In Florida, electric bills run high, particularly in the summer. I save on my electric bill in two ways:
First, I hang my clothes to dry, only using my dryer to de-wrinkle the clothes. In this way, the dryer is on for only 20 minutes vs. over an hour.
Receiving a utility bill that is unexplainably high is initially a shock. Then the question is what is wrong. With a high electric bill, sometimes the culprit is a malfunctioning appliance. This is a page about troubleshooting the cause of a large electric bill.
Utility bills can be very expensive, but there are some easy cost effective ways to reduce them. This page contains ideas to slash your electric bill in half.
Does a laundry dryer that is turned off use a lot of energy with a 220 plug?
By Tonya from CO
A dryer that's not running doesn't use any energy. The things that use energy are things with a continual light like electric clocks, anything with a timer. etc.
If my breaker keeps tripping; would that make my electrical bill go up, since I had to turn it off, then turn it back on? Wouldn't that take up a lot more power? I'm trying to figure out why my bill is 3 times higher than the other month. The only thing I can think of is when my breaker kept tripping.
By Ti
No, breakers tripping would not make your power bill go up. Whatever is causing your breaker to trip repeatedly might be the issue. Have you figured out WHY the breaker continually trips?
How can we save $$ on our energy bill when my utility company increases our rates because we are using less energy?
By Ted
My electric bill was over 220 dollars for one month in a small 2 bed/1 bath apt in Ohio. My apartment has old appliances, stove, refrigerator, hot water heater, and AC unit from 1999. Whenever I say anything to the landlord, she gets mad! The seal around the refrigerator and oven are old, moldy, and don't fit well enough to seal properly. Now my utility bill is so high, but I can't afford to move!
By Marie H.
One thing you can do is put bubble wrap on all the windows. It lets the light in but helps insulate a little and every little bit helps. Buy a big roll at W-M or wherever, spritz a bit of water on the window panes and just put it up.
First off, the responsibility to fix the apt. is not yours. Here is a link to just one of the Ohio Landlord Tenant Laws but you can google more.
You can also go to the utility company and often they will do an energy audit, where they go in and make a list of things that are causing the problems.
Most counties also have energy assistance, so you can often look into that. In Oregon, you have to be one day overdue and low income. This is the time of the year when you probably wouldn't have to wait long for an appt.
In many cases, you can withhold your rent and it's legal, esp' when you present them with the bill, the energy report and the laws stating they have to fix things and can't retaliate against you.
Don't fix, fight. Good luck!
To save on electricity during peak costs, use a battery operated radio. I also use a battery operated lamp in my bedroom. The batteries last a long time, saving money.
After unplugging every gadget that wasn't being used, turning off every light that didn't need to burn, and replacing every appliance with an energy saving model, there still had to be an unseen way to save electricity. Saving water can save electricity as well.
I started recently saving money on my electric bill, and wanted to hear if anyone else had ideas, feedback, etc. I switched my energy provider to North American Power (www.napower.com/kdegross). I am literally saving about $20 a month in my small apartment. I didn't even see a difference on my electric bill, and CLandP still handles any problems.
Has anyone else had this success? Any other ideas? Gas is so high in CT, I figured that if I can save on my electric, I am ahead of the game!
By JennCopplin from CT
It seems silly to repeat the same old admonishments we used in the "energy crisis" when I was a young teenager; BUT sometimes we all forget and waste electricity in ways we don't even think about. Most of us (myself included) could stand to form some new energy habits!
Lights out when you leave the room, and no more lights than you need. If you need to turn on the overhead to get to your chair, then turn the light on by your chair, expend your own energy to go back and turn off the overhead before sitting down. Unplug small appliances and electronics when not in use--inlcuding the chargers you are not using but have plugged in. You can use a power strip for these to make it easier. (Just don't overload the power strip.) All of these draw power, even if we turn them off. You may not want to do everything, such as the TV, so that you don't have to reprogram it every time you use it; but you can live without the clock on most appliances. Turn off your computer, don't just let it hibernate.
If you have an electric water heater, lower the thermostat. If you have electric heating or cooling, adjust the thermostat. At our home, we set it at 68 in the winter, and 78 in the summer. If I want to be warmer in the winter, I put on a sweater. In the summer, if I am too warm, I add a small fan. If your oven is electric, think before you put it on. Can you cook two things at once (tomorrow's supper with tonight's) and then you just reheat in the microwave? In the winter, I also leave the door slightly open when done, to add the warmth to the room. If you use a freezer, and it is not full, freeze some jugs of water. Freezers operate more efficiently if full. Make sure your fridge door closes and seals. Minimize opening it in warmer weather--again, just think about what you will need. When you go in the fridge for the salad ingredients, what else will you need for the meal? Hang clothes to dry them when possible.
If you use a dishwasher, open it after it rinses and let the dishes air dry.
If you like long simmered or baked suppers, re-acquaint yourself with your crock pot. If you are using a crock-pot in the summer, and have a safe place to put it where the heat it throws off won't affect your house (such as a screened porch or garage), try putting it there. Also in the summer, if you cook food in boilling water, be sure to get rid of the water as soon as it is cooked--don't let the pot sit on the stove radiating heat. Cook outside if you can. Cook twice the amount so you will only need to do a quick reheat tomorrow.
Ask your electricity provider if time of day service is available. It means your rate is lower if you use more of your electricty in off-peak times.
I made window quilts for my windows, they are held up with a tension rod. I can raise them to let in light or a nice breeze, I can lower them to keep heat or cold out. I keep throws on the backs of the chairs so in the winter if we get cool in the house you can use it.
I hang clothes to dry instead of using my dryer. I am fortunate enough to have a clothes line outside, but if weather is bad, I use the basement.
In the summer we use the grill outside for most of our meals.
Be romantic. :-) We sometimes light candles or oil lamps in the evening instead of glaring electric lights.
Keep your freezer full. Even if that means putting jugs of water in it to take up space. In the summer take a jug out, makes good drinking water as it thaws.
I run my dryer and dishwasher at night when the weather is cooler in the summer, and during the afternoon when the weather is cooler in the winter; it keeps my a/c and furnace from running more. I also exchanged my light bulbs with fluorescent ones. You can use breakers for your tv etc. that can be shut off when you are done. Also if you shut down pc's when you are at work and sleeping it reduces electric by a lot. Clean out your dryer behind the vent and your ducts, this will allow your dryer to run economically. I put bubble wrap on my windows this winter and bought cellular blinds on Amazon for $15 each. Good luck.
One can never save enough electric. Yet, the growing concern over the cost of utilities coincides with the growing concern for the health of our planet. This enables a household to cut utility costs while "going green" in ways that are easier than ever before.
