Do you track your daily electric usage?

**Mochashello** · 09-30-2008, 11:18 AM

I've taken to checking my meter every few days and figuring the average I've used for the month. My last bill was over $20 less than the previous month with me only making changes to save energy in the last week.- woo hoo! So now that a new billing cycle has begun, I want to see how much more I can save!

It's been 6 days since my meter was read for my bill (by the electric company), and I just checked my usage, divided by 6, and found I have used on average 21.17 kwh per day over the last 6 days. This is almost 10 kwh LESS than the daily average for last month, and over 13 kwh less than 2 months ago!! WOW! I am amazed!

Granted, I've only done 2 loads of laundry this week and currently have a sink full of dishes, but really- it is obvious to me that my usage has gone WAY DOWN thanks to simply turning things off and using power strips. I don't even have them everywhere yet! I don't have them on my computer, but have been putting my computer to sleep at night (used to just let it run 24/7). I have my TV and accessories on a strip, and my kids' rooms are on strips for their TVs too. And every morning after they go to school I go around the house and make sure there are no lights on or power strips that don't need to be. This is the main change I've made and I can't believe it has cut my daily usage by about 30%!!!! OMGoodness!

Anyone else do this or have concrete results to share? I live in a 4 bdrm house that is about 1900 sq ft. and am using approx. 21 kwh per day. I am curious how that stacks up. This is exciting!

**nvmommyx6** · 09-30-2008, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by Mochashello

I don't have them on my computer, but have been putting my computer to sleep at night (used to just let it run 24/7). !

Computers AND monitors use an average per year that equals a refrigerators useage, So, If I aint using it, it is OFF!!!!

I have not figured out the daily, but I have put most things on the power strips and unplugged my dryer, the lack of the dryer is saving us an average of $120 a month, thank god for clothes lines!! Hubby and I are installing rods in the laundry room for winter drying, I dont ever want to plug that dryer back in!!
When I am here durring the day and kids and hubby are gone, there are literally NO lights on, no fans on, windows open for air and cool....and just the computer when I am working on it is all!

**frugal me** · 09-30-2008, 02:24 PM

I have checked my meter every day for the last year.

We average in the summer about 38 kwh per day. It's very hot & humid in the summer here in the deep south. Before I started checking every day, my bill was a lot higher. I think checking it every day makes you really think about what you are using.

**LexTysMommy** · 09-30-2008, 02:40 PM

I did this last summer. I have 1200 sq foot 1930's house. New windows. I keep heat at 67 if i turn on. Ac only used 4 times this year when it gets hotter then 82/84 in here. I average 9kwh per day with no laundry or dishwasher. If I run dishwasher and open it on dry cycle or do one load of laundry washed and dried it goes to 12 kwh.

Before I started unplugging, not letting more then one light at time, limiting tv time, and not using ac alot just fans it was at least 25kwh a day! I would dry things twice because I was lazy and it got wrinkled if i ididnt take out right away.

Checking it keeps me in check. Now we do it weekly and try to keep under 100kwh a week.

**IntlMom** · 09-30-2008, 02:45 PM

wow! You gals are good... I have NEVER checked mine....maybe I ought to.. hmmmm

**nvmommyx6** · 09-30-2008, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by frugal me

I have checked my meter every day for the last year.

We average in the summer about 38 kwh per day. It's very hot & humid in the summer here in the deep south. Before I started checking every day, my bill was a lot higher. I think checking it every day makes you really think about what you are using.

Thank you, you know what, I am going to start that RIGHT NOW!!
I know I run round here turning everything off and all but I think that will give me a better idea what uses so much!!

**chevy_chick95** · 09-30-2008, 03:26 PM

Yes, BF thinks I am nuts. :lmao:

our power bill is about $55 a month in a 1000 sq ft apartment.

I started tracking usage about a month and a half ago. I got it down $5 last month. I'm hoping for $10 this month. :clappy:

**Mochashello** · 09-30-2008, 04:04 PM

I'm proud of all of us, lol! Isn't it inspiring?

**frugal me** · 09-30-2008, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by nvmommyx6

Thank you, you know what, I am going to start that RIGHT NOW!!
I know I run round here turning everything off and all but I think that will give me a better idea what uses so much!!

I made up a notebook with 3 colums on each page: date, kw reading from meter, and total for 24 hour period. I use one page per month.
I try to read it every day around 3pm, so I remember to do it.
After every 7 days, I add it up to get a 7 day total. Hope that helps!

**Starlight9803** · 09-30-2008, 05:51 PM

I don't check mine daily, though I mean too. (just too lazy/forgetful lol), but I do figure out average daily usage when my bills comes. Last bill was averaging 32KW a day, but this was for a period between July15-September 15, so there was lots of a/c usage, and dryer usage when we would come in from camping (again, the laziness factor) My next bill will be in November, and I hope to get my average below 25. Oh, and we live in an 1100 sqft singlewide trailer with all electric.

**VanVivCam** · 09-30-2008, 08:46 PM

I have never thought to check it. My hubby thinks it is silly to unplug and so forth...he says it doesn't really save THAT much and why go thru the trouble. Oh well.

**Mochashello** · 09-30-2008, 09:22 PM

But it does save a lot! I was surprised too. I thought maybe like $5, but I saved over $20 by unplugging and turning things off in only the last week of the billing cycle! So I'm convinced!

Hopefully your hubby will come around soon.

**tmffv** · 10-01-2008, 12:00 AM

I've just started doing this, so I'm not sure quite yet how much progress I have made. The most drastic thing I've done so far is reduce the amount of a/c we use. We live in a 2600 sq foot home and in the summer it can stay at a nice dry heat of 95+ for weeks at a time. Before I decided we needed to lower our electric bill, we averaged about 75 kilowatts per day during those hot times. We also had the a/c running 24/7 at about 68 degrees. Now with the weather cooling down into the 80's, we have been relying on ceiling fans and open windows to keep us cool (though admittedly when the house temp gets above 83ish, I turn the a/c on for a couple of hours. Being pregant does not help with my heat tolerance!) I looked online to see what our bill was last year in August, and this year it was down $50!!!! Woohoo!!!! That's just from 2 weeks of limiting our a/c usage.

Knowing that I can now keep an eye on our usuage and get an idea in what it is costing us has really motivated me to make some changes around here!

**Domestic Gal** · 10-01-2008, 05:05 PM

Our last bill from 8-12 to 9-10 we averaged 24 kwh per day. We did have the air on for about 2 weeks on this bill. Last year we used 29 kwh per day so we did drop it some.
The TV power strip gets turned off any time we are going to be gone for more than an hour. Same with the computer. I have not used the dryer in 5 months. I unplug anything that is not being used. We are on budget for electric and it is $74 at one time it was at $81 so we have lowered it quite a bit.
I live in a 2400 Sq. 4 bedroom in the midwest with the hot and humid summers.
In the summer when it is just me and the kids I close up the house at about 9 in the morning and just turn on the ceiling fans and other fans. Th a/c does not get turned on until it get up to 80 degrees in the house. If it does not get 80 in here then I will turn it on an hour before DH get home. He has a fit if it is not cool in here when her gets home.

**the Greenest Dollar** · 10-07-2008, 04:33 PM

Hi there,

I just started tracking my own kilowatt usage. I ordered this tracking tool off amazon.com which measures how much energy each appliance is using.

So, for example, you would plug your coffee pot into this meter, then plug the meter into the wall, and it will tell you how many kilowatts your coffee pot uses in, say, an hour.

Just wanted to throw that out there. I'm pretty excited for it to come in! I think it will be pretty enlightening.