Energy saving tips?

Question

I just got my first energy bill and its a little rough. I live on the 6th floor of a huge apartment complex in Chicago. What can I do/buy to use less energy other than the obvious, turn off lights..ect.

Answer 1

If you are paying for heat in your apartment then make sure you are not getting cold air coming in thru your windows. If you are then seal your leaks with caulking or shrink wrap insulation for the winter, check out your local DIY store for more info. Also don't forget to insulate any outside wall electrical outlets that might be letting in cold air. There are special insulation applications you can put on them behind the wall plates to help with this and every little bit helps. If you do your own wash in your apartment - wash in cold water with cold water soaps. I do this at home and clothing is just as clean as washing in hot water and it does save not having to heat up the hot water tank all the time. If you are using a dishwasher make sure it is full each time you use it. Reduce your heat in your apartment and put on a sweater to save energy and also reduce heat when you are not at home - this can be accomplished more effieciently if you have a timer thermostat installed.
Hope these tips helped you out.

Answer 2

How old are your windows? Can you actually feel air flowing from the edge of the window? That's probably one of the biggest sources of energy loss. Either cover your windows with those those plastic sheets, or put something along the window cracks. There are all sorts of options now at the hardware store for insulating windows.

Try switching to those fluorescent light bulbs in your lamps. They cost more up front, but they last much longer and shine brighter while using less energy.

Do you have a 12-pack of beer / pepsi / whatever sitting in the kitchen? Leave it in the fridge. A fridge that is more full is more energy efficient than an empty fridge. Each time you open an empty fridge, all the cold air sweeps out and the fridge has to expend more energy to maintain the low temp. A more loaded fridge doesn't have that problem.

Do you have any vanity lights in your apartment? I notice a lot of apartments now come with an entire set of huge vanity bulbs over the bathroom mirror. You don't need all those lights. Unscrew every other bulb enough to turn it off. That should be plenty of light.

For lights generally, clean the bulbs and the lampshades / covers every now and then, so that the light can escape easier and hence operate more efficiently. You'd be amazed how much brighter a lamp can be when the bulb is cleaned off.

Answer 3

if u r staying in top floor u can have a sky lit so that during u dont need to put lights on if this is not possible then buy solar panels to light bulbs and heat water for u with hot water apart from having shower u can clean dishes without dish washer too for when u dip utencils in hot water oil grease etc will get cleared also utencils get cleaned the hot water can cook food quicker so the electric bill will come down even clothes get cleaned at short period.

Answer 4

Get a roommate to split the bills, or you could go on the avg plan where you pay the average of all the months combined each month. Its called Smart Bill or something. Use candles instead of lights, only have computers, tv, etc on when you are watching or using them.

Answer 5

Try energy saving bulbs.

Look for the Energy Star.

Don't worry, you can always afford a energy bill.