Frugality: How do you save on electricity? s/o

[lovinmomma]

What does your family do to use less electricity? Anyone line dry their clothing? Wood stove for heat maybe? Just looking to hear ideas on what your family does to save electricity. Now, if I could just get my kids to Turn. Off. Those darn lights when they leave each room!!!

[Mom in High Heels]

We have turned our heater off and use small electric heaters.  Our consumption has gone down a TON.  I bought 4 heaters (one for each bedroom and 1 for the downstairs LR.  The ones I got for the boys' rooms are small, and cost about $15 each.  The one for the MB is slightly larger (we have a big, weirdly shaped room), was $25 and the one for the downstairs was $40.  During the day we move, the heater from Indy's room into the loft which is a pretty large room and it keeps it toasty warm.  Sometimes, even on the medium setting, we have to turn them off, because the rooms get HOT.

[lovinmomma]

We have turned our heater off and use small electric heaters.  Our consumption has gone down a TON.  I bought 4 heaters (one for each bedroom and 1 for the downstairs LR.  The ones I got for the boys' rooms are small, and cost about $15 each.  The one for the MB is slightly larger (we have a big, weirdly shaped room), was $25 and the one for the downstairs was $40.  During the day we move, the heater from Indy's room into the loft which is a pretty large room and it keeps it toasty warm.  Sometimes, even on the medium setting, we have to turn them off, because the rooms get HOT.

 

Question: Is your house heat electric or gas?

[Kalmia]

1. Line drying your clothes can save 50 cents or so per load (depending on the efficiency of your dryer and your electric rates).

 

2. Unplugging electronics instead of just turning them off saves energy because many new electronics (TVs, game systems etc.) are electricity vampires. They are always using a little energy so they can turn on instantly when you hit the on button. If you are old enough (like me), you will remember that old TVs from the 70s took time to "warm up."

 

3. Newer refrigerators and freezers are more energy efficient than their still-working but old counterparts.

 

4. Ceiling fans and attic fans are cheaper than a/c.

 

5. A system of waking very early in the hot weather and opening the windows and using box fans to bring in cool air, then closing the windows and drawing the blinds as the sun rises staves off the need for a/c until later in the day. Night use of open windows and box fans is also a good part of this routine.

[kiwik]

For heating good curtains, drawn before it gets cold. Always have polar fleece blankets available on couches and hot water bottles if needed. But decide what you are willing to give up - I only line dry on weekends and in holidays and now i live somewhere with a heat pump i don't ration the heating in the coldest few months. Keep the house well ventilated. It depends on your house a lot and your health.

[Kalmia]

6. Follow the children around all day turning the lights and devices off after them.

 

7. If you have electric hot water heat, those instant on-demand water heaters that are installed in the bathroom use less electricity than keeping a big tank of water warm all day.

 

8. Motion-sensor outdoor lighting rather than having a light on all night.

 

9. Do more cooking prep by hand. Eliminate kitchen gadgets (except maybe in emergencies like preparing big holiday dinners) such as mixers, electric can openers, food processors and the like. You will also gain nice arm muscles mixing and kneading the bread by hand!

 

10. A very small idea, but nice. Dinner hour by candlelight. No other lights in the house.

 

11. Large capacity front-load washer. Save up your laundry until it is full.

 

12. Doing dishes by hand. (Might not help if you do it under perpetually running water.)

 

13. If your oven is electric, do all your baking for the week on the same day or two days. Fill both racks in the oven. Make double or triple batches to freeze for future meals. 

 

 

I always recommend Amy Dacyzyn's book, The Complete Tightwad Gazette, in these threads. The figures are out of date as it was written in the 1990s, but the advice is timeless.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387176090&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+tightwad+gazette

[Mom in High Heels]

Question: Is your house heat electric or gas?

 

Gas, but our electric and gas are run by the same company.  We can see our consumption on the meters.  Our gas and gone down a ton, but our electric has barely moved up at all.

[nd293]

All energy efficient bulbs.

Swtich off lights (insist kids do this - send them back immediately every time they slip up)

Air conditioning to 26C (79F) in summer, and only put it on if inside temperature will go above 28C (otherwise just live with it)

Inside/outside thermometer to monitor temperatures differential and open/shut windows and switch on/off air conditioning accordingly.

Make sure water heater temp is as low as practical

Cold wash for laundry

Only run full loads for washing machine and dishwasher

Computers and TV etc off at wall when not in use.

