|
|
Talk It Out:
| |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
"The biggest utility savings we have seen was from getting rid of a really old garage fridge and replacing it with a newer, smaller garage freezer (which we were fortunate to have given to us as a gift). This have saved several dollars per month. Also, many utility companies offer free energy audits where they offer helpful suggestions and sometimes free items. We got two free low-flow showerheads and a free digital thermostat during our audit! ~Kirsten |
|
"Hanging your clothes to dry on
the clothesline will make a significant dent in your utility bill.
In most areas the electricity will cost you about 50 cents a load,
in some areas, such as mine, it is nearly a dollar a load.
Using gas is less, but hanging clothes is still practically free."
~ Katie
|
|
|
"Most of us know that using
compact fluorescent bulbs do save a lot of money in the long run but
there are other things to save on utilities.
* Put a switch or timer on your hot
water tank. We have a switch on ours and we only turn it on fifteen
minutes before we are to use it. We are retired so we are not in a
hurry. If you have children, put a timer on it set to go on 15
minutes before you rise in the morning and going off at whatever
time you leave home. Then have it go on at 5:00pm for dishes and
evening showers and going off at nine also.
* We use a Chinese steamer to cook
several vegetables at a time stacking one over the other.
* Cook larger amount of meat,
potatoes and warm up for a second meal.
* Turn your thermostat lower and put
on a sweater. Turn it way down at night and add an extra blanket.
* Use a thermos bottle to keep hot
drinks warm.
We have power bars on all of our
appliances, television, radio, microwave, etc., and it is
turned off when we are finished. If your VCR is only
used for movies, why have it using energy by being on all the time?
It is the small thing that save
energy?" ~ Annemarie
|
|
|
"Our utility company has a
web page devoted to saving the cost of water and electricity. It
may be of interest to your readers. http://www.epcor.ca/Customers/HomeSmallBus/Energy+and+Water+Efficiency/EEGuides.htm
" ~ Alana
|
|
|
"We have lived in our home for 20
years. Having purchased many major appliances at that time resulted in
them all aging and failing during the last year or 2. When replacing the
dishwasher, refrigerator and freezer, we chose Energy Star products. Our
electricity bill was cut in half when we replaced the freezer in the garage.
I was astounded! You can't turn off enough lights to compensate for an
energy hog appliance.
Our best investment, however, has been
a whole house fan. It can get very warm where we live but most nights
it cools off and is not particularly humid. We close up tight during the day
with light blocking blinds on all of our windows and use ceiling or
box fans to cool the spaces we are occupying. Around dinner time we open the
windows in the living room and kitchen and turn on the whole house fan. Just
before bed we close the window in the public spaces of the house and open
the bedroom windows. We sleep with a cool breeze all night. In the morning
if the public part of the house has heated up again because the thermal mass
of the house radiated heat back into those rooms, we reverse the process.
After breakfast we close the windows and blinds and head off to school,
work, etc. Our electricity bill is a third or quarter of those of our
friend's and neighbors' bills who use air conditioning." ~ Melanie
| |
|
"One of the best ways to save on your
energy bill is to hang your laundry. Your fabrics will last longer, you
will not need to use much bleach as the sun is a natural bleaching agent
for your whites. In the winter or rainy spells use wooden dry racks
indoors. If your subdivision has covenants prohibiting clotheslines, tell
the association that it is a religious belief. Most religions encourage
savings and spreading the wealth. Your neighbors don't need to know your
reasons for frugality.
In winter you can make 'indoor capes' for
the whole family. Any ratty wool or fleece blanket will do. Just cut a
hole in the middle for the head opening, trim the length for size and curl
up in front of the woodstove." ~ Maura
| |
|
"I'm a single mom and I try not to turn
the heat on until November and off it goes in March. During the day, I leave
it set at 60 degrees and only turn it up between 65 to 68 when we
are home. At night it goes back to 60. I invested in down comforters for
the kids' bed and an electric mattress pad for my daughters' beds which they
turn on only when it gets to the low teens {last year they only used it 5
days, the comforters were enough}. I got the comforters and electric mattress
pads at 80% off at Kohl's end of season sale a few years ago. We wear lots
sweaters and sweatshirts and use blankets when watching TV or
reading." ~ Barbara
| |
|
"Probably the most significant thing you
can do to reduce your utility bills is to air-dry your laundry. Your
costs for running the dryer are going to vary depending on utility rates in
your area, whether the dryer is gas or electric, etc -- but air drying is
always FREE. If you have to go out and purchase clothespins or a
clothesline or rack, obviously there is some small investment to be made --
but that is recouped quickly. You could even just hang lightweight items
on hangers on your bathroom shower rod with no investment whatsoever.
I have been air-drying all of my laundry for over 20 years now. I have a backyard clothesline, and a sturdy wooden collapsible rack in my guest room to use in inclement weather. For items that stiffen when air-dried (like jeans and towels), after they are completely dry, I toss them in the dryer for 5 minutes max, with a softener sheet, to 'fluff' them. Compare that to how long you would have to run the dryer if you put the jeans or towels in there straight from the washer, and you will see how the savings add up. In addition, if you are running air conditioning in your home and using the dryer at the same time, the AC is having to work even harder to offset the heat produced by the dryer. So by reducing dryer time, you are also saving on your AC expenses. If you are frugal like me and try to get by WITHOUT AC, you certainly don't want to add heat to the air, either! An additional benefit to using an indoor rack or line in the wintertime when the heat is running, is that the damp clothes put moisture into the air, reducing the need for a humidifier. You may not be able to air-dry ALL of your laundry (it takes some effort to go to 100%!) but you will save even if you simply REDUCE your dryer use." ~ Becki in Indiana | |
|
"A couple quick ideas:
1. Invest in energy-efficient appliances. Most of the appliances you see in the thrifty ads are old: cheap to buy, expensive to run. There are some great 'scratch-and-dent' outlets where you can get bargains on great new appliances. 2. Move your deep freezer indoors instead of keeping it in the hot garage, where the freezer has to work extra hard to keep cool. We've had ours in our laundry room. Also, if the freezer is not full, use empty gallon milk cartons filled with water (allow for water-ice expansion) to help keep the freezer cool." ~ Jennifer | |
|
Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. | |
|
| |