Saving on power bill

[ritaillinois]

There is just the two of us in a 2400 sq. foot house. I shut off rooms we don't use and close the vents.
I've virtually stopped using our gas dryer which still uses electricity.
Recently I bought drapes for our livingroom and kitchen windows (which are quite large, but double pane) and the insulated, room darkening liners (found at Walmart for 24.00 a pair...we'll see how much they help).
I use the dishwasher only when it's full.
I no longer leave lights on all over the house.
When we are both gone for the day or part of the day, the thermostat goes down (winter) or off (summer). We installed a ceiling fan and can put off using the airconditioner a bit longer.

[couponfanatic]

Wait til after dark, and walk round your entire house in the dark. All those little lights on everything (VCRs/dvds/stereos/printers/etc.) are using electricity. Unplug anything you can that has a light or clock. Also, anything that has a transformer type plug us using elcetricity whether it's on/charging or not. Unplug those too. Also, don't forget your subwoofer (home theater). I have one w/ no light, but I was dusting it and noticed the fins on the back were warm. It'd been sitting there eating juice when everything else was off. So Touching things that look turned off is also a good idea. If it's warm, it's using electricity.

[marmis]

When DH got laid off for a few months we tried cutting back. Here are some of the things we did...
In the summer/warm months, keep curtains/blinds closed. Close the doors/vents to any rooms that do not need to be cooled.
Set the AC at one "power saver" temp and leave it. Once it starts warming up in the house the AC will kick in but won't have to work hard to catch up later in the day.
Hang Dry clothes - I always hang towels and jeans. To soften them, I use a little hair conditioner in the washer and then fluff them in the dryer when I bring them in.
Use the clothes dryer only in the evening.
Run dishwasher only when full and then open door to let air dry.
I always have some snacks and juice boxes/bottles of water sitting out for the kids to prevent them from constantly opening the fridge.
We cook on the grill alot in the summer as the oven just heats the house.
Do your big housecleaning early in the morning while it is still cool.

In the winter/colder months...
I have my clothes dryer vented into the house. The dryer will give ALOT of heat while the clothes are drying which makes the furnace run less.
I bake large quantities of food on colder days as the heat from the oven will also help in warming the house.
Plastic on windows - get the shrinky stuff for inside the house
Roll a towel and place in front of the door to prevent and drafts if you have any problems
More clothing - we are always wearing warmer socks - cold feet make you much colder!

[MrsPinecone]

I am going to put in a vote for compact flourescent bulbs. I replaced just 4 of them last year, and didn't even notice an increase when our rates went up 35% around the same time.

I now have them in most of our lamps and many overhead lights, and have definitely noticed lower bills.

[twomoms]

OMG!! did you all know that I got my power bill yesterday!!! and I am complaning because it went from 51.xx to 95.xx... I couldnt imagine paying 350.00!! No thanks!
we are house hunting right now and I can finally get a clothes line put in I am so excited, I will definitly come back to this thread to get some more tips, so keep 'em coming!!!

[Cynthiabutterfly]

Originally Posted by MrsPinecone I am going to put in a vote for compact flourescent bulbs. I replaced just 4 of them last year, and didn't even notice an increase when our rates went up 35% around the same time. I now have them in most of our lamps and many overhead lights, and have definitely noticed lower bills.

I spent $35 to replace all the bulbs in our house with CFLs (about $3-$3.50 each) and the first month our electricity went down by $70.

We have the thermostat at 78 in the summer, and keep the ceiling fans running, it helps alot!

I use the oven as little as possible in the summer, get the charcoal deals, and just grill everything, eat cold foods, or quick-cook meals like pasta.

I always charge my cell in the car on my way to/from work. It's just a long enough commute to keep me charged.

Make sure your freezer is full. I usually either fill bags with ice from the ice maker (so I always have extra ice when I need it!) but i've heard you can just fill jugs with water to fill the space. My freezer has been filled to the brim all this year, so I haven't had that problem!

I don't use the air fresheners that have to be plugged in, I got a regular phone for the house that doesn't need separate electricity, and we replaced the desktop PC with a laptop that uses an AC adapter at home. I also use an alarm clock that uses an AA battery- it's lasted a year! Whenever possible, I get appliances that can use batteries, because I can get coupons for those, and the cost is more controlled- I won't get surprised with a $300 bill. I know it's more wastefull, but I can't always afford to be as eco-friendly as I'd like to be.

I never believed it, but it really is those little things that add up!

[too-old-now]

How old are your appliances? When we moved, our house was 20 years old and the appliances (fridge, oven) were new when the house was built. The more efficient oven/stove uses 35% less electricity than the old one. The fridge, which runs all the time, was also 30% more efficient. The dishwasher difference was amazing - it uses 40% less energy. After the first year in the house, we bought new appliances that were energy efficient and our electric bill went down by nearly 20%. The following year, we upgraded the window A/Cs and our summer use dropped $30 per month.

If you have older appliances, even thought they may still be working, it can actually be cheaper to replace them.

When we replaced our water boiler, we replaced the "builder special" with an energy efficient model, the circulator pump used far less energy than the old one. The difference in energy was roughly $12 per month, which over the course of a full year more than paid for the difference in intial price.

[couponfanatic]

Someone mentioned light switch insulators. My mom made her own out of the flat parts of the tops of styrofoam egg cartons. They're the perfect size for switch plates & outlet covers. Good use for the cartons from those free eggs we get at easter.

[YouPdWhat]

Originally Posted by ritaillinois Recently I bought drapes for our livingroom and kitchen windows (which are quite large, but double pane) and the insulated, room darkening liners (found at Walmart for 24.00 a pair...we'll see how much they help).

Just bought a pair for my front room that faces the West. Haven't gotten them hung yet, hopefully this weekend. This room gets very hot during later day hrs. I close the blinds & the curtain when the sun shifts but it is still too warm. Hoping these will help, if they do I will buy more for the bedroom windows on the east side.

Originally Posted by couponfanatic light switch insulators.

A little confused here. Why would a light switch need insulation under the cover plate? I would be afraid of a fire. How could it possibly use more electricity without it? This one has me stumped.

[YouPdWhat]

Originally Posted by marmis Plastic on windows - get the shrinky stuff for inside the house.

Can you tell me more about this? Is it cling on? If not how do you get it to stay up? Where did you buy it? Thanks for info!