Kill a Watt ~ A Tale of Two Power Bills...

My home office is the main culprit in our house. The timers seem to gunk up the equipment. I will have to use my thinking cap more often...

Thanks for sharing your post with us.

Wishing you continued success.

I'm not a fan of the energy saving bulbs, but one way I have cut down on my utility bill is replacing my water heater with a tankless model.  Instead of constantly heating 75 gallons of water it instantly heats it as it is being used.

Michael - Great blog. I am one of those husbands/father that runs around the house chasing my family's tendency to turn everything on! Thanks for the great ideas!

Great Information. Thank you for sharing!

Michael did you know that even leaving a charger plugged in that isn't charging anything still consumes electric - I was floored!  Did you also know that (at least here in MI) that the more electric you use the higher your rate!  That just stinks!  I about his the floor when we got our August bill in September - are you serious---$350!!  wholly crapola!  Pool-air- well now pool is closed and I refuse to turn on the heat yet!

Your chart for Last Year versus This year was pretty impressive.

I admire your efforts.

Jen Wing

I love this post.  I watch the usage and got the idea when I went to Kinkos and used their bathroom.  The light went on the moment you stepped in and shut off as you went out the door.  I believe in energy efficiency ... If you are not using it, then unplug it.  From what I understand that freezers are more energy efficient when they are full... have you heard that one?

Michael...

We discovered that we could stop running the air conditioner upstairs. #0 minuted before going to bed, I opened the windows and turned on a fan, and the house was cooler on a lot less power,

I'm an energy miser. The only lights on in my home are the ones in the room I'm in. And, every time a bulb burns out, I replace it with a CFL. My theory is the more I save on my electric bill, the more I have for the things I want.

I've even gone so far to monitor the cell phone charger, ensuring it's unplugged once the battery is charged. Now that's being a miser!

The water heater is a great place to start! Showed a million dollar home today where the water heater was outside, exposed to the elements and not wrapped (or blanketed).

Also keep in mind that in many areas homeowner associations try to tell you that clotheslines are not permitted. But check your state laws. In many states this action is not allowed. A lot of state try to promote less dependence on electric energy and one easy way is to dry your clothes using the sun and wind. When I lived in Spain, even the rich used clotheslines, normally strung in the large air shafts at the center of most buildings. A dryer was almost unheard of. When I started drying my clothes on the line, my electric bill went down $30 per month! Clothes smell great too! So even if your HOA says "No", check with your state's laws. Their deed restrictions may not be enforceable. Electric dryers are huge electric hogs. Gas ones are not much better. The sun and wind are free!

They also have been using tankless water heaters for decades. Here they cost a fortune, there they are very reasonably priced. The US is great in many ways, but I dislike those people that insist we are superior in every way. There are a lot of countries we could learn from.

This is a good idea for sure.

I see them quite often when showing homes.

Patricia

These bulbs won't fit in my ceiling fans and some of my table lamps. So, I do what Craig does. No lights are on except for the room I'm in. Gotta do something in lieu of the bulbs that won't fit, lol.

This is a great post.  I too have been really wise with my energy consumption and have greatly decreased my bill!

Michael, first off, great picture! And thanks for the article. My wife got a $350 bill when she lived with a roomate in downtown Sacramento. I thought that was just ridiculous. Turns out the water heater was turned up so high but since it was a fourplex the girls didn't think to look at something like that. They were just robbed!

Michael

Electric cost have really gone up thanks for sharing your thoughts, great post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

All I did was to have a new central air system put in.  This summer was a record setter.We did not use the old window units anymore.  My kilowatt hours went down, but my bill went up.  Extra charges and higher rates increased my bill. Even though the cost of fuel went down from last year.    Now it's time to work on my elected officials.