Let's help each other's Electric bill

[HippyInEngland]

A very useful thread that mainly focussed how to reduce the electric bill.

Thats because the title of the thread is called .... Let's help each other's Electric bill

 

[msge]

Last year i installed a programable thermostat, In turn of the ac all day and then turn it back on so i come home to a cool house. As other have said get rid of them incandesent bulb, cfl all the way My bill drop 100 buck a month with just those 2 things

 

[Hidesert]

I added 5kw of solar, I get 350 days of blue skies. My power feeds back into the grid, running the power meter backwards during the daytime. Its called "Net Metering", I get a bill once a year. My electric went from $300 a month to about $300 a year now.

 

[schoolboy420]

saw it on oprah to unplug everything your not using. cuts back majorly apparently. but id hate to be running around and unplugging and plugging stuff in. but hey im the lazy american. hahah.

 

[Black1269]

Ya this has been said i think but anything with a remote uses lots of power even when turned off all the power is thair waiting for you to push that button. If you unplug your tvs starios you will save money. Lol i dont do it but my boss has a two storey shed powerd by a small wind mill and a couple solare pannels. He had TV and everything in there LOL i will try and get a pic its priceless oh ya he lives in it lol

 

[OZark_Mauler]

I've done alot of these things so far . It's been a major bit of money involved we have over 70 bulbs in our house and outdoor security lights . Most are CFL .We saw an immediate drop in our bills .
But,,,our Elec. Co-Op has installed new meters that not only tell our Mo. KWH usage but is also able to detect spikes and drops .So our lights are not on timers for obvious reasons .
I just wanted to drop this on whoever may have a Elec. Co. with this tech. for "Food for Thought" . Folks you need to know about this tech. it could make or break you . If they can read your meter from their offices you may need to re-think your methods for Nap Time in case they can track usage .

 

[PencilHead]

During hurricane Charlie, we ran on my generator but couldn't run the central--we bought a $100 dollar window shaker. After the power came back up, we put the thrmo at 77 and run the shaker at night set to like 70. My wife swears we save over a $100 a month running this little thing and the bedroom is oohh so nice at night.

 

[PencilHead]

Great thread, by the way, King. Going green with your green--how PC is that for us un-PC types?

 

[gsxr1000]

I found the uber king of all high efficient ballast while searching the web and its dirt cheap with a three year warranty, oh yeah and it's digital running both MH and HPS bulbs comes in both 400 and 1000 watts.
if you want to give it a looksee.

coolbluetech.com/400W_digital_ballast.html

 

[SPEARCHUCKER]

We waste power like mad. Run central air 24/7. But the bills really arnt that high doing so. Did have a boost when going from a gas stove to electric.

One thing we did do though was seal up a few of the upstairs rooms. Only use 2 out of 5. So shut off the central air vents and just leave the door shut. Attached some weather stripping on the bottom. Cause when running, can feel cool air being sucked from under.

During the summer, going out to the dock. We have these solar lights we stick in the ground onside the pathway. Not sure of the wattage, but they charge up all day, and burn all night. Think I might tinker with using them for things indoors. Got like 20 of them.

Dont know if anyone else has this problem where they are. Cause I wouldnt mind partially solar powering my home. But here, you cant send power back out into the lines. Get a hefty fine. After a storm power outage, a neighbor found that out the hard way.

 

[gsxr1000]

i just found out the coolblue ballast comes in 600w as well

 

[Substorm]

I keep my electric wall heater 100% off during the winter, my grow tent is about 2 feet from my bed, I put the ballast on a couple of cinder blocks so the heat from the light and ballast keeps me warm during the night. When I am not laying in bed I just wear a hoody sweater on cold nights or a light blanket. Also going to start unplugging everything. Wish I owned my own place so I could go solar!

 

[chiefALLday]

lovin this thread, i really like those lil solor powered fans that guy posted a link too!!! very cheap. but not sure how strong they would be if any efficiency ..

 

[purplephazes]

fridays , saturdays , sundays , i throw on the barbie uses gas have ..candle lit dinners..and buy paper plates and plastic knives + forks its easy on all power issues and ltd cleaning costs WOW no power no hot water needed

 

[LassChance]

This is something that effects all of us, and I think together we can come up with a lot of great ideas to help lower the electric bill for each of us. And what you might think sounds silly, and a waste of time sometimes isn't.
I would have never thought to turn off the drying cycle on the dishwasher ya know, so let's hear the brains working this one for all our sakes.
Here's one:
1. Got a dog in your home ? then turn off the porch lights, anything wrong will get the dog to barking.

smoke in peace
KingKahuuna

First, congratz on the weight loss. Im an expert, having lost hundreds of pounds in my life., and gaining them back, as well. I never got the hang od smoking dope and NOT munching out, but evidently you have and I say, YOU GO!

Ive been serious about not wasting energy too. I lowered my bill from around 300 to 115 by not using the clothes dryer--hanging clothes may look tacky to the neighbors, but they dont pay my bills. I also unplug the TV's, computer and small applliances when not in use. Oh, also turned off the electric heat and used the propane space heater all winter. Hey, it adds up!

Lass Chance

 

[LassChance]

Im gonna TRY to use the AC as little as I can...fortunately, I live way the hell out in the boonies and can leave my door open at night. Downstairs bedroom is nice and cool with the door open. Only problem is the occasional critter coming in. Last summer a baby possum came right in and settled down for a nap...my dogs went nuts, woke me up...and I looked around to see what the excitement was. There was this little possum, dead as a doornail, by the head of the bed. At least he sure LOOKED dead....
This is what I learned: NEVER think a possum is dead unless you see guts and blood and gore. And NEVER pick up what you think is a dead possum by the tail. Dont do it.

Lass Chance

 

[viper]

since im new and this thread dates back to 2007 , i didnt read all --- lazy and a little stoned right now but another way to lower your electric cost is to DIY or have a buddy / electrician install a time clock on your water heater if its electric and, for you gas people , well sorry your s.o.l , you dont need to be heating that water for a certain period late at night , plus most water heaters are 30 to 50 gallons -- my double pole double throw timer is set from 12 midnight to 4 am and 8 am to 2 pm , im saving money

 

[Head_Down_Under]

I've lived on solar power out in the bush for years (tho I'm back in the big smoke now, just for a while) so I've learnt to be frugal with my power use. I could go on for pages but I'll suggest a few tips I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Wrap it up!!! The fridge: I did my city one with alfoil and cardboard. It also looks nice (less white-goodlike). Also set it to a warmer temperature, and disconnected the wiring to the butter warmer in the door.

Wrap up the hot water storage tank! This one I did by making a box around it and filling it with fibregalss insulation.

The Bath! I removed the side covers and glued sisalation to the bath all around (on the outside). And then filled the surround with bulk fibreglass insulation before replacing the cover. THis lets my bath stay hot for much longer before I have to top up with more hotwater.

Every ceiling, every wall of every room is insulated.

Compact fluro lights are great, but dont overlook LEDS. Outside christmas strings of colour LEDs look pretty, work well for verandah/garden lights, and barely consume any power.

When the weather's good I cook outside, with the sun and a homemade boxcooker. Its all here at the site uu uu uu dot solarcooking.org
this is a great site, solar cooking is a great, inexpensive DIY hobby.

When building, put your windows on the north and south walls, never the east and west

I'd go on for hours, but just these few tips can do a lot

 

[WeedHopper]

I replaced all my incandesant bulbs with CFL. Most the Incandesants were 60 watts,some were even 75,,some even 90.
I replaced them all with 11 watt daylight CFL's which gives ya even better light. If ya replace,lets say ten 60 watters(600 watts) with ten 11 watt cfl (110 watts). Thats a savings of over 400 watts. Mine was even more. I had like 20 bulbs I replaced.
I keep my house at 73f. My electric bill is never over 230.00. I live in the South. I also collect my AC condensation(distilled water) and use it on my plants. Have been for along time. I have not had to purchase distilled water for my DWC in along time, and my girls love it.

 

[metalholic]

I only use my a/c when it's time for bed.It's off all other times.I don't run it all day.

If you keep turning your Ac on everyday you spend more electric thats a surcharge. If you actually leave your ac on on a set temp leave it on all day you will save like 20 bucks a month then turning it on everyday. FACT