Cutting the cost of Lighting our Homes

**Blessed** · 12-26-2005, 12:08 PM

The dreaded light bill.... how can we bring that one down?

I still have a few bulbs to replace with Compact Flourescent bulbs. A few of our old light fixtures do not accomodate these well. Other than that, I'm always turning lights off when not in use. There must be something more to do.

Dh needs to turn off the computer and TV when he's not using it!

**homesteadmamma** · 12-26-2005, 12:35 PM

We turn all lights off when not in use.

We use oil lamps for a couple hours each night while we have our supper.

We turn off our tv, radio and computer when it's not in use.

We have gradually replaced our old lights with flourescent bulbs.

While watching a movie, we will light candles and turn off all the lights.

During the Christmas season, our outside lights went on late and we turned them off at 9 p.m. rather than leave them on until we went to bed.

**Mom23boys** · 12-26-2005, 12:58 PM

The only thing I can think of besides what CJ already said is open blinds to let sun in for light/heat.

**canadian gardener** · 12-26-2005, 07:55 PM

I like my compact flourescent bulbs. Some are have gone bust right away, others are hanging in there giving us good light and lots of it for 13 watts and 26 watts depending on whether it is the 60 or 100 watt replacement. They are pricey so just replace the bulbs on the stuff you turn on or leave on the most. That will net you most of the savings right there. Who cares if you have a 60 watt bulb on something you turn on once a month, it's the lamp that goes on every night and stays on for 4 hours or more a night that really matters. Or the hall light or the one by the back door.

I am experimenting using one in the cold outside, but it's too early to tell if the bulb will last, we are in a warm snap, it was plus 11 C today, and they aren't recommended for outdoors. I'm purposefully pushing the envelope to see what happens. When we put it up it was about 5 below C, and it just seems to take a little longer to warm up and give good light but once it's going it works well.

Use the microwave more, and the oven less. (I do OAMC cooking, see the cooking part of this site-- and that is baking or cooking up several meals in one session, freezing most, and later reheating in the microwave. Heating the oven once, and filling it to the max when I do saves some, then reheating a frozen meal saves some more when I use that microwave.

For OAMC use a chest style freezer without the auto defrost and keep it full even if all you have are jugs of water, that saves you. Defrost features suck energy from your freezer, and with an upright you lose all that cold every time you open it.

Fridges it's ok to have the auto defrost, but be careful to open and close only when you have to, as you lose the cold.

PLEASE VACUUM THE COILS! you may save the life of the compressor and you will certainly make it run cheaper. I do mine monthly or so shoving a long stick with bristles in and the vacuum narrow nozzle. I used to use a baby bottle brush before I got the long stick thing from Clean Team.

Use the crockpot more and the oven or stovetop less. It is another wonderful energy saver (yours AND the electric energy!)

Turn off your coffee maker so that the little hot pad isn't sucking electricity. You can put the coffee in a thermos that you preheated with your electric kettle full of water which in turn is easier and cheaper to run than a kettle on the stove.