We lucked out last month on our power bill. We received a credit on our bill which helped tremendously. A lot of folks were shocked at how high their bills were, however. I can't blame them! Some of the figures I heard were outrageous! $500-600, one even $1200!
One thing that got me was that many of these people work outside the home and their children are in school or daycare so the house stands empty all day. Not only that, but their families are much smaller so things like the washer, dryer, or stove would not be used as frequently. Shouldn't their bill be lower than ours?
I think it has everyone trying to come up with ways to save on power. There are some things that are a given. Good insulation and windows go a long way towards helping lower a bill. When we first moved into our home the windows were very old. Some were cracked or even broken. The church eventually replaced them which was a huge blessing! But what were we to do in the meantime? Well, one way is to buy the heavy duty plastic and staple it over the windows. The drawback is that you've got all the staples to contend with and it leaves you unable to see clearly out the windows. My husband found an alternative though. We were a little skeptical at first. It is a thin plastic that is absolutely clear. You stretch it across the window and use a hair dryer to make it adhere tightly against the window frame. Once applied you can't tell it is even there! But it helped so much on keeping the heat indoors! So we were convinced after that.
It also stands to reason that keeping your thermostat turned down will also help. But I've found that people's ideas vary when it comes to defining keeping it down. Some people's homes can get by at 68 and still be comfortable. Then I've heard some people say they couldn't understand why their bill was so high since they only keep it at 72. So I say figure out what temperature is best for your home and then leave it there. I don't think it helps to constantly be turning it up and down because the unit just has to work to get it back to the right temp. I don't see where it really saves anything. However we do love those mild days when we can turn ours off completely and raise the windows!
One thing many people do is turn off lights. Now that is a good thing but you need to remember that with the new florescent bulbs the rules change. With the old light bulbs the rule is that if you will be gone from the room longer than 5 minutes, turn the light off. Less than that, leave it on because you will use more electricity flipping the switch back on. With the new bulbs, that time is extended to 15 minutes. That's right. If you will be back in 15 minutes or less, then leave the light on! It takes more electricity for the bulb to heat back up than it does to just leave it on.
Another thing you see people argue over is whether it takes more to handwash or to use the dishwasher. I can't cite where I've seen it as I am a voracious reader, then can't remember where I read it lol. But it has been from more than one source. It takes more electricity to handwash dishes in hot water several times a day than it does to run a dishwasher (on an energy efficient setting) once a day. It makes sense when you think about the hot water heater having to work several times.
All in all, I think it comes down to what is important to you and your family. Some things might be a tradeoff. For instance, our laundry room is outside and the hot water heater is out there, too. I worry about frozen pipes. So when the nights are particularly cold I will usually do a couple of loads of laundry before bed so the dryer will run and heat it up. I also leave a light on. It's not much but it gives off a little heat. I figure the few cents the light bulb will cost is far better than busted pipes!
We also use nightlights and leave a couple of lights on in the house. Once again it's worth a few extra cents to reassure the children in the middle of the night.
Hopefully the weather will warm up soon so everyone will require less heat and that will surely help on these high bills. :)
Well I am glad to know that it is not just our town. Our power bill was over $700 this month! But we also got a new a/c after the old one was not working correctly- so may be better next month! Thank the Lord that my husband planned for the expense though, or it would be hard to come up with that extra. Many people in our town have been hurting and your right- we all need to find ways to cut back.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you all find that window film you mentioned- our windows are very very drafty and that sounds like great stuff!
Shana,
ReplyDeleteOh my, I am so thankful we have not gotten a bill like that! I'll be honest we would not even have a way to plan towards that!
I asked my hubby and he said it is in the hardware section of Walmart where they have insulation for pipes, etc. It is in a thin green box, most likely hanging up and he said he thinks it has a picture of a window and someone with a hair dryer.
Hope that helps :)
We live in an old home with older windows. One thing I do during the winter to help hold the heat in is hang window quilts.
ReplyDeleteI've simply made them out of two pieces of muslin and old worn out bath towels. I sandwich the three fabrics together, like a quilt, and use yarn to quilt tie the middle sections. I sew a pocket across the top for a tension rod.
When it is sunny and warm during the day the tension rod makes for easy removal, allowing the warm sunlight to perform = passive heating. When it begins to cool down in the evening, I simply slip the window quilt back up against the window.
They also work well for helping the house stay cooler during the hottest months of summer. I will use the window quilts on the south and west windows during the daytime to block out the hot sun.
Mrs.B
I'm going to have to start a year round energy plan where I tuck away money toward the high energy months during the low energy usage months.
ReplyDeleteWe got hit hard this montha and ready for weather where we don't run the heater or cooler.
Lord help us!
d
Ours doubled!!!!!!!!!! That hurts!!!!
ReplyDeleteMrs. B,
ReplyDeleteThat's a neat idea! I bet that helps a lot, too. My MIL's house was a large older brick home with the bedrooms on one end and the den and kitchen on the other. There was no way to heat the whole thing when her unit started aging and acting up. So she got a kerosene heater and hung those heavy insulated curtains across the step at the hallway. The back stayed cold but at least the main living area was warm!
Deanna,
ReplyDeleteIf you are able to plan that way, that will help so much! I am also soooo ready for that mild weather where nothing but open windows and curtains blowing in the breeze are required!
God bless!
Tiff,
ReplyDeleteI don't know where your other comment went, as I published it and don't see it now...anyhoo, they have changed my due date to Aug.6th. Why the one day change I don't know :)
Doubled? OUCH! I cringe every time I hear our heater cut on!
We've been thinking about you guys and praying for you. Hope things are going better with little one. Love you all!
Most of these homes that have the larger power bills are either HUGE or they are older mobile homes with no skirting and torn duct work. Most of the residents are also running their central heat on 75-78 degrees non-stop. The electric company recommends a setting of 68 degrees in the winter. If it were 68 degrees outside, most people would be in short sleeved shirts and some even in shorts. We tried to explain to many people that it will be cheaper in the long run to turn the thermostat down and use an extra blanket, wear socks or sweatpants, or even (gasp) a long sleeve shirt inside, than it is to turn the thermostat to 78 degrees and walk around in underwear :~) lol. It's been difficult on many people this time. We're not used to seeing continued cold weather like we have lately in the south. Hopefully it will soon get better!!!
ReplyDelete*one more helpful hint: DO NOT CLOSE OFF EXTRA ROOMS (unless heat can not escape through to them. With central return the unit has to work harder to pull in air) AND DO NOT CLOSE VENTS (air only blows into the open space in the ceiling, causing heat loss)
Mama hen,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure since you are the one answering phones you probably get a little tired of complaints on bills. :)
Sometimes the "why" behind the bill is unavoidable such as what type or size home you live in. Although I don't know of many who run their heat quite that high I'm sure they are there, particularly among the elderly.
I guess we all are just doing the best we can to get by, with some months being much harder than others. Hopefully things will improve for everyone. There are just so many hurting right now.