Do you have some good tips to lower your electric bill?

Question

Do you have some good tips to lower your electric bill?

Answer 1

I live in central Texas where this time of year, I have had the AC & heater switched off since at least mid February. When it gets cold, close the windows. When it gets hot, open the windows. This time of year my electric bill is around $35 a month, with 1 roommate that is seemingly always home, in a 1100 sq ft house. I have one of those thermostats that automatically choose heat or cold, but during days that you can run both heat and cold, instead run neither.



Here's my rule-of-thumb about setting the heater or A/C: During times of the year that you do have to run the central heat or AC, if you are comfortable, then you need to adjust the temperature by one degree.



Also, it helps that in the Winter, my heat is from gas instead of electric. I use gas for my water heating, all cooking, and central heat, so that saves a ton of electricity, and gas i cheap; winter gas bill is about $15 a month, winter electric bill is around $35 a month. (I should also switch to a gas clothes dryer to save more on my utility bills) My summer electric bill runs around $100 a month and varies greatly depending on the temperature outside.



Also, if there are times of the day that nobody is home, such as during the morning/afternoon when everyone is at school or work, turn off the central air, all TV's, computers, lights, and fans. When you get home, if the temperature isn't bearable, turn it back on, but adjust it enough that it runs for a few minutes and clicks off. Then wait a few minutes and move the thermostat a little more, keep doing that until you are almost comfortable. Don't turn it too far because it doesn't make it cool or heat quicker, just makes it run longer which is what makes for a high electric bill. Or get a programmable thermostat that begins doing that shortly before you get home.

While I'm home, I keep my heater at around 68 and my A/C around 78. My roommates like it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, and they adjust it as they please while I'm not home. But, I pay the electric bill, not them, so I designed a circuit that turns off the central air when it runs too much more than it would when I'm home, and notifies me while I'm at work that it did so.



Be sure to change your air filter once a month when you use the central air often. Get the really cheap 3-packs. Be sure all the windows & doors to the outside seal well.



Turn up the refrigerator & freezer temperature an increment or so. Pay attention to how long the dryer runs. Don't run it past the point where the clothes are sufficiently dry. If you have an electric water heater, keep showers to a minimum length, and turn down the flow.



If you have an extra refrigerator in the garage or something like that, consider consolidating its contents to your main fridge and unplug it.



Turn off TV's radio's, lights, fans, etc whenever not in the room. Set the sleep timer on TV's and radios if you leave them on when falling asleep.



Get a "Kill-a-watt" device that tells you exactly how much money each appliance uses, such as your refrigerator or living room television.



Consider microwaving rather than using an electric oven or electric stove. If gas, then nevermind that point.



You already switched lighting to compact florescents. How about outside lighting, such as a floodlight? They make those in compact florescents as well.



The next time you move, look into whether gas is available.



If you follow these tips, you can save a ton of money.

Answer 2

Do you have gas heat? If so, you likely have a gas leak. It is also possible that your meter is being read wrong.



You need to consider the size of your house and how often you are home. If you are a stay at home mom in a 4000 sq ft house your utilities will be much higher than someone who lives in an apartment and is barely home. Make sure to always turn off the AC/Heat when ever you leave the house and dont leave computers or appliances plugged in when you are not using them (except the fridge of course!)... they drain electricity unless they are unplugged.



You can also look into better insulating your house and replacing the windows but these usually cost more than you will ever recoop in energy savings within your life time. It is estimated that it takes 80 years worth of energy savings to make back the $10-12K new windows for a basic ranch-style house costs.

Answer 3

Unplug all your appliances when they are not in use.

Turn the temperature down on your hot water heater.

Turn off the tv with the power button on the actual tv, not with the remote.

Turn off all lights when you are not in the room.

Don't leave your cell phone charger plugged in unless you are charging your phone.

On nice days turn off your central heat and air.



That's all I can think of. Our bill has been running over $300, but we have been running the heater 24/7. When we don't use the central unit a lot our bill is $100 a month. Does your neighbor have a smaller house than you? If so, it's going to cost less to heat and cool his house.

Answer 4

Phantom electricity accounts for 60% of our bills. The little LED lights for all the items on standby like the microwave. Lights left on,,Higher wattage's - incandescent bulbs. Non energy saving appliances computers left on. Electric as opposed to oil/gas heat stove hot water heater.



Hook power strips to electronics and turn them off at night or when not in use. Check that Fridge - a fridge or freezer older then the year 2000 can cost an additional 250$ per year per unit. A computer left on 24 hours can cost an additional 150$ per year.

Answer 5

We use far more electric than our neighbour too - but there are a lot of differences in our lives. I stay at home with the kids, so there's our daytime electricity; heating/radio or tv/lights if needed/washing machine/dryer etc. I also cook more than they do, so there's the oven, more pressure on the fridge for leftovers, more in the freezer too. You might find that you use more electricity, but that you still save money in other areas such as less convenience food, daycare bills, etc.

That said, it's always worth trying to cut things down. We've gotten into the habit of having a household sweep before bed to switch everything off at the socket (at least, everything that doesn't require some use such as digital clock display etc). We encourage the children to stop switching appliances on then wandering off just to forget about it (happens ALL THE TIME, it drives me crazy!), we try to avoid putting the central heating on all the time and dry our laundry in the sun where possible. We switched to energy-efficient bulbs, installed timers on some appliances, and we try to spend more electricity free time - such as playing a board game with the kids instead of watching a movie. All little changes, but they have made a significant difference to our bills!

Answer 6

Washing your clothes in cold water saves on the clothes and the 220 dryer and the 220 hot water heater. And wash only when you have a full load.