Use washing machine and dishwasher at time electricity is cheapest (if you are on split-rate - we only run thes during the day, as we have solar panels)

Use the gas BBQ as much as possible in summer (cheaper than electric stove and the stove and oven heat up the house - oven especially)

Line dry laundry

[Melissa in Australia]

I line dry all year round. in winter I have ropes hanging under the veranda roof.

 

 we use wood for heating and cooking

 

we have solar hot water system that is connected to the slow combustion stove so wood heats the hot water in winter

 

we have a solar electricity system that produces more electricity than we use and we sell the surplus to the electricity grid

 

we have energy saver bulbs

 

 we turn off all appliances when we are finished using them 

 

we run dishwasher at night for off peek electricity

 

we do not have airconditioning

 

 

[kiwik]

also look at how much you can save. My bill was $105 this month (very early summer here). About $80 of it was fixed costs (supply charges, line charges, tax, electricity commission).

[Deee]

If your kids aren't keen on cutting back get them involved. I had DS monitor our daily power use for a month. After the first week, we established a baseline average, then each week we tried to cut it back. Our goal was to use only the amount of power our photovoltaic system produces (5kw in winter). Because he was involved, he got really keen and started to turn off lights, etc. Which makes me think I should probably do it again!

 

Easy things I recommend to students (I teach permaculture):

Switch all globes to LEDs

Turn everything off at the wall

Stop using the dryer. I can't understand why you pay to heat a room and strip all the humidity out of it, and then stick your clothes in another heating appliance to do the same job. Just put the clothes on a rack, or dry them outdoors. It's much better for your clothes, too.

Run one fridge. If you have to run two you have too many half used condiments in them!

Put a timer in the shower. Stand on the other side of the door and yell once 3mins is up. Bang loudly and yell some more at 5 mins. At 7 mins, turn the water off at the mains.

Don't light rooms, garages, pathways, verandahs, etc, that nobody is in, Same same for heating.

Make a heating and cooling rule. Eg at our house you can't turn on the air con unless its 37 degrees C. We heat with wood, which warms you three times, once when you cut, then when you cart it and finally when you burn it.

Insulate!

Get good curtains with pelmets

Shade windows if its hot outside

If you live in a hot climate, stay well hydrated and resist the temptation to hang out in other people's air conditioning. Not drinking enough and lack of aclimatising make you feel much hotter.

 

D

[Ottakee]

Dh is switching to all LED/energy saving lightbulbs as our burn out

Turning OFF the outside mercury vapor/auto on-auto off security lights

turning off the cable boxes, computers, tv, lights, and everything that isn't actively in use----pestering kids non stop

dh installed timers for the kids bedroom lights, bathroom, the playroom, etc.--rooms we might not see that the lights are left on. You can get them for 15, 30, 60 minutes.

Run full loads in washer and dryer

[texasmama]

We are all electric here, so I looked up what pulls the most electricity in a home.  It was the hot water heater.  I do wash our clothing on cold, but we run the dishwasher a lot and take plenty of hot showers/baths.  I was just curious what the biggest energy-sucker was. We recently found a good rate on electricity, and our electric bill was the lowest it has been ever.  We've lived here for 14 years, and I don't recall a lower bill.  It was $158 for a two story house about 3,000 sq feet.  Not bad! 

[Ann.without.an.e]

If we had the money we would invest in an outdoor wood boiler - heats your home and water with wood, but it is very efficient and doesn't require excessive amounts of wood.  It also runs through your air ducts.  They say it takes about 8-10 years to gain the cost if the initial investment and begin saving $$.  

[kewb]

I line dry most clothes.  I also do the majority of my wash on the same day.  I don't run the dryer until the last load of wash so I only run the dryer once.

 

Unplug appliances that are not in use.

 

 

[MommyThrice]

Almost all our heat is from our wood stove. It's a newer, very efficient stove, but we live out in the country and I don't have to buy wood.  Buying fire wood might cost us more than our electric heat.

 

I like to dry clothes on the line, too.  It makes them smell better.  But I use the dryer for my whites or, at least, run them through it after they are dry.  I don't like crunchy underwear!

 

Crock-pot or toaster oven so I don't heat up the big stove.  It's gas, so doesn't cost much to heat, but we live in Texas and in the summer I don't want any more heat in the house.  A/C is our major expense.

 

And I'm constantly turning off lights.

[Venia]

We also use a combination of a wood stove for heat in the main room and electric zone heating in the bedrooms rather than our furnace. Even though our furnace is propane, it still took electricity to run the igniter, blowers and thermostat. Our electric usage is less with the zone heating, surprisingly. We do have newer technology infrared electric heaters though. They have special features that help conserve energy over standard space heaters and are much safer. The upfront cost for those heaters was higher though. The huge savings was really the propane(We spent nearly $1600 in propane last year versus $0 this year). It takes a huge amount of resources to process and deliver that propane, so I see that as addition savings beyond our family budget.

