What's the "biggest bang for our buck" for reducing our monthly kilowatt hours?

Question

We currently use about 800 Kwh per month, and we already switched out all of our lightbulbs to compact florescent lightbulbs. What should we work on next?

Answer 1

Switching out your lightbulbs was a great idea.

Here are two valuable tips:

1. Believe it or not, by unplugging ALL of your appliances and other electrical units from the wall socket will conserve energy and reduce your monthly bill.

When you are NOT using your appliances such as your dryer, washer, tv, coffee pot, stereo, microwave, computer, electric shaver, etc. etc....these electrical "vampires" are still using energy, increasing your kilowatt per month and sucking money from your wallet.

Keep everything unplugged and watch your bank account grow from all of your savings!

2. If possible, dry your clothes at your neighborhood wash/dry outlet.

This will significantly reduce your monthly kilowatt hours....Guaranteed!

Answer 2

The items that use the most electricity are items with heating elements, and then things with motors. Reducing your laundry usage can help lower bills. Your clothers dryer usage can easily be reduced by hang-drying. Closing off rooms that aren't in use by closing vents or using handy magnetic vent covers reduce area that needs to be heated/cooled and will require less energy to make the used rooms comfortable. And here's one of my favorites - keep the refrigerator stocked! An empty fridge is less efficient than a full one - this goes for the freezer too... so go ahead and put that extra ice cream in the cart next time you go grocery shopping - it's saving you money =)

Answer 3

Reduce the amount you use your large appliances. For example, you can start washing your dishes by hand if you have a dishwasher and, if possible, you can try to reduce the amount of laundry you do by increasing the amount of clothes you put in each load. You can also replace them with newer, more energy efficient appliances.

Answer 4

Biggest bang for the bucks:

Caulk or otherwise seal cracks that are leaking air from or to the inside of your house.

Insulate/turn down your hot water heater

Programmable thermostat.

More insulation.

When you get new appliances, get efficient ones.

Better windows, if yours are solid metal, old, or leaky.

Answer 5

Electronic devices like TVs and computers are not big consumers of electricity.

The real energy hogs are:

Electric water heaters

Air conditioners

Electric furnaces

So use those less.

Answer 6

Air conditioning, if you have it, it is the biggest power hog in your house. My power use goes WAY up in summer, but it is pretty hot in Texas, your climate may be milder. My dad in coastal southern California doesn't even have air conditioning. It just doesn't get hot enough where he lives to bother with it. I think refrigerators are pretty heavy users too.

Answer 7

get an energy consumption meter plug into the out let and tells you the energy used per machine.
then get the most energy efficent ones you can afford but they will pay for themselves very quicly
you get what you pay for!

Answer 8

Fridge and Washer/Dryer are big energy hogs....get some that are more efficient.

Answer 9

Turn off all the grow lamps for your "indoor farm"

Answer 10

get rid of electric heaters at home, they are very poor, we have plenty of nat gas and its cheaper,,,so right away the nonproductive buearucrats tax it ....and they do not care about you. they want the tax money. and they know whats best for you. so be quiet and give it to them.....