Tips on Keeping light bill down?

[rillo561]

My bill is $40 in the summer.

Still too high for my taste

I'd kill for this and not be hot/sweaty down here. I average $120-150 with two people in the house. I need to try and unplug everything when I leave the house to see if I notice a different.

 

[luckyluchiano]

Standby is a killer on electricity 

Yea I always make sure my mac is off the charger when I`m

Turn down your water heater, just a notch.

That electric is needed to heat up water you're barely going to use.

It'll save you a lot of money.

Cut my light bill in half

how I do that? lol I noticed my water gets super hot quick, will turning it down impact the water pressure/cause me to have to run more water to get to the right heat? My water bill was like 37 bucks which was great, My goal is for water and light combined to be under 110, I've been showering at the gym after my workouts in the AM, so I dont even really shower at home.

 

[wayniac211]

Picked up hand washing my clothes a day early. Tear half a dry sheet to put under to have a nice scent after hanging outside.
Also rinse dishes immediately after usage. Washes easier later and you don't have to use dishwasher.

 

[big j 33]

Just because you're living alone, doesn't mean your bill will be 1/3 of what it was when you lived with roommates.

It's not just your AC that's plugged in all day, it's your fridge, your TV, your cable box, lights etc. Do you have a fancy DVR box? http://lifehacker.com/5812931/keep-your-dvr-turned-off-unless-using-it-to-save-big-on-energy-bills They can use a ton of energy since they're never really "off" if they have the ability to record. Switch to energy efficient lightbulbs might help too.

http://lifehacker.com/5953039/how-to-reduce-your-energy-bill-with-no-cost-or-sacrifice
http://lifehacker.com/5823762/a-bil...ving-money-on-your-monthly-expenses#utilities

and yeah, your AC will likely be running all day if you're in the south in the summer, there's no need for it to be on if you're not home.

 

[luckyluchiano]

Just because you're living alone, doesn't mean your bill will be 1/3 of what it was when you lived with roommates.

It's not just your AC that's plugged in all day, it's your fridge, your TV, your cable box, lights etc. Do you have a fancy DVR box? http://lifehacker.com/5812931/keep-your-dvr-turned-off-unless-using-it-to-save-big-on-energy-bills They can use a ton of energy since they're never really "off" if they have the ability to record. Switch to energy efficient lightbulbs might help too.

http://lifehacker.com/5953039/how-to-reduce-your-energy-bill-with-no-cost-or-sacrifice
http://lifehacker.com/5823762/a-bil...ving-money-on-your-monthly-expenses#utilities

and yeah, your AC will likely be running all day if you're in the south in the summer, there's no need for it to be on if you're not home.

Only thing always on is my wireless router/modem/printer minus the fridge and stuff. If this is the case I would assume room lights and watching tv dont use much energy.

 

[tr1ll]

Turn of the lights......light a can-del...

Spoiler

TURN EM OFF!

 

[4318michaeljohnson4318]

Only thing always on is my wireless router/modem/printer minus the fridge and stuff. If this is the case I would assume room lights and watching tv dont use much energy.

What bulbs are you using for room lights? Have you tried window tinting to keep the inside cooler?

 

[eazye 804]

Writing down these tips..

 

[AZwildcats]

Our electric bill is about $100 (house, family of 7). One thing my pops does is always turns off the AC when we aren't home.

 

[chuecodtb]

Taking donations

Small world, im from RVA too. My pops pays about $170, he's in the Dominion budget program, you should look into that if you don't know about it

 

[luckyluchiano]

What bulbs are you using for room lights? Have you tried window tinting to keep the inside cooler?