 

The wood stove brings down the humidity in the house, so we can air dry our clothes easier in the winter. We use folding drying racks, so they can be put away after use.

 

When we moved we had to buy a new washer and fridge, so both of those are energy saving models. LED and CFL bulbs in every light.

 

We also installed motion sensors for the lights in bathrooms and closets. That way the only places we have to follow kids to turn off lights are bedrooms. Generally, we open their drapes during the day so lights are only used at night anyway.

 

We will also be investing in window film soon. It helps insulate the house and reduce UV within the house to protect our skin and furniture. It reduces the amount of solar heat gain in the summer and also reduces the amount of heat loss in the winter!

[Beth S]

Also, check the temperature of your hot water.  It may be possible to turn down the hot water heater's temperature, and still get decent hot water.  I did it when our kids were little, and now I find that I (nearly) scald myself when I go to my folks' house, because their hot water from the tap is so hot!

 

We line dry, set the thermostat as high as we can stand it in the summer, and as low as we can in the winter.  Painfully, our 27 year old heat pump broke a few weeks ago, and the new units are much more efficient.  (But this installation bill is NOT something we would choose to pay!)

 

You can also follow a lot of personal finance blogs--Get Rich Slowly, Simple Dollar, Mr. Money Mustache.

 

Just look for gradual improvement that you can sustain.  And yes, you are the one who will be turning off the lights most often!  (Or put up little reminder signs--I just wouldn't make it a punishable offense.)

[Guest]

I'm the fanatical un-plugger around here! One day, I got steamed because throughout the house there were TEN chargers charging nothing at all. iPad, iPods, DSis, computers, cameras - ten chargers plugged in for nothing! So that is one of mine. I unplug things all the time if they aren't in use or necessary for continuous electricity (like the fridge). 

 

We also have a wood-burning furnace, but that doesn't save much electricity - it saves thousands on oil. However, this is not a simple solution. 

[songsparrow]

Over the last two years, I have gotten considerable energy savings (combined gas & electric bill) in a way that surprised me.  

 

In the past, during the summer I would turn my upstairs (bedroom) a/cs off during the day, and turn them on to start cooling down the rooms shortly before we went up for bed.  Last summer, I experimented with leaving them on all day but on the "energy saver" setting (so the fan wouldn't run unless the units were actually cooling) at a moderate temp - around 76.  Doing this saved a significant amount of money over turning them off completely.  Because when they were off completely, the rooms would heat up and so would all of the objects in the room.  When we turned the a/c back on in the evening, it needed to not only cool down the air in the rooms but also all of the objects in the room, which would continue to release heat for a significant period of time.  I was surprised that leaving the a/c off was not the more frugal, energy saving option.

 

I've been doing a similar thing with our heat - keeping it at a steady, moderate temperature, rather than shutting it off completely and then needing to re-warm areas.  So far, all of my bills have been lower than expected.

[Kalmia]

If the stiffness of some line dried clothing (towels, socks, undies) bothers you, throw these items in the dryer for 10 minutes and then hang. They come out much softer. I've found that indoor hanging results in softer clothes than outdoor, but they lack that lovely scent.

[songsparrow]

I prefer hanging clothes to dry.  I find it greatly extends the life of the clothing (and the clothing looks new longer).  I even devised a system to let me lower and raise the lines up to the angled ceiling in my laundry room.  But we wear mostly 100% cotton knit clothing and it all stretched out of shape too much, even if I dried it partway in the dryer first.  Any suggestions for how to prevent this?

 

Another thing you could experiment with is passive solar heating.  Place dense objects (bricks, containers of water) where they will be heated by the sun coming in through your windows then release the heat back into your living space slowly.

[sunnyday]

We have turned our heater off and use small electric heaters.  Our consumption has gone down a TON.  I bought 4 heaters (one for each bedroom and 1 for the downstairs LR.  The ones I got for the boys' rooms are small, and cost about $15 each.  The one for the MB is slightly larger (we have a big, weirdly shaped room), was $25 and the one for the downstairs was $40.  During the day we move, the heater from Indy's room into the loft which is a pretty large room and it keeps it toasty warm.  Sometimes, even on the medium setting, we have to turn them off, because the rooms get HOT.

 

Space heaters are off when people are sleeping, right??

