Saving on power bill

[sheeplaughs]

Hey Ya'll

This may have been discussed already, but I need help. I need some feedback on how some of you save on your power bill. My power comes from Alabama Power. I am on buget billing, we have turned the hot water heater down, I turned the hot water line off to the bathroom sinks(this also helps great children from getting burned), I wash in cold water. I am still working on hubby to put up clothesline outside. My biggest problem is air conditioning, I now have hot flashes and need the COOL AIR. If you have any tried and true solutions to help cut my bill, please share. Thanks.

[pedspeech]

Sounds like you have already taken lots of great steps. The only thing that immediately comes to mind is checking to make sure that you aren't losing all that wonderful cool air- make sure that the sealant is good around all of your doors and windows.

[TheyCallMeMom]

I get frustrated with our elec bill.. I do everything I am suppose to.. we dont even own a/c!

but my utility bill is still high.. I call the elec co and go through their check list.... she says " well you do have 6 kids"

I tell her yeah but it doesnt matter how many people watch the tv, or sit in a room with lights on it still uses the same elec.. The only thing we may use more of is HW but even then the 4 little ones share..

I have cut back everyway I can think of.. its still too much..

we pay .16 per KWH here.. I need elec co coupons LOL

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Is your AC on a thermostat? Are your windows and doors well sealed to prevent the loss of your cooled air? Can you turn your thermostat on higher and turn on a fan to get the wind chill factor? Wash in cold water for most items. I was everything but socks and underware in cold water. Hang dry clothes (I dont do that...what a pain in the butt with 7 people LOL)

How much is your electricity bill and how much are you spending per KWH?

Do you have the option to shop around for providers? Not always an option in some localities but something you may at least want to look into.

Personaly our electricity is billed with our water, sewage, trash and total I apy about $150 year round give or take $25. This accounts for more water used in the summer with watering the lawns and more electricity in the winter to heat. I run 2 window air conditioners durring the summer but only when it really is too hot to bear.

[sheeplaughs]

My power bill is $350.00 this month.
I have a heat pump.
Alabama power is our only power company.
Does anyone know if unplugging anything other than freezer, frig helps. I always thought that if on switch was left off , you would not be using any power. Is this true?

[kurlisola]

You have to really look at what the big energy users are in your house...air conditioner/heater; stove/oven; water heater; clothes washer/dryer.

I don't know how much you could cut it down to. Depends on how much $ per unit. But I'm guessing your dryer is using an awful lot of energy. So, if dh won't get the line up, do it yourself. Just the sight of you trying to dig the whole yourself should get him motivated...especially if he sees the neighbors seeing you do it. Just get all the supplies together (umbrella pole/clothesline, concrete, auger).

I've also often wondered about ovens & how much energy they use. Do you know anything about chinese cooking? Its pretty interesting, because there is/was a shortage of fuels in China; so, in order to use as little as possible, their foods developed in a way that minimizes cook time (while maximizing prep time). Where I might spend 10 minutes preping a roast & bake it in the oven for an hour; I can cooking an entire chinese dinner, only using the burners for about 10 minutes (with 50 minutes of prep time) Thats why their veggies & meats are cut so small thin/small, in order to lesson cooking time.

So, anyway, I guess my point is, look how you are using your appliances. Especially your stove/oven. Maybe you can try new dishes that minimize cook time.

Another thought is to not fret over this particular bill. Look at it this way...you've had the bill forever (well since you moved out from your parents house); and you have a large grocery bill forever. Now you've lowered your grocery bill (or will be doing so), so just chalk up the electric bill as a necessary evil.

You have been giving me food for thought though...maybe I'll perform a little experiment later in the year:-)

[kurlisola]

Originally Posted by sheeplaughs My power bill is $350.00 this month.

OMG! How much are you paying per kilowatt hour? Does this bill include other stuff? Do you live in an old, energy in-efficient house? How many people are in the house? How many square feet is your house?

My house is 2800 sq feet & my electric bills in the summer come in at about $215 (the highest). And to be honest, we don't conserve energy. Not much anyway.

[dolphinlover]

having lived with AL power for 1/2 my life, i'll say this... it sux. i always had a high power bill with them no matter what i did. is there an electric co-op in your area that you can switch to? it's been a while since i lived there, so i don't remember what co's are down there, but i've found that the co-ops ran cheaper. we have sulphur springs elec. co-op out here in AZ and our bill runs $50-60/mo with them (although we have swamp coolers out here not central AC). in NC we have power with a co-op and it never got higher than $80 there (and we DO have central AC there). in AL it always ran me way higher than that.

[sheeplaughs]

Hey THANKS for all the feedback!!!! Keep it coming.

Also my house is all electric. In the winter we use our gas logs. This helpes a lot in the winter.

[pickle1975]

$350.00 bill - Holy smokes, and I thought that our bill was bad at $225.00 this month (it jumped $60.00 from last month)