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Lower your electricity bill to save money and protect the environment

I’m one of those people who was under the false impression that I was doing a decent job of being environmentally conscious.

I recycle; donating usable items that I no longer want instead of throwing them away; I have greatly reduced my gas use by planning my trips, walking, biking or just staying home; reduce my water consumption; compost; grow my own vegetables; and have planted a couple of fruit trees this spring hoping to have my own fruit for canning within the next 5 years. And, even though I have air conditioning, I use it as little as possible and instead open the windows to take advantage of Mother Nature’s air conditioning, the breeze.

I felt pretty smug and sure I was doing my part.

Then I took an ecological footprint quiz on myfootprint.org and found that even with the best efforts I’ve put in, it would still take 7.46 planets to support life if everyone lives like me. It was a wake-up call for me to do much more.

So I decided to focus on one area at a time, with my electricity usage being the first thing I’m focusing on because I know my home uses too much.

My efforts are working. After a month, my electric bill is down 40 percent even though I’ve had my AC (which uses electricity) part of the time.

Here is everything I did to reduce my electricity use. Check if there are things on the list that you are not doing. If not, implement them to lower your electric bill. It’s good for your wallet and good for the environment.

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS

I no longer leave my porch light on at night and always turn the lights off when I leave a room. I thought he was pretty good at turning off the lights, but he really wasn’t. It is easy to forget if a person is not diligent about it.

TURN OFF THE TV

I used to have a habit of leaving the TV on even though I wasn’t watching it, because of the noise. Now I am learning to enjoy the tranquility. And now I’m less likely to sit and watch TV. I read more and spend more time outdoors.

DISCONNECT CHARGERS

I didn’t realize my cell phone and battery chargers were using electricity even when I wasn’t charging my phones and recharging batteries. Now I unplug them when I’m not using them.

NO MORE SLEEP MODE

I no longer put my home copier, laptop, printer, or desktop computer and monitor into sleep or power saver mode. When I’m not using them I turn them off.

DISCONNECT THE WHOLE HOUSE

Any plug that feels warm to the touch is drawing electricity even if the item is not being used, such as small appliances and space heaters. I now make liberal use of power strips for items I don’t want to have to unplug all the time, like my blender, computer, and TV, since they still draw a small amount of electricity even when turned off. It’s much easier to turn a power strip off and on than to walk around unplugging things and then plugging them back in later. Yes, maybe I’m lazy, but I know that I won’t be crawling behind the TV every day to unplug it or under the computer desk to unplug the computer every day, but rather turn on the switch on a conveniently located power strip.

GET RID OF THE CLOTHES DRYER

Clothes will last longer if they are air dried, plus it is much easier to treat stains that regular laundering may have missed on clothes that have been air dried compared to those that have been tumble dried. I’m lucky enough to have an outdoor clothesline that I use in the summer, but I also plan to air dry my clothes in the winter. My sister in law has been doing it for 20 years and has 6 kids plus a full time job. As a bonus, the drying racks double as hangers when there’s no time to fold and put clothes away. That doesn’t work with clothes left in the dryer. They quickly become a crumpled mess if they are not folded or hung.

UNPLUG THE ADDITIONAL FRIDGE

We have always had a second fridge just to keep drinks cold, mostly beer. Now, instead of constantly keeping an entire box cold, which we only need once a year, we just keep a couple of cans cold in our regular fridge.

The things listed above are steps I’ve already taken, but I know I can do more and want to do more. I like having a small electric bill! Below is a list of more steps I plan to take.

SWITCH TO COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS

I currently only have a few CFLs due to their large size, but manufacturers offer a greater selection of sizes, so I no longer have any excuse not to change all my bulbs. But I’m doing it slowly and only change them when the old bulbs burn out. I think it’s a waste to change perfectly good bulbs and throw them in a landfill, no matter what type of bulb it is.

SHOP ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES

However, don’t throw away perfectly good appliances because that creates a landfill problem.

USE LOW-FLOW SHOWERHEADS AND TOILETS

WASH CLOTHES IN COLD WATER

I already do this, but I have a gas water heater and not an electric one, so this doesn’t save me money on my electric bill, but I have found that my clothes get just as clean in cold water as they are in warm or hot water. The only change I have made is to switch to a detergent formulated for cold water washing.

USE THE MICROWAVE INSTEAD OF THE OVEN OR STOVE

CLEAN AND REPLACE FILTERS REGULARLY

This includes filters, humidifiers, vacuums, furnaces, air filters, dryers, and range hoods.

RUN THE CLOTHES WASHER AND DISHWASHER ONLY WHEN FULL

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