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.
Check out these ideas shared by the ThriftyFun community!
Tip for saving money on electricity. Post your ideas.
Cover your windows! I don't have the best windows and can't afford new ones and I can feel the cold coming off of them at night! By using drapes to trap the heat and stop the cold, you could save a considerable amount of money on your energy bill.
Putting your outside lights on motion detectors also can save energy. And, turn off lights when leaving the room -- sounds obvious, but it helps.
We save money on electricity by turning our thermostat on 78-80 degrees in Summer. We use propane fireplaces to keep the house warm in winter. Summer time, we keep the curtains and mini-blinds shut.
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.
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
How do I lower my power bill?
Kent from Dalton, Ga.
Here's some more good tips: Saving Money on Electricity
Thank you,
Sandy
A: Sandy,
There are a lot of easy ways to save on electricity during the winter. Here are just a few related to hot water and hot water heaters:
Even if your hot water heater is new, insulating your water heater and pipes keeps heat from escaping and the project will easily pay for itself in less than a year.
Don't shut off your hot water heater. Turn down the temperature dial instead. You'll be surprised how low you can set the dial and still have plenty of hot water for your needs (try 115° to 125°).
Check "time of day rates" if your hot water heater is electric. This involves having your water heater come on only during "off-peak" times, but at a lower rate. Check with your utility company to see if they offer this plan.
Turn your water heater down to the lowest setting if you will be gone for a couple of days.
Use foam wrap to insulate hot water pipes throughout your house. Keep it three inches away from heater draft hoods and exhaust vents.
Install low flow aerators on faucets and install water saving showerheads. Fix leaky faucets.
Take showers instead of baths-they use less water.
I would just recommend turning the water heater down if you will be gone for an extended period of time, but otherwise, on a daily basis, I would not suggest that you turn your water heater off. It will expend much more energy to reheat the water than if you just leave it on all the time. I would open all blinds in the morning and get the natural heat from the sun in the house, and then when the sun moves overhead and is not coming in the windows, close all the blinds and keep as much heat as possible in.
Here are some ideas to help you save money on your electric bill. Post your ideas below!
Save Money on Your Electric Bill
Want to save money on your electric bill? One of the biggest electricity uses is your clothes dryer. Hang your clothes outside to dry. They will smell better. They will not be apt to shrink. You will get some exercise. And best of all it's free. Happy clothes hanging.
By Joesgirl
Save Money on Your Electric Bill
Clean your clothes dryer's lint screen frequently. When it is clogged up, your dryer has to work harder and uses more energy.
By Becki in Indiana
If you do laundry, dishwashing or any high power-use chores during the hours of noon and 6 pm each day you are probably paying a peak rate for power. Wait and try to do these chores between the hours of 8pm and noon, when your power usage will be at its cheapest.
By Terri H.
Buy those light bulbs that last forever at a store like home depot. I think they are called fluorescent and they are circular for lamps or they look like a stick for other appliances (compact fluorescent). I paid a lot of money for them years ago and they are still working after about 10 years. They also don't use as much wattage but throw as much light.
If you have an electric water heater, turn off the heater at the circuit breaker box when you don't need to use it. Flip it back on about 15 to 20 minutes before you want to wash the dishes or take a shower. I just put the kitchen timer on. The water stays warm for a long time and heats up fast. Saves about $10 on my electric bill each month. If you have company, leave it on all the time because there is too much confusion when they are there with showers and etc.
make sure your windows are adequately sealed by means of caulking (silicone) around the edges. this will save money big time, especially in central air homes.
I found out the hard way about not using the dryer in summer to save $ ! I had to get a reparman ! I was told (then) that it happened to them TOO - but teirs was sitting in the garage of a for sale property & MICE got in it ! I was told to run the dryer at least a couple times a summer to lesson the chance of this happening (next time) !
Eat dinner by candle light ! Aside from the cozy effect - if you have kids it should be a way to get them to discuss their day or life while "incognito"
We did this when I had the step kids here - they felt more at ease discussing their previous home while the focus of light wasn't spotlighting them !
Make sure your refrigerator isn't by your stove ! I know that in a lot of kitchens thats the only way - for some reason - thats how builders set it up. But the heat from the stove makes the fridge run harder to compensate for the warmth !
if you can - get a stove in your basement or in garage or back porch !
We found one one time during fall pick up days that was inperfect condition very clean too ! Sold it for $20 !
But we have one in the basement & the heat is away from the living space in the summer when the kitchen without AC can become so unbearable !
Use lamps that have the small night light size bulbs ! I have several of these from the $ store
If you don't need to work or read by them - why have the larger bulbs or in some cases higher wattage !?
Tell your kids that every time you find a light left on or tv etc & noone in the room you will charge them a $ 1 !
After about $8 worth of that hard learning my step son finally got it figured out !
I know that sounds MEAN but ya know, the world isn't always a nice place - huh ?