Putting the hot water heater and the fridge on save helps.

Running the dishwasher only when full and running on save works too.

Keeping the sun out when it is hot works. Let the sun in when it is cold.

A fan can draw the cool air through the room. The ceiling fan helps to bring the heat down.

Turning things off when not using them lowers the bill.

Turn off out side lights.

Turn the computer off when not using.

Use the 220 oven the lease you can.

Use a tiny night light during the night instead of a big light.

Some people thing the curly bulbs are cheaper to use.

Answer 7

basically you should unplug after use any electronic appliances becuase it still conducts electricity,Try to minimize the use of computers and tvs which have multiple applicants of electricity.Your problem is the heater/ac try to have some plants in summer becuase it will cool some temperature inside but very little.you should foam the corners of the window because that's where most of the heat and a/c leaves. Use a/c and heater when nessarily but you can stay warm or cooled off with other ways. Maybe pool,cold beverage,fan.For heat i would use blankets,warm food, and of course and little heater around me or just buy a snuggle it works really good

Answer 8

When we get a bill like that we run around turning out lights but the truth is things with a coolant/ thermostat hits us harder in a shorter amount of time. Don't get me wrong - leaving the lights on doesn't help anyone. But fridges, stoves, toasters, AC's, even your clothes iron, small as it is, outranks all the lights in the living room. And the older the appliance, the more energy it uses.



Your iron may be perfectly fine, but spend the $20-30 for a new one to save money later. Or hey, wear your wrinkled shirts with pride! And when they give you a snotty look tell'em you went green.

Answer 9

In the last 3 months I have managed to take my electric bill from $120 a month down to $20.



How? Snuggies. No joke. The heat in my house is all electric so I bought the 4 members of my family three snuggies each and we're all good to go. We even wear them to my teenage son's sporting events. If you want to take this one step further, buy all black snuggies and leave all your windows open. The black snuggies will attract the sun and keep your family toasty warm so you can read books, watch tv, and eat dinner together in comfort and style!

Answer 10

I can answer this since I work for an electric utility. :)



The best ways are to unplug appliances and things you don't use often as things that are plugged in still draw in energy even if they are turned off.



Switch to CFL lightbulbs.



Set your thermostat to 78 in the summer and 68 in the winter when you are home. And raise it 3-4 degrees during the summer if you are gone during the day. And lower it 3 -4 degrees during the winter if you are gone during the day. Or you can buy a programmable thermostat that will adjust at different times of the day so you don't have to mess with it.



Turn your water heater temp down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Or you can even buy a timer for it and have it cut off during the day when you aren't home or in the middle of the night when you are asleep. You can also buy a blanket for it to help keep the heat in.



Also if you live in an older home the windows aren't as efficient and tend to leak a lot of air through. So outdoor air will go in and indoor air will go out.



Only use the cold water setting on your washer. It keeps from the water heater having to turn on to warm up more water. And always wash full loads. Try not to run your dryer for longer than necessary also.



Digital picture frames use as much energy as your washing machine or fridge.



We live in a 2500 sq ft home and our electric bill averages about $200 a month. My MIL lives in a 1500 sq ft house and hers is close to $500 a month. She keeps her A/C at 70 during the summer and winter, they have their water heater turned up to who knows what. I get scalded hands everytime I use her kitchen sink. And they leave lights on ALL the time.

Answer 11

1. Unplug things when you are not using them.

2. Turn off lights when you are not in the room.

3. Open your shades to the windows when it is light outside, and don't turn the lights on at all.



Not much, but hope it helps!

Answer 12

If you leave your charger, toaster, and other applianced plugged in, they are still using electricity.



And dont leave tv's on all night, and lights on.

Other than that, Idk.

My electric bill, is seriously never over 20 dollars a month. But it's just myself and my son.

My cooking gas bill is never over 13$ a month.

Heat and HW are included in my rent.

Answer 13

1. Anything not being used unplugged

2. Try to minimize the difference between outdoor and indoor temp. ( obviously try and keep it comfortable)

3. Insulation helps keeping the Temperature more stable

4. Newer appliances are more energy efficient, keep yourself up to date.

-Thats about all i can offer you at the moment hope this helps

Answer 14

Don't use as much energy and then you will go green and then you will help the environment and then ppl wont kill as many animals as they do now b/c they don't have the money to go to the nearest hardings or meijers to get normal food. Then use airegel. it's insulation that is a solid but it insulates like a liquid.

Answer 15

Get off of Yahoo answers and read a book outside in the sun.

Answer 16

besides the whole, turn it off if you aren't using it, deal...



Are your appliances electric? Heating/Air conditioning? Those make a big impact on your electric bill if they are.



Also, you should unplug items you don't use as they continue to draw power.

Answer 17

For the heat, go to the local Walmart and shell out $50 bucks for an electric unit that you can plug in the wall. Only use it while your in the same room to warm the room itself, not the whole house.



As for the hot water, turn this on first in the tub and add cool water as needed.

Answer 18

always turn off yr tv if you don;t watch it.

turn on the light only when is really dark outside and you really need the light because you have to do something.

turn off yr computer if u don't use it.



there are some ways.

hope it helps. :]

Answer 19

Burn unneeded pieces of your home. I had several guitars I never used, so one day instead of turning on the thermostat I started a rip-roaring fire in my kitchen. One of my friends told me I'd have been better off selling that Martin D-50 Koa Deluxe, but it sure kept me warm that day!

Answer 20

Don't leave the light on too long :/

Answer 21

Dont use as much power. It worked for my mother and father :)

Answer 22

turn your breakers off, buy some night vision

Answer 23

DSont buy stuff. stuff is bad. give it to me :D