Well, it seems like we will *hopefully* (fingers crossed!) be moving soon! We will have to pay separate electric so I was hoping for some tips on how to save on electricity. I know I'm going to definitely buy some candles, but what else can I do???
Well, it seems like we will *hopefully* (fingers crossed!) be moving soon! We will have to pay separate electric so I was hoping for some tips on how to save on electricity. I know I'm going to definitely buy some candles, but what else can I do???
Don't turn the lights on if you don't have to. Make sure they are off if no one is in that room or no one is home. Buy enegry saving light bulbs. I forget what else. Maybe do a google search? Good luck.
I think there are energy saver settings on dishwashers/washingmachines/dryers if you'd have those at your new place. Also if you have a/c keep it at a constant setting that's comfortable, not too cool same with heat in the winter. Also along those lines, make sure your place is well insulated (each year we find any little crack and fill it in with this foam stuff, there are also things you can put under the lightswitch covers and we put plastic over the windows in the winter) so you don't heat/cool the outside too :D
In CA there is a low income program called the CARE program,
that you get %20 off your bill each month. Call your local gas/electric
company and see if they have anything like that.
Candels are good, but make sure they are safely put away, I've had too many almost accidents with them.
good tips already mentioned...engergy star, long term lightbulbs, etc. I know also here, if you run your dishwasher, washer, etc after 7, it's cheaper... I guess less of a load on the power supply. But you know, this is CA, where we have fuckin' rolling blackouts, screw you Enron!
okay, must stop... hee hee, sorry
ames
dont air-condition a empty house. I turn my air way up so when i am gone its not keeping the dust bunnies comfy. In florida like eighty percent of your electric bill is ac so that helps alot. Make sure you house is well insulated. make sure weather stripping isnt cracked and that windows are creating a proper seal. You can contact your local power company and they will come to your home a give you tips on how to save on electrcity. they did it to my place and i saved like 30% off my bill each mth.
Also, I don't know if this is everywhere, but in my area, you can have the elec people will come and do a free evaluation and give you tips on how to reduce your energy use. Maybe call and see if that is an option?
I know this kinda sucks cause I LOVE lots of sunshine coming in my windows but during the REALLY hot part of summer we actually cover our windows with THICK heavy curtains to keep the sunlight out and it stays much cooler in our living room...we have two HUGE windows in there..Its darker but it helps with the bill.
Yeah like a previos poster said.. find out if you qualify for any low-income energy assitance program. I live in WA and my county and surrounding counties have an assist. program every year and depending on your situation they give the power co. money to pay your bill.. we were having a really difficult time last Fall with my hubby being laid off from work and my schedule having hours cut and we qualified for a grant of around $600.. that was in Oct and the money hasn't run out yet, but we make sure to be careful about keeping lights turned off unless they NEED to be on.. defiently do candles like you were saying, I LOVE having candles on when it's dark.. it's so much more relaxing :) .. we also got energy saving bulbs @ Costco, our counties power co. also gives out Free coupons and reduced cost coupons for the bulbs if you request them.. might be something to look into. Good luck!
We have this A/C system that you can set to be on certain times so like if you are at work during the day it automatically turns up the temp but it gets cold before you get there because it knows when you are getting home. It sucks for us because we have a live in nanny (since I was 6 months old) who is here 24/7 and we constantly freeze her or now that my mom doesn't work we burn her. It would be really good for someone trying to save money in the long run.
I just ran across this in the online version of the Pioneer Press and thought it might have some helpful suggestions. (copied and pasted from St Paul Pioneer Press)
*i saw this on a pre-movie advertisement so im not sure how accurate it might be*
dont keep your tv plugged in when you arent watching it. apparently even when its off, its using electricity. im not sure if the savings would be noticeable on your electricity bill - i guess it would depend how often you watch tv.
*i saw this on a pre-movie advertisement so im not sure how accurate it might be*
dont keep your tv plugged in when you arent watching it. apparently even when its off, its using electricity. im not sure if the savings would be noticeable on your electricity bill - i guess it would depend how often you watch tv.
im not sure if this is the case for all appliances. probably makes sense with microwaves and other ones with digital clocks that are always on.