Trying to lower my energy bill this month, I did not run the dishwasher at all..
Posted by secondbase on Jul 16, 2008 · Member since Dec 2005 · 5540 posts
And my energy bill is $50 less than it was last month! I am never using that piece of crap again. I don't know where I got so lazy that I couldn't wash dishes by hand. Also, unloading the dishwasher is probably my least favorite thing to do ever. What else can I do to lower energy costs? I don't run my major appliances during peak hours (though I"m not quite sure what those are. 9-5, right?) and now I'm not using my dishwasher. Is there anything else I can do to decrease my bill each month?
I'm assuming you did obvious things like change your light bulbs to low energy ones. Instead of just turning off your cpu, also turn off your monitor & printer. unplug any other appliances you can when you aren't using them. Only use the AC when you need to.
I'm assuming you did obvious things like change your light bulbs to low energy ones. Instead of just turning off your cpu, also turn off your monitor & printer. unplug any other appliances you can when you aren't using them. Only use the AC when you need to.
half of my lights are energy saving ones now. I usually leave my monitor on. I should probably turn it off, duh. Bittersweetly, I don't have AC. Thanks lisaanddini
That's great. Other things that have helped me ...
Use as much natural sunlight as possible instead. Enjoy the outdoors.
Don't leave things like cell phone chargers, electronics, plugged into your wall socket if you're not using them.
Do only full loads of laundry.
Grow your herbs if you can. Fresh is always best and saves you a trip to the grocery store.
Holly Hannah $50!!? :o That's crazy. Is it old? Man, I run mine like every other day. How often did you run yours?
I hang my laundry out on the line to dry on my front patio so that I don't have to run the dryer. I live in a pretty crowded apartment complex so I am sure my neighbors like to see my underwear and bras hanging out, but I don't care, it saves me money. I could probably hang underwear and bras out inside, maybe that would be better.
As far as the A/C goes, I don't think it helps to turn it off when you, say go to work for the day, but rather turn it up a few degrees. The reason is because it would cost a ton to cool your house back down once you got back home (that is, if you live in a place like I do where it is close to 100 degrees everyday). But I think turning up to, say 82, is a better option, then keep it at around 76 or 78 all the rest of the time and just use fans and stuff to keep yourself cool. Also, you have to consider your pets, don't want them to get over heated either. I can't turn off my A/C because of my cats.
Wow, good to know! That's a huge savings.
Holly Hannah $50!!? :o That's crazy. Is it old? Man, I run mine like every other day. How often did you run yours?
It is very old. I would run it at least once a day. Sometimes up to three or four times a day!
Holly Hannah $50!!? :o That's crazy. Is it old? Man, I run mine like every other day. How often did you run yours?
It is very old. I would run it at least once a day. Sometimes up to three or four times a day!
three to four times a day?! How many people live in your house? Is it tiny?
Two peak zones are from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. One off-peak zone runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The lowest rate is 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday and all day on Sundays and holidays.
Wow, my dishwasher is broken right now and I am missing it terribly, but maybe I should suck it up and keep doing dishes by hand....I imagine I probably use less water that way too.
Holly Hannah $50!!? :o That's crazy. Is it old? Man, I run mine like every other day. How often did you run yours?
It is very old. I would run it at least once a day. Sometimes up to three or four times a day!
three to four times a day?! How many people live in your house? Is it tiny?
Two peak zones are from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. One off-peak zone runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The lowest rate is 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday and all day on Sundays and holidays.
The on/off peak hours differ from place to place. We had the "time advantage" at our old apartment and the off peak hours were from 9pm to 9am M-F and all weekend long.
Holly Hannah $50!!? :o That's crazy. Is it old? Man, I run mine like every other day. How often did you run yours?
It is very old. I would run it at least once a day. Sometimes up to three or four times a day!
three to four times a day?! How many people live in your house? Is it tiny?
My dishwasher is smaller, yes. I live with two other roommates, but I cook all three meals a day. I usually run it once or twice a day.. but sometimes three or four was necessary, especially if I had people over for dinner! I'm so glad I've cut that out of my life. $50 is another high end botle of wine in my collection! ;D
Turn down your hot water heater, especially now in the summer. We did, because they had it scalding hot in our apt., and it cut $30 from our gas bill.
1) concur, turn down your water heater - gas is much more 'spensive than electric here in the midwest(I think 70% of my energy is from coal).
2) KEEP LIGHTS OFF! If you need electric light, use it in as few rooms as possible. Candles work just as good as they did ages ago, and are so much cheaper! Get a 5$ huge scented candle and use that after dark.
3) use cold water whenever possible, or more to the point, minimize the amount of water heating you need to maintain your home.
I took my monthly energy bill from $140 to $105 to $68 over the last three months and btw, I do use the dishwasher at least three times every two weeks and laundry at least twice a week.
I thought of two more I do: eat more fresh produce that doesn't need to be cooked. use the microwave if you are just heating up a cup of tea. go to bed earlier so that you are not up late with lights/tv/computer on. And take showers at the gym! use their hot water!
Only use the AC when you need to.
We always need AC! She's super awesome.
I had to...
I get my hydro bill every two months and it is almost always around $120...so, $60 a month. I also unplug almost everything when not in use. My computer stays on most of the time but the monitor is always turned off when I"m not using it. I don't have AC so I'm sure that helps...as probably does the fact that my boyfriend and I are both out of the house for most of the day, so not a lot of electricity gets used before 5. Oh, and yes, cold water. I wash pretty much all my clothes in cold water, and hang most things to dry. I do have a dryer but it is old and very inefficient so it is really easier to just airdry stuff anyway.
Oh, and yes, cold water. I wash pretty much all my clothes in cold water, and hang most things to dry.
I wash everything but whites in cold water.
June July
Electricity $36.57 $27.06
Gas $54.55 $24.88
Gas was more in June because we got a week of super cold weather and my heater was on. I'm not sure what I do. I don't unplug things, but I don't have many things to plug in. I leave my computer on because the Yahoo popup stuff when it's turned on annoys me. I don't have air conditioning or a dishwasher or a washer and dryer. My refrigerator is pretty huge, though. My stove is gas, but I don't cook. I bake for end of year gift giving and I find that my bill goes up a lot when I use my stove.
1. Make sure your AC is clean...clean out the vent, filter, etc to make sure it is running efficently.
2. Keep your shades down...we do this at various places in th ehouse throughout the day as the sun moves. It really makes a diff!
3. when you are cooking, usually you dont need to preheat the oven...for baking, though, you do. IF you are turning the oven on, cook as many things as you can at once...if you have already used the oven, throw in some veggies and use the heat to roast veggies, etc and use for the week.
4. an electric kettle saves BIG time on energy. Think of all the energy yo use to heat up water for tea, for example when you turn on the stove. An elec. kettle is quick and uses far less energy.
5. and i have to wholeheartedly agree with shutting down EVERYthring...we cut down our energy bill by 30percent by simply shutting down the comp, microwave and plugged in lights in t the kitchen at the wall plug. Anything w/ a plug, esp w/ a large adapter, is sucking energy.
6. Use your cell phone charger in the car.
A couple more ...
1) Cut your baking recipes in half and use your toaster oven instead of the big oven. I halved a muffin recipe and filled a 6-muffin tin, which fits perfectly in my little toaster oven. I've made cookies like this too. I didn't use my electric beater either, just mixed everything with a big spoon, and they came out beautifully.
2)Even better... try all those great no-bake recipes you've been wanting to try out. Chilled bar recipes taste great in the summer.