Lowering Your Electric Bill

I've been sitting here thinking about my most recent electric bill. Mine was nearly $300, which may not seem too bad to some, but it's the highest one I've ever received. I know people (family, actually) whose electric bill was almost $900! For one month! Of course, living in an all-electric mobile home has quite a bit to do with my higher bill, and the winter has, so far, been a tough one. Keeping my home warm enough is simply taking more electricity. A larger bill is only logical; however, the power company has raised rates dramatically, and that just makes the problem worse.

So I've done a bit of research to find suggestions to help me lower the monthly cost of electricity in my mobile home. I found some common, and some not-so-common, ideas that you may find helpful whether you live in a mobile home, condo, apartment, or regular house. I'm sure going to give them a try!

• If you live in a mobile home, be sure to use under-pinning or under-skirting.
• Insulate, insulate, insulate! This includes your water heater, too. And pipes that transfer water from room to room under the house will hold their temperatures better if you insulate them.
• Lower the temperature on your hot water tank. Most sources recommend 120 degrees as a good setting.
• Seal every window, either with weather stripping, removable caulking, or plastic sheeting. Just make sure that you can still open the windows in case of an emergency.
• Wood floors are lovely, but consider throw rugs in the winter if you don't use them or have carpet already. Carpet and/or rugs hold in heat and feel much better on bare feet on cold mornings!
• Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with the newer fluorescent bulbs. They can be a bit pricier initially, but they pay off in the long run. And, depending on the bulb, they may take a little getting used to because some take longer to brighten up completely.
• If you don't use every room in your house all the time, close off or at least shut the door to those unused rooms. Also close heat vents in those rooms. Just make sure those rooms have nothing that will be damaged by lower temperatures (like freezing pipes) or higher humidity. Especially watch the humidity levels in closed-off rooms. I closed the door to my son's room since he is married and lives out of state now, but I ended up having to re-open it because the wood in the room actually started to mold!
• Turn off lights when a room isn't being used, and use only lights that you absolutely need otherwise. This goes for outdoor lighting, too. Just don't sacrifice safety.
• Speaking of light, I think natural light is better anyway! Keep your insulated curtains drawn at night and on the cooler side of the house (usually the north), but allow the sun to warm and brighten up rooms during the day. Allowing sunshine into your home will also help with the "winter blues", or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
• Plant trees that will block cold winter winds on your property.
• However, some trees will also block the sun and prevent it from warming your home during the day. As much as I absolutely hate cutting trees, I suggest that you try to remove trees (or at least any limbs) that block the sun.
• Cook with appliances that use less power. An electric oven is a huge energy drain. I use my microwave a lot, but you can also use crock pots, grills, and even your outdoor barbecue.
• When you are cooking on your electric stove, turn off the burner a minute or two before whatever you are cooking is 100% done. The burner will stay warm enough to finish cooking the food, but that minute or two will add up to save a bunch of energy.
• Clean your refrigerator coils often.
• Change the furnace filter regularly. Don't make your furnace work harder than it has to.
• Most people can't just go out and buy new appliances whenever they want, but when you do have to purchase new ones, go for the most energy-efficient ones you can afford.
• Unplug anything not being used! Electronics especially will continue to draw power even after you turn them off. Unplugging them will nip that in the bud. Of course, this isn't always a good idea with computers, but at least turn off your monitor and printer.
• Get used to washing with cold water, and never do a partial load of laundry.
• Run your dishwasher only when you have a full load.
• Make sure your electric meter is working properly. One way to test it is to unplug or turn off everything that draws power or flip breakers to everything in the house so there is no power drain whatsoever. If your meter still registers power as being used, your meter probably has been giving inaccurate readings and needs replaced.
• You can use a similar method to determine where your greatest power use is coming from. Flip off all breakers, then flip one on at a time to see which registers the greatest power use. Use this knowledge to help you lighten your electrical use in that area or room.
• Lower your thermostat at least a degree or two. Even small changes make a difference. Just keep one thing in mind. Remember that heat rises and cold air falls, so it will feel colder at floor level. Small children and pets are closer to the ground than we adults are and they'll feel the cold sooner than we will. Older people also have a problem with regulating body temperature and may feel the cold more intensely. So, don't set your thermostat too low for others in your home.
  

Now that's a start. Does anyone else have any money-saving ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Sherry