I use energy efficient bulbs, and I use Black out curtains, my bed room is actually cooler than the entire home, so like I said I can thug it out when I`m home solo, its just my girl who trips on it being hot when shes over spending the night a few days out the week lol

 

[eazye 804]

Small world, im from RVA too. My pops pays about $170, he's in the Dominion budget program, you should look into that if you don't know about it

Yea, but they said I first have to pay for 6 months consecutively. I just started in May/April. Plus they adding on 100 each month for a deposit I had to make

 

[dman14]

turn off and unplug (like others have said, standby can be like a vampire, just sucking away)
wash clothes in cold water
hang dry your clothes

 

[JayDean03]

Yea I always make sure my mac is off the charger when I`m
how I do that? lol I noticed my water gets super hot quick, will turning it down impact the water pressure/cause me to have to run more water to get to the right heat? My water bill was like 37 bucks which was great, My goal is for water and light combined to be under 110, I've been showering at the gym after my workouts in the AM, so I dont even really shower at home.

Go into the attic or wherever it is located, there should be a panel for you to be able to unscrew with a screw driver, then take a butter knife and lower it down by 5-10 degrees.

 

[joeyxfresco]

Turning off and on the AC is killer. What I do is turn up the temp to like 80-85 when I leave and down to like 75 when I'm home.

 

[hashus clay]

My AC stays on like 67-70.. 75 when I leave..

This. 69-70 all day in the Texas heat

 

[HankHill]

AC is off when I'm not home. I'll turn it off when I get back in, and turn it off when I feel like its cold enough. Its an old console in my apartment and I feel like the auto function doesn't work and there's no difference in temp between 70-80 degrees. I usually don't keep it on overnight because I cant leave my bed if its cold. I have a ceiling fan that I just turn on.

In any case my bill is only 68-73 bucks a month.

 

[solewoman]

lol i wish mine was that low.. mine averages 250-300 a month.

2 story townhome
me and little sister
honolulu. hi

300 plus when i run a/c which i NEVER do

 

[fullcourtpress]

Yal so lucky man. How the hell yallcgpt under $100 bills

They got those tiny spots

 

[7th Chamber]

It's 100+ here in the summer. AC stays on 74 all day. Bill came out to $175 last month. Not too bad.

 

[mr jordan04]

My bill is $40 in the summer.

Still too high for my taste

 

[gamerg]

The main thing you want to look at is to find out the KWH rate your power company charges you.

Then on everything you use.. get a Kill-A-Watt meter.. $30 bucks at home depot.. from there you can kind of calculate your daily rate..

Or if you are cheap cut everything off that you dont want to use for an hour and check the outside meter in an hour..

Some interesting facts..

A Hot Shower (20 minutes) consumes about 3 KWH's.. Why.. Remember the Water Heater Is One Of Your Most Power Hungry Devices In The Home.. ranges from 4500-6000 watts. 

Your AC is next on the cutting board.. If you have an old one.. replacing this with a modern one with a high SEER would slice your bills in half.. if you are at an apartment.. youre SOL..

If its just you... get a portable AC.. Here's some numbers for you.. 12000 BTU AC Consumes 1300 watts and can turn a 13x13 room into an igloo in 3 hours.. Central Air uses roughly that amount on JUST the fan alone.. The compressor uses about 25amps so something about 2500-3000 watts.

Managing that can drop your numbers down and if you have a desktop.. Like a mac pro or something.. putting that thing on a power plan will work.. or just get a laptop...

These are my cents of advice on killin the numbers.. but the biggest thing is knowing how to "pre calculate" then you can evaluate your usage better.. KWH Rate's are your enemy..lol

 

[yungchris504]

No A/C for me. I have all them windows open and fans running LOL. I have my bill around 50. I normally unplug everything but I have been lazy this month. If I leave for a long period of time I just kill the switches to all the power strips.

 

[Grine]

My bill be $35

Turn the AC on only in need.
Unplugged the microwave and cords for phone and laptop.
Ceiling fan at night is a winner.
I hardly watch tv or use the light anyhow.

 

[gamerg]

No A/C for me. I have all them windows open and fans running LOL. I have my bill around 50. I normally unplug everything but I have been lazy this month. If I leave for a long period of time I just kill the switches to all the power strips.

If its just 2 or 3 devices they would consume no more than 15-20 watts together but lets say its about 40-50 things.. then yes youll see a saving.. but its all about how much watts your consuming.. remember a KWH is how many 1000's of watts consumed in an hour.