Slash Your Electric Bill to Save Money and the Environment
I am one of those people who was under the false impression that I was doing a decent job of being environmentally conscious.
I recycle; donate usable items I no longer want rather than tossing them in the trash; have cut way back on my gasoline usage by planning my trips, walking, biking, or just staying home; cut back on my water usage; compost; grow my own vegetables; and have planted a couple of fruit trees this spring with the hope to have my own fruits to can within the next five years. And, even though i've air conditioning I use it as little as possible and instead open my windows to take advantage of Mother Natures air conditioning, the breeze.
I was feeling pretty smug and confident that I was doing my share.
Then I took an ecological footprint quiz at myfootprint.org and found that even with the efforts i've made, it would still take 7.46 planets to sustain life if everyone lives the way I do. It was a wake up call for me to do a lot more.
So I determined to focus on one area at a time with my electric usage being the first thing i'm concentrating on because I know my household uses way too much.
My efforts are working. After one month, my electric bill has gone down by forty percent even though i've had my air conditioning (which uses electricity) on part of the time.
Here is everything I did to slash my electrical usage. Check to see if there are things listed you're not doing. If not, then implement them to lower your electrical bill. it's good for your pocketbook and good for the environment.
LIGHTS OUT
I no longer leave the porch light on at night and I always turn off lights when I leave a room. I had thought I was pretty good at turning off lights but I really was not. it's easy to forget if a person isn't diligent about it.
TURN OFF THE TELEVISION
I used to have the habit of leaving the television on even if I was not watching, for the noise. Now i'm learning to enjoy the quiet. And, i'm less likely to sit down and watch television now. I read more and spend more time outside.
UNPLUG THE CHARGERS
I did not realize that my cell phone and battery chargers were using electricity even when I was not charging my phones and recharging batteries. Now I unplug them when i'm not using them.
NO MORE SLEEP MODE
I no longer put my home copier, laptop computer, printer or desktop computer and monitor on sleep or energy saving mode. When i'm not using them I turn them off.
UNPLUG ALL AROUND THE HOUSE
Any plug that feels warm to the touch is drawing electricity even if the item isn't being used, such as small appliances and space heaters. I now make liberal use of power strips for items I don't want to have to unplug all the time, like my blender, computer, and television since they still draw a small amount of electricity even when they're turned off. it's much easier to turn a power strip off and on than to walk around unplugging things and then plugging them back in later. Yeah, maybe it's laziness but I know that i'll not crawl behind the television every day to unplug it or crawl under the computer desk to unplug the computer every day, but i'll flip the switch on a conveniently placed power strip.
DITCH THE CLOTHES DRYER
Clothes will last longer if they're air dried, plus it's much easier to treat stains that regular washing may have missed on clothes that were air dried versus ones dried in a dryer. i'm lucky enough to have an outdoor clothesline that I use in the summer, but I plan to air dry clothes inside during the winter too. My sister in law has been doing it for twenty years and she has six kids plus a full time job. As a bonus, the drying racks double as clothes hangers when there isn't time to get the clothes folded and put away. That doesn't work with clothes left in the dryer. They quickly turn into a wrinkled mess if not folded or hung up.
UNPLUG THE EXTRA FRIDGE
We have always had a second refrigerator just to keep beverages cold, mostly beer. Now, instead of constantly keeping a whole case cold, which we only need once a year, we just keep a couple of cans cold in our regular fridge.
The things listed above are steps i've already taken, but I know I can do more and want to do more. I like having a small electric bill! Below is a list of more steps I plan to take.
CHANGE TO COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS
I currently only have a few compact fluorescent bulbs because of their large size, but manufacturers have been coming out with a bigger selection of sizes, so I no longer have any excuse to not swap out all my bulbs. But i'm doing it gradually and only change them when the old bulbs burn out. I think it's wasteful to switch out perfectly good bulbs and to toss them in a landfill, no matter what kind of bulb it is.
BUY ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES
Do not toss perfectly good appliances though because that creates a landfill problem.
USE LOW FLOW SHOWER HEADS AND TOILETS
WASH CLOTHES IN COLD WATER
I already do this but i've a gas water heater and not an electric one so this doesn't save me any money on my electric bill but i've found my clothes come just as clean in cold water as in warm or hot. The only change i've made is to switch to a detergent formulated for cold water washing.
USE THE MICROWAVE INSTEAD OF THE OVEN OR STOVE
CLEAN AND REPLACE FILTERS REGULARLY
This includes filters humidifiers, vacuum cleaners, furnaces, air cleaners, dryers, and range exhaust hoods.
RUN THE CLOTHES WASHER AND DISHWASHER ONLY WHEN FULL
Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured writer for GoGreenForMotherEarth Visit the site for more environmental news and tips.
