I was checking my utility bill recently and noticed So Cal Edison included stats on our past electricity usage. Our average daily electricity usage has dropped from 16 kilowatt per hour in 2007, to 14.59 kWh last year. This year our average usage is 13.33 kWh.
That’s a drop of by 9 percent from 2007 to 2008, and another 8 percent from 2008 to 2009. Not too shabby.
Here are some purposeful (and inadvertent) changes we made to reduce our wattage.
- We replaced our ancient fridge with one that is newer and more efficient
- We run our hot tub less frequently (but still often enough that our friends come over!)
- We wash our clothes on the cold water setting
- We line dry about half of each load (which is as much as the line can take)
- We updated our microwave when the latch broke, above, to one made this century
- We fixed our forced air heater last winter instead of using our plug-in heater
- We unplugged our TV and eventually got rid of it (Hulu, baby!)
What have you done to reduce your utility bill?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
We unscrewed some lights that are not needed throughout the house. We got a newer washer & dryer. We lowered our jacuzzi to 60 degrees and we water our lawn every other day….Now we need to get a newer fridge~
Got a new refrigerator. Turned off the air conditioner/central unit…use blower only and the cool air comes from the basement. Opened the windows and let in some light…and turned off the lights inside. Use some fans to circulate the air…overhead and portable. Sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. Discontinued the cable tv service. Hulu for me too…not to mention all the other great stuff online, including CNN Live. Even watched the French Open online…and plan to do same with Wimbledon, etc. Using only basic telephone service. Buy only what we need…not what we want. Big difference. Raising own food, have garden…and yes, it does save money! Even have enough to give away to those who need it.So…where there is a will, there is a way. Right BB?
all of the above and more. I do all my “oven” cooking on Sunday so I don’t need to heat the house up throughout the week. We unplug just about everything when we are not home.
I do as much of my laundry late at night when the rates are lower. I use cold water but I dissolve the laundry soap in a little hot water ( no white soap residue on my dark clothes) before adding clothing.
Blinds and Shades are pulled during day to keep house comfortable.
I use countertop appliances whenever I can because they use less electricity than the range.
I keep my fridge and freezer full so they do not have to work as hard.
The laptop uses less than 1/3 the juice of the desktop.
We have refrained from buying a big TV because they are electricity hogs.
We have tubular skylights that are AMAZING
There are so many things we can buy to be more efficient but I think the most important aspect of saving anything is behavior and attitude. Having the WANT TO is crucial.
Hulu would be great if I lived in the US. It’s not available in Canada.
we switched to the lower energy use bulbs….timers on some lights which also helps. But when it hits over 100 degrees, sometimes you do need that A/C in our area!
Alright, my dollar savvy friend, here’s a question for ya…. so I’m possibly about to lay my hands on some old appliances (fridge, washer/dryer, range/oven). The price is right: free. But given that they’re old, I know they won’t be as efficient as newer models.
Is there a way I can calculate the savings in monthly energy bills versus the upfront cost of new machines? I want to figure out how long I should hold onto the old ones before upgrading to that EnergyStar jazz.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Yes, it’s easy to calculate the monthly savings versus cost of a new appliance. I wrote a post just yesterday about this at http://www.bargainbabe.com/2009/06/12/how-much-does-your-freezer-cost-to-run/
Or you can go straight to the Energy Star calculator at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=refrig.calculator&screen=1
Let me know how it plays out for you.
I replaced my ancient washer and dryer, turn off lights, don’t have a TV, use a lot of energy efficient bulbs, hand wash many items and line dry (not everything), refrain as much as possible from using the air conditioner (only in REALLY hot weather), turn off the computer every night, turn off the pool pump up to three times a week, don’t use the dishwasher. It’s all working to lower my energy usage.
I switched to the lower energy bulbs, I got rid of the old side by side avocado color refrigerator that came over on the Mayflower, I water my lawn twice a week (according to new law by DWP), I will eventually replace another relic, my old microwave, with a new one, and I wash my clothes in cold water.
you could always buy a belkin energy saving power strip. it keeps 2 out of the 8 outlets on at all times for items like dvr. and the other 6 outlets, you can turn off so that power doesn’t go to those devices, eliminating wasted power.
http://www.belkin.com/conserve/
About turning off your hot tub for days at a time to reduce energy costs, what does it result in bacteria growth to have the water sitting at lukewarm temperature and unfiltered for periods of time.
Hubby adds chemicals to keep the bacteria in check.
Janet wrote: I do as much of my laundry late at night when the rates are lower.
Water rates? Electricity? Where do you live? I am unaware that such rates are lower “late at night.” I’m in Woodland Hills, CA, in the San Fernando Valley.