 

http://www.cpsc.gov//Global/Safety%20Education/Home-Appliances-Maintenance-Structure/098.pdf

 

Back when we lived in Cleveland on a tight budget, we used to have the space heater on while we got ready for bed, then used an electric blanket in the bed. During the day I just wore fingerless mittens and a sweater in the house. ;) We also discovered that taking a bath, then leaving the warm water in the tub, improved the humidity indoors and made the house feel a tiny bit warmer that way.

[Ellie]

4. Ceiling fans and attic fans are cheaper than a/c.

 

5. A system of waking very early in the hot weather and opening the windows and using box fans to bring in cool air, then closing the windows and drawing the blinds as the sun rises staves off the need for a/c until later in the day. Night use of open windows and box fans is also a good part of this routine.

 

I did all of those things in California, but here in central Texas, life with only ceiling fans (although most homes have them in all rooms) and attic fans would be unbearable. Opening windows? No. Too much humidity, not enough difference in day and night temps to avoid having to use the a/c.

[Garga]

Full loads for dishwasher and washing machine. We tried hand washing dishes, but it just about killed me. ;)

 

I installed extra spring loaded shower curtain rods in the showers/tubs. I hang the wet clothes on hangers and hang the hangers on the extra curtain rods to dry. Caveat---they get really wrinkly. DH loves to iron, so he irons out the wrinkles.

 

I dry the socks/underwear in the dryer because they're a pain to try to hang on the curtain rods.

 

We use one lightbulb in the evenings. We're often watching tv or playing on our ipads which are already lit, so all the other lights go off.

 

Unplug what electronics you can between uses. Some things are a pain to unplug if the time needs to be reset each time.

[LLMom]

Wash all clothes in cold water. Small heaters in bedrooms.  Wood burning stove. I used to hang my clothes but don't have time anymore. 

[lovinmomma]

Wow! These are awesome ideas. A lot that I hadn't even thought of.

[inmyopinion]

In addition to a lot of what was mentioned, I do not fill all the lights with lightbulbs.  Most of my lights which call for two bulbs, I only put one.  Most of the time, that is fine and it not only saves electrity, but light bulbs.  

[Guest]

I did all of those things in California, but here in central Texas, life with only ceiling fans (although most homes have them in all rooms) and attic fans would be unbearable. Opening windows? No. Too much humidity, not enough difference in day and night temps to avoid having to use the a/c.

 

Yeah, this is true for us, too on the mid-atlantic. The humidity in mid-summer is unbearable.

 

I do like fans and open windows for that short period of time in spring or fall when it's warm but not 90% humidity! (I think there are 3 days per season.  :tongue_smilie: )

[nd293]

I always wondered how much this in fact saves money. I googled around and found the article below. Obviously I cannot attest to the accuracy, but it does make me wonder. There seems to be some good tips either way ]

You can also get a gadget that measures how much electricity appliciances are drawing - you plug it in, then plug in the appliance. We had a very, very old freezer that I was convinced must draw a ton of electricity. Dh was sceptical, but the little metre proved it, and we figured out thst a new freezer would soon pay for itself in electricity saving.

[lovinmomma]

You can also get a gadget that measures how much electricity appliciances are drawing - you plug it in, then plug in the appliance. We had a very, very old freezer that I was convinced must draw a ton of electricity. Dh was sceptical, but the little metre proved it, and we figured out thst a new freezer would soon pay for itself in electricity saving.

 

That sounds like a cool gadget!

[nd293]

That sounds like a cool gadget!

'Gadget', is of course the technical term. I checked, and the layman's term is 'energy cost meter' should you be looking for one at the hardware store!

[lovinmomma]

I love all of the ideas! There are some that I hadn't thought of yet and will be utilizing.

[StaceyinLA]

I haven't read all the posts, but my husband owns an electrical/control system business, and has worked for nearly 30 years in this field. Turning off the lights does not really equate to much savings, nor does keeping the thermostats really low (yes, that will make SOME difference, but the space heaters are KILLER on your bill, so they will negate any savings from lowering a thermostat).

 

Radiant heat is the biggest issue. Dryer, hot water heater (turn down temp, and also, put it on a timer if you aren't home), and oven/stove are the biggest energy hogs. Things like space heaters, heat lamps, etc., are also really bad. I can tell you this without a doubt because we cannot run our dryer even for a minute on our generator. We can run our hot water heater if we turn off several other large items. We can also run our central air/heat. We can run a window unit to cool the air, but we cannot run a space heater. We have a fairly large generator. It'll power almost everything in our house at once, so I know if a single appliance is killing it (like the dryer), it's using a LOT of juice.

