what can I do to lower my electric bill right now?

Question

My electric bill looks like the Nation Debt.
What are some things I can do to maker a difference right now?

come on peepers Star me

Answer 1

get some fans....ceiling fans or whatever. keep your shades down, especially if you are gone all day at work or something, also turn the air off when your at work or whatever. open them slightly so you can still get some sun in. at night we turn off the air and put a box fan in the window and close our bedroom door. so it is cool in the room. our air is on 80. with the blinds down it stays pretty cool and with them only slightly open we get enough sunlight in that we don't have the lights on much until it gets dark.

Answer 2

Along with all these wonderful suggestions, there are a few missing.
A full refrigerator uses less energy to cool than one that barely has anything in it. So, store those extra juice and water bottles IN the fridge.
All those little lights on your systems, you know the ones on the tv, the cable box, the Tevo, the stereo, ETC, all those lights are using electricity, because they store energy to give you that "quick, instant" on. So, put these things on a power strip. If you're gone for the day, or especially for a weekend, just turn off the power strip, not the TV, etc. You will save according to the number of items you have that store energy. Remember, each tv, etc.
And the water heater's a big one unless you've a gas one. We've got the radiant coils that just heat the water on an as needed basis, hangs on the garage wall, and don't have a big ole water heater tank. But, if you've a tank, be sure it's set to the correct temp, and insulated well. BUT, if you've got a dishwasher and use it, DON'T turn your water temp down too far. The dishes won't get clean. Then you'll be wasting water and Electircity to rewash them.
The the ever popular ceiling fan especially if you have an airconditioner.
And it can be used in the winter too, and make sure you check that furnace filter regularly.
Good luck with taming the National Debt.

Oh, and as far as drying the clothes outside, maybe, maybe not. Some schools of thought say dryers are more economical due to the sun fading and causing fabric to disinegrate more rapidly. So you have to replace them more frequently.

Answer 3

Neon Lights
The oldish ones that are circles and strew in will last long time and use 1/2 or less of the power of heat bulbs.
LED is even better, but they are cheap, gotta get the price up on them before they go mass market.
If Thermostat is at XX turn it down, less cooling by 15 degrees.
Thermostat,we can live in 80-90 degree summer and 60-70 winter easily.
Put up a Clothesline and start using it.
Rather than using 2 burners to make eggs and bacon, use one, cook the bacon, then the eggs, same pan, same burner