at 70...farthest room from where the heat comes in the house. No extra registers. No small heater this year. That was about a $ 1 a day.

I keep track now of how much laundry I do . No more small loads.... it better be a full one now. Try to hang stuff as much as possible. Outside line drying real soon :)

Try to keep lights off as much as possible.
Shut computer off when I am not using it.
Hubby is the TV person......I can go without it.



Sabre, You're still beating me in KWH though......
I'm going to have to try harder :)
 
#93 ·
Okay, catch up time...

Electricity... 2008/09

Nov. 08 16.37 kwH/day
Dec. 08 12.64 kwH/day
Jan. 09 19.5 kwH/day (DD#2 was home from university!)
Feb. 09 16.76 kwH/day

Compared to the same time 2007/08...

Nov. 07 19.13 kwH/day
Dec. 07 21.25 kwH/day
Jan. 08 23.06 kwH/day
Feb. 08 23.03 kwH/day

So we have gone down a bit. Not sure why. I think it's paying attention to the lights and appliances being plugged in. Today I took the advice of someone on FV and flipped the breaker switch on my dryer. I use it once a week. I'll flip it on and off as I need.
 
#94 ·
so peanut you started in november... good job...your usages are really coming down...i just started mid jan (1-21) to be exact so i have nothing to compare it to yet...my bill for feb should be here any day so i have to admit this is the first time i can't wait to get my bill...hahaha.....

so you haven't done anything MAJOR to speak of ????
 
#96 · (Edited)
The only thing I can think of is that DD#2 moved out in August 08...but she was hardly home anyway at that point...always at work or with friends.

Other than being conscientious about appliances and electronics...nope...nothing. Our heat and water are natural gas, not electric.

~ I don't use the dryer much...maybe one load a week. Everything else is hang dried.

~ I only wash full loads in the washer...on warm/cold (I use warm because cold/cold doesn't clean our clothes...hard water issues).

~ I use small appliances over the stove whenever I can. The stove pulls on a 220 volt circuit. Small appliances are 110 volt. So i have an indoor grill and electric fry pan I use a lot. Also the crockpot. I also prefer the microwave over the stove.

~ we turn off computers if we're going to be away from them longer than an hour.

~ we have the TV/VCR/DVD player all on a power bar...both the upstairs and downstairs set. When the TV is off, so is the power bar.

~ we don't have a fancy stereo system. Just the odd portable radio and a Dream Machine for CDs.

~ We have a smaller freezer and keep it filled...generally. Right now I'm emptying it out to clean it in prep for summer produce. I do the same with the fridge though...I try to keep it full. But just before grocery shopping day I go through it and toss everything that's gone bad...or make a smorgasbord supper that night to clean it out.

~ we have an electric mattress pad for our bed. We turn it on before getting into bed and it stays on no longer than half an hour...just enough to heat up the bed before we climb in.

~ We don't plug in our car all the time during cold weather. We plug it in an hour before we're going to drive someplace. The rest of the time it lives in the garage out of the cold and wind and snow.

~ In the summer we often BBQ on our propane or charcoal BBQs. No electricity used in the house for cooking. Doesn't heat up the house that way.

I actually think February's bill is a little high for us. I used the stove top a lot for dyeing wool fabric and yarn for rug hooking. Normally it would be less I would think.
 
#95 ·
wed usage:

electric reading: 9719 (269kw to date) up 16

yesterday i told you that i used the stove for 1.5 hrs (4 kw) and that is exactly what is reflected on my meter....12 for all other usage...(gosh-am i getting good at this..or what....lol)....

gas: reading: 496 (45 therms) up 1 (its gotten cold here again)
 
#97 · (Edited)
I have been having a bad time with electric the last three months.

January was wicked high cause we deck the house out with lights and really do it up! I expected January to be high so we were very frugal in january for the Feb bill. Feb bill was lower than normal - yeah! we thought we did great!

We kept up the frugality during Feb for the March bill. But ..... the March bill was the largest we had every gotten!!:confused:

So I called for a meter check and found out that the elec company had misreadour meter last month -- it was really way too hig too so they just tacked it on this months!! :yikes:

A quick test discovered that my refrigerator (2 1/2 years old) was on the way out and had been drawing up to 5 times the electric it should have since February! I would have caught it sooner if they hadnt misread my meter!

So by the time we figured it out and talked about it the thing dies. A great messy watery death.

I now have a new fridge that I had to put on a credit card because my emergency fund was still low from the water leak fix and new water tank we had to pay for a few months ago. I now have credit card debt which I havent had in over 30 years!

I dont see it taking too long to pay it off but the thing with the electric company just frosts my cookies.

So now I am an electric monster! No lights, no heat until it hits 55 no AC till it hits 80. I cook on the grill instead of the oven or stovetop unless we need the ehat in the house, no hot water to wash clothes, hang clothes to dry, you know the drill. Dang electric company!!
 
#98 ·
well you are in the right place for loads of encouragement....we are all freezing in the dark together.... hang in there.....
 
#99 ·
thursday usage:
electric reading 9731...281kw....12 kw used
gas: 499...48therms....3 therms used

it's been in the 20's the past few days....therms are up a little...
the usual 12 kw power....
 
#100 · (Edited)
Well I got my new bill - it's $96 lower this month than in late jan/feb bill!
I am so excited!!!!!!! Now with this being said - it had nothing to do with heating/cooling the house. We are in central florida and while there were a few cool days in jan - we haven't had the heat on this year. It's been pretty warm here - going to be 87 this weekend and I will not turn the a/c on. The little things do add up!!
 
#102 ·
32 kw for the whole month? geez...how on earth do you do that....are you guys ever home..? lol

my fridge alone is taking about 4-5kw a day..... do you live in an apartment? have washer/dryer..dishwasher ????

i knew it....you are living in a tent (hence my post...i am moving into a tent in the backyard)....

regardless...your usage is awesome...i strive to be like you.....

please tell us what you are (or aren't) running....
 
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