Our electric bill this month was $299.73. What?!
How did that happen? We usually spend around $65. Last year we averaged 9 kwh a day — this January we averaged 81 kwh!
This January being 5 degrees colder and using one more space heater makes that much of a difference?
I’m Miss Frugal and so mad that I’m now on a mission to make up for this high bill with future, lower bills.
Here is what I am doing to fix his problem:
5 Tips to Save on Energy Costs
1. I ‘m not using two heaters anymore to keep the house at around 63 degrees at night. If the oil burner kicks in because it gets to cold in here, so be it. At these prices, oil might be cheaper than electricity! If the heaters are not on, they get unplugged so they don’t drain unused energy.
2. I’m unplugging the microwave AND the TV for the night.
3. I’m not leaving the computer running anymore all the time — it gets turned off for the night, and the monitor as well. Same with the phone/copy/fax machine.
4. If I leave a room, the light gets turned off. I was pretty good about this before, but now I am fanatic.
5. I am going to wear three pairs of socks from now on, not two.
I hope these actions will yield results. If the next bill is this high, there is something wrong with the wiring in this house . . .
Which means this astronomical bill wasn’t our doing, which makes me feel so much better — but does it make me feel $299.73 better?
Can you say energy audit?
Do you have a simple trick that helps you keep your utility bills down? Please let me know!
Update: After implementing these five simple things, our bill was much lower the next month. I think the extra space heater was the culprit.
Farah says
Hi, Dagmar
I also like to conserve energy and be pretty diligent about turning off lights and appliances (TV, radio) when not in use. In winter 08, my hubby and I went around the house to check for any drafts coming in and discovered a few. We ended up installing weather stripping around the older windows, which made for some energy savings both for winter and summer (we have central air). We will be replacing the older windows over time as the new ones are better sealed. We’ve been replacing older appliances too with more energy efficient units so that helps in the effort.
Farah
veronica lee says
Hi and welcome to MBC!