Top Ten Tips - Reducing Your Electricity
By Tip Dude | Jan 02, 2008
Categories: Appliances, Budget, Cheap, Electricity, Energy, Green, Home, Household, Savings, Tips
There’s no doubt that the green movement is on the collective conciousness now. But how can you contribute to reducing energy costs? Well, you can start from home by keeping tabs on your electrical consumption, and here’s how:
- Turn That Light Off! - Electricity consumption is generally proportional to how long you leave the appliance on for. So, if you are leaving your room to run an errand for an hour, turning that light off would save you between 1 and 3 cents, depending on where you live and the type of light you have. Consider putting lights on timers if they are not in a frequently used location.
- Shut Down Your Computer And TV Overnight - The average computer and monitor costs about 1 to 2 cents per hour to run. If you leave your computer on overnight, it’ll cost you between 4 to 16 cents every night, depending on what kind of energy saving settings you’ve got on it. If you must leave it on (because it’s a server), at least turn the monitor off. If you watch TV while falling asleep, use the Sleep function. Each TV also chews up about 8 cents every night.
- Maximize Your Electric Heaters - Some of us use electric heaters because it’s cheaper to run than a central furnace. If you use those electric heaters, keep one or two heaters for the whole house, and not one in each room. Move it from room to room as you or other family members move around the house. That way, you’re heating only one room at a time. Also, get a timer for the heater that automatically shuts off after an hour or so - if the room is warm enough, you won’t remember to turn it back on after it shuts off. These heaters can cost between 15 and 35 cents per hour to run. If it’s too cold in the house, put a sweater on. Of course, also make sure your windows and doors are sealed properly and no drafts are coming in. If some doors are missing in your home, put a drape over the doorway to keep the heat in the room. (In the summer, the drape will also reduce the air conditioner’s power consumption. If your room is sunny and you want to keep it cool, get thermal curtains and keep them drawn during the day.)
- Decrease Electric Stove Usage - This is a fire hazard if left on, and it’s also very expensive to run. If there are less than two people eating and you live in a large city, it’s probably cheaper to eat out or get takeout than to cook. If you have a large family and really need to cook, bring everyone into the kitchen and enjoy the warmth generated by cooking. You’ll save electricity expended on running the heater that way. Also, if something could be heated in the microwave instead of the stove, use the microwave. Microwave ovens cost about 1 to 2 cents to run for five minutes, whereas to heat the same thing on the stove would probably take 10 minutes and cost 2 to 4 cents.
- Save With Fridge And Freezers - Keep the fridge door shut. Don’t put hot food in the fridge. If you have a freezer in the garage you aren’t really using, consider shutting it down and moving the contents into the freezer in the kitchen.
- Cut Down Laundry Machine And Dryer Usage - Laundry is basically unavoidable, but you can cut down on the amount you spend on laundry by changing clothes less often. Wear one outfit a day to work or school, and when you come home put on the same indoor pajamas that you wear for a week before laundering. When you take a shower, hang the towel or bathrobe to dry in an airy place and then you wouldn’t have to wash it every time you take a shower. An average load of laundry drying in an electric dryer for 60 minutes costs between 20 and 60 cents depending on where you live. (In large cities, the number is closer to 60 cents; in California, it might be as high as 80 cents.) If you cut laundry from three loads per week to two, you’ll save about $2-$3 each month, plus the cost of hot water and detergent.
- Use Energy Saver Bulbs - Normal bulbs don’t really cost that much to run - about 1 to 3 cents per hour - but the same amount of power could run the equivalent energy saver bulb for about 6-10 hours. Consider replacing lights that are prone to being accidentally or deliberately left on with energy saver bulbs. Outside lights, hallway lights, basement lights and garage lights, particularly, should be energy saver bulbs.
- Look For The Energy Star Symbol - Most appliances are Energy Star compliant anyway these days. However, if you have old appliances at home that you use all the time (e.g. refrigerators, electric oven, washer and dryer or dishwasher) that aren’t Energy Star compliant, consider replacing them with Energy Star compliant ones the next time they are replaced.
- Cut Out Unnecessary Electricity Use - It is really not necessary to illuminate your yard. It is really not necessary to vacuum the rug every day. That de-humidifier really doesn’t need to run 24/7, only when it is humid and uncomfortable. It is really not necessary to use electric air fresheners. It is really not necessary to use an electric blanket when it’s not cold. It is really not necessary to… well, you get the picture.
- Check Your Electricity Bills - In some areas, power companies will offer discounts to residential consumers, or consumers using electric heat. Check that you’re receiving the lowest possible rate. Also, in more than one case, Tip Dude has discovered evidence of electricity being billed to the incorrect meter in apartment complexes. Some landlords, in order to save wiring costs, will cross wire the apartments resulting in some circuits in the unit next door being powered from your electricity meter and thus increasing your electric bill. Sometimes an honest mistake is made by the electrician, especially unlicenced ones that are often called to do work on cheap housing. So if you’ve done everything to reduce your electricity consumption and it remains high, do an audit of electricity consumption. This is usually done by reading the meter at the same time each day consecutively for several days, and then leaving the property for 24 hours while turning everything off - and seeing if the meter has moved upon return. If everything is off and has remained off for a day, and your meter reading did not decrease significantly, someone is stealing your electricity!
What are your best tips for reducing electricity usage?
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Good post. I do question the suggestion that eating out would be more economical than cooking with an electric stove, even in a big city or when cooking for less than 2 people.
Jennifer, Tip Dude always gets a lot of reader objections whenever he asserts that eating out can be cheaper. Eating out on a regular basis can have its negative health implications, and of course it depends on what you cook as to how much it costs you. If, like many New Yorkers, your kitchen consists of a single microwave oven, and you often stuff your face with $2 pizza, $3.50 Chinese food, $4 fast food meal, or a $4.50 burger at the local diner, you will understand the big savings that come with not having to rent the space and pay the costs for a freezer, a stove, and maybe even a car to get to and from the cheaper grocery stores in the suburbs. Of course, you can’t charge all of those ‘lifestyle’ costs against the choice to cook at home. However, it is important to understand that cooking is a lifestyle choice - and not necessarily a way to save money. The proliferation of joints like White Castle in poorer neighborhoods suggest that many inner city dwellers have figured out that eating out is likely cheaper or similarly priced as finding an apartment with a fully-fitted kitchen that offers convenient access to a grocery store that isn’t a rip-off.
If your feel that your electricity supplier is ripping you off, post him on the ripoffforum.org ;)
This one will be a sure fire soon.
I did some counting on my five fingers and it seems you are right.
Tip Dude, that is an interesting perspective that I had not thought of before. On the other hand, I didn’t know you could even get an apartment with no kitchen appliances. Is that really common in New York? Your argument makes sense if you are the one who has to purchase the appliances. But if you’re talking about electricity only, then I disagree. And if you are, then the argument of paying for the space of the appliances also doesn’t apply since the appliances are already there when you rent the apartment.
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