 

The problem with central air/heat is that most people turn it way down if they're away from home to save money, and then turn it up when they get home. Dh says this is much worse than just leaving it on auto at a more comfortable temp because the unit doesn't work as hard to keep it there.

 

In a nutshell, hanging clothes would be an awesome way to cut your bill, and the savings would be the biggest percentage of your total bill you could achieve from any one thing (unless of course you NEVER used hot water). Adjusting the hot water heater and putting a timer on it would be second. Raising your main thermostat and not running small space heaters would also be helpful.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I try to keep the lights off in rooms if it's not needed.....I try to keep the tv sets turned off if no one is in the room watching (kiddo's bad about leaving it on and leaving the room).....I recently got some of the plug ins that are supposed to help save energy if you use them with "power suckers"(the things that draw power even when turned off).....haven't gotten first bill yet so not sure they are going to show much savings-so far I've gotten them hooked up to two big screen tvs and the things that are hooked up with the tvs...I have 2 more plugs that I need to get hooked up to a printer and probably kiddo's tv..........

[lovinmomma]

I haven't read all the posts, but my husband owns an electrical/control system business, and has worked for nearly 30 years in this field. Turning off the lights does not really equate to much savings, nor does keeping the thermostats really low (yes, that will make SOME difference, but the space heaters are KILLER on your bill, so they will negate any savings from lowering a thermostat).

 

Radiant heat is the biggest issue. Dryer, hot water heater (turn down temp, and also, put it on a timer if you aren't home), and oven/stove are the biggest energy hogs. Things like space heaters, heat lamps, etc., are also really bad. I can tell you this without a doubt because we cannot run our dryer even for a minute on our generator. We can run our hot water heater if we turn off several other large items. We can also run our central air/heat. We can run a window unit to cool the air, but we cannot run a space heater. We have a fairly large generator. It'll power almost everything in our house at once, so I know if a single appliance is killing it (like the dryer), it's using a LOT of juice.

 

The problem with central air/heat is that most people turn it way down if they're away from home to save money, and then turn it up when they get home. Dh says this is much worse than just leaving it on auto at a more comfortable temp because the unit doesn't work as hard to keep it there.

 

In a nutshell, hanging clothes would be an awesome way to cut your bill, and the savings would be the biggest percentage of your total bill you could achieve from any one thing (unless of course you NEVER used hot water). Adjusting the hot water heater and putting a timer on it would be second. Raising your main thermostat and not running small space heaters would also be helpful.

 

Great advice! Thank you very much for the information.

[fdrinca]

One of the first things we do in the morning is open all of the blinds to let in natural light. The kids will leave lights on all day, but not if it's so bright in their room they don't think to turn a light on in the first place.

 

There are some lights that I will tape down - the garage is one, a few random lights outside that the toddler loves to flip on, a light in the closet, etc. (Basically, the lights that have the potential of being turned on FOREVER without someone really noticing that they're on.) 

 

We don't use the heat-dry setting on our dishwasher, and we don't use the "extra hot" setting on the dishwasher, either. 

 

We're big unpluggers for all things not being used.

 

All of these tips aside, we've recently started drying our laundry in the dryer again. (A new baby will do that to you!) It's doubled our electric bill. Our bill still is low compared to others, but it's clear where the money savings are.

[lineinthesand9]

Yes, wood heat here.

 

Also, DH installed timer (purchased from Lowe's) specifically made for hot water heaters.  We set it to kick on about 30 min. before our rising time, and then to kick off about 30 min. after lights out.  No sense heating that water all night long if no one is using it!

 

[lovinmomma]

Yes, wood heat here.

 

Also, DH installed timer (purchased from Lowe's) specifically made for hot water heaters.  We set it to kick on about 30 min. before our rising time, and then to kick off about 30 min. after lights out.  No sense heating that water all night long if no one is using it!

 

Hmm.... this sounds like a great idea! I wonder how much a timer like that costs?

[fairfarmhand]

We bought insulated curtains for all of the windows. The house seems much warmer, although I hate the dim light.

[MissKNG]

Unplug anything not in use. That pretty lamp in the corner that you never use, does not need to stay plugged in, for example.

[Miss Tick]

Sometimes your electric company has programs and perks to encourage you to save electricity, so it wouldn't hurt to call and ask. They may offer energy audits to help you identify potential savings, they may have an energy consumption meter you can borrow, and they may also offer rebates on the purchase of new, energy efficient appliances.

 

There are a lot of interesting ideas, but as StaceyinLA has pointed out, not all of them will actually save you money. Also pay attention to the payback time on any purchases. Lastly, some of these really depends on the climate you live in.