Reducing your Electric Bill

kharrima

Give me your number one tip on how you try to reduce your electric bill.

MrsOjoButtons

majorwife:

Your thermostat. In the summer ours is set at 80ish. In the winter it hovers in the 60s.

Agreed.  During the summer, we don't run the oven, dryer, dishwasher, etc, during the heat of the day.  In the winter, we do all that stuff when we're home because it all heats up the house.

sunshine_day_dreams

Thermostat.  We also hang dry our clothes instead of using the dryer, and unplug things when they're not in use.

whineymom

My electric company offers a free audit. You fill out a detailed question/answer form. (call to request it) They compile everything for you and let you know how to reduce your bill. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing this. It's free, takes maybe 30 minutes of your day but will save you money!

abbaby75

We have air con for upstairs and downstairs.  We do not run downstairs at night.  equally we don't run upstairs in day.  In winter we set at 69, and summer at 78. 

We have sun screens up for heat on the side of house that is sunniest.

In attic we have radiant barrier and we have also blown in energy saver "fluff" - I forget what it is called.

 We often cook on the Cobb.  It takes 7 briquettes to cook a roast chicken.  http://www.cobbamerica.com/  We also use the slow cooker a lot - uses way less elec than usual cooking.  We have an electric kettle which boils water in a minute instead of a whole lot of gas on the stove.

Blinds are generally closed on the sunniest side of the house until the sun moves off.

More than just one tip - sorry - this is something I feel strongly about! 

CDMay2006

Closing/opening blinds to take advantage of passive warming and cooling (depending on season).

When using the dryer, add a dry towel or two.  It distributes the moisture and everything dries faster (also be sure not to overload). 

theluckiest555

Thermostat, trying to use the microwave instead of the oven whenever possible, unplug things when not in use, close the blinds during the summer. Also, this may not apply to everyone, but I live in an old apartment with crappy insulation, so a few weeks ago when it was really hot, I stuck a towel under all the windows to keep the cool air in.

KreativeKirl

In the rooms that are not used often we close the vents no need to heat or cool a room not used. We also have foiled parts of the windows in some of the rooms during the summer to reduce the heat coming in to help reduce the costs of a/c. Also we have changed the weather stripping around doors and windows each year to ensure tight seals. 

lovebug215

I got window treatments that block sun, draft and sound which keeps the heat out or in depending on what season it is.  that way when I run the air conditioner the cool air doesn't head right out the window...  

MeghanF13

Our hydro company has "time of use" plans, so hydro is more expensive during the "peak" times. Also, we have a clothesline outside, keep our thermostat low (in the winter we keep it around 70F, and in the summer 75F), once the nights start getting cooler we will turn off the ac and open the windows at night and close them in the morning. Also, planting trees on the proprty in a strategic way so that they shade your house in the summer, and in the winter (when the leaves have fallen) they let the sun through). Using blinds and thermal curtains also means we block the heat of the sun during the hottest part of the day so our ac doesn't have to run as much. We also turn it down when we are not home.

Be careful with hanging your clothes to dry inside, as this can create dampness in the air and actually cause your dehumidifier to run longer and harder than neccessary (and therefore using more energy). We also have a programmable thermostat, put computers to "sleep" when not in use, turn off everything when not in use, and buy energystar/energy efficient electronics as much as possible.