19 responses to “Reducing a stubborn electric bill”

1. 

   Bee @ Contently June 8th, 2009 at 07:03

   I think it is definitely worth trying energy efficient light bulbs. We have them everywhere in our house except in places where you need light quickly or use light only shortly, like in the bathroom and the hallway, because they do take longer to give much light.

   Also you could pay attention to switching off appliances completely instead of leaving them on standby?

   And paying attention to taking out phone chargers etc right after they’ve finished charging?

2. 

   FrugalChick June 8th, 2009 at 08:23

   Here in the hot and humid South, air conditioning is the #1 roadblock to a lower electric bill. I try to keep mine mostly turned off and supplement with fans and closed curtains/blinds.

3. 

   PamelaMac June 8th, 2009 at 08:36

   Perhaps, depending on whether you need to or not, you could simply wash your dishes by hand with a little water and soap, to completely remove the need to use the dishwasher, and unplug that inefficient sucker! I’m not sure if your living situation will permit it, but perhaps doing the dishes once a day in the evening will help this.

   Also, since you’ve been unplugging your drobo, or trying to, maybe you could invest in a few energy saving powerbars, such that you can put them on a switch in your apartment that you can flick and turn them all off at once rather than going around unplugging (or forgetting to) your electric items. The bars I’ve seen have two places to plug “always on items” like the modem, and you can plug the rest into the other switches and hang them up near the light in the room.

   since you are in an apartment - I’m not sure about your A/C situation, but my roommate and I found that during the summer, a fan and a bowl of ice water work just as well as the A/C - just aim at head during the night.

4. 

   SusanC June 8th, 2009 at 20:24

   I noticed your comments on Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s site. I really enjoy your daily blog and have read back to November 08. Keep up the good work!

5. 

   Saver Queen June 8th, 2009 at 21:10

   Aww thanks Susan!

6. 

   Sally June 8th, 2009 at 21:19

   Read your bill. Here the actual usage is only about 1/3 of my total bill. We don’t have CFLs because we rarely have lights on. Check out your utility’s website to see if they have any tips. I think it was http://www.energywise.ca that lets you calculate how much your appliances are using.

7. 

   Sally June 8th, 2009 at 21:40

   I forgot - check out the local Library. Mine now has a Kill-A-Watt meter that you can borrow and find out how much some electronics are using. They are about $25 from Canadian Tire but free from the library.

8. 

   Middle Way June 9th, 2009 at 08:11

   I too, have gone back to hand washing dishes except for the occassional dinner party. Even though we have the latest energy star dishwasher, our bills have shown enough of a difference to take notice.

   Also, we found that shutting off our electric hot water heater to be helpful. That may or may not work for you.

   Finally, we have lowered the temperature setting of the fridge and freezer and am currently doing an experiment with eliminating use of a basement freezer.

   Good luck!

9. 

   Saver Queen June 9th, 2009 at 10:19

   Middle Way, and others, I have another question - regarding the fridge temp, how low can you go without interfering with the longevity of your food? Right now mine is right in the middle - set at number three.

10. 

    Emily June 9th, 2009 at 11:14

    Check out this website for ideas at home and on the road: http://bit.ly/139urL

11. 

    Dawn June 9th, 2009 at 11:49

    I love my cfls, especially for porch lights and basement workshop lights. I ended up getting used to the different light quality and have them pretty much everywhere now. I dropped my electric bill in half.

12. 

    Diana F June 9th, 2009 at 12:41

    Just remember with the CFLs that if you have a dimmer switch you need a different bulb! My DH is an electrician and had a hairy canary when I tried to put the wrong kind of CFL in the light fixture. It burns them out very quickly eliminating the savings.

13. 

    Mary June 9th, 2009 at 22:04

    Try using a toasteroven when possible. The oven uses alot of electiity & heats up the house.

14. 

    Middle Way June 10th, 2009 at 07:26

    It may depend on the fridge. Ours is an energy star rated one and was set in the middle at 3 as well for the fridge and B for the freezer.

    Now I am at 1 and A and have not noticed a difference. Nothing is spoiling early and the freezer is freezing.

    I’m not sure if the controls are not as sensitive as the dials lead you to believe?

    Maybe go down half a setting at a time to test out your fridge?

15. 

    Brenda June 10th, 2009 at 08:14

    As to your question about how low can your fridge temperature go to be safe, I checked with our local Health Unit’s website. On there, it said, “Is temperature important for vegetables and fruits?

    Once prepared or processed, vegetables and fruits should be kept at a temperature below 4°C (40°F) on ice or under refrigeration. This will prevent bacterial multiplication and reduce the chances of viruses surviving in the food.”

    Elsewhere on the site, they stated that after a power interruption, food in the fridge (including meats, dairy, etc.), must not go below 4C (40F).

    So, you should put a thermometer into your fridge and use these as guidelines when reducing the temperatures.

16. 

    CanadianDebtGirl June 12th, 2009 at 20:37

    There are coupons for CFLs at energywise.ca - you can wait for a sale and then get a real good deal on some. We have CFLs in all our main living spaces (living room, rec room) and I think they make a difference.

    We don’t own a dishwasher, but I sometimes feel we are forever doing dishes and its just two of us!

17. 

    SentimentsbyDenise June 15th, 2009 at 09:42

    I’m another advocate for doing dishes by hand. I really don’t mind the activity especially when I can look out my kitchen window in the morning or evening and watch the squirrels and bunnies scampering about, the breeze blowing through the trees and the sun or rain playing through the yard. Handwashing dishes has not only saved me some pennies on my electric bill (I just sold that auto dishwasher I wasn’t using anymore!), but it’s good “therapy” for the day!

18. 

    Tom June 21st, 2009 at 20:28

    A couple of long-shots, but just in case…

    –The largest portion of your power bill is air cooling/heating and water heating. Raise your thermostat on cooling and lower the thermostat on your water heater. Run fans — they only use about 100watts vs an a/c that runs 10 times that. Only run fans when you’re in the room — they serve no purpose when you’re out of the room.

    –Make sure your not paying your neighbor’s bill — it happens — go outside and turn off the main breaker. If you still have power then that’s the problem.

    –It is possible for your a/c to be wired wrong — heat strips come on w/the cooling.

    –Some utility companies will provide free energy audits. They’ll come out and look around for any problem equip and make suggestions.

    –Most likely cause — your landlord bought the cheapest and least efficient a/c equip he could get.

    Good luck.

19. 

    Sarah DeVries July 31st, 2009 at 10:37

    We found that replacing all the incandescents in our house with CFLs cut our energy bill nearly in half. They do cost more up front, even with coupons, but last significantly longer. My only real concern is the environmental impact, as CFLs contain mercury and cannot be safely disposed of. I’m hoping they will find a solution to this before I have to replace mine!

    As for the dishwasher issue, we have a high-efficiency unit that accommodates a LOT of dishes. I pack as much in as I can, use vinegar and less detergent, and since I’m not in the kitchen using lights etc. I would be if I were handwashing, I’m saving all round. Plus, I cook a LOT, and don’t like washing dishes in a full sink of water (YUCK!), so I wouldn’t go back for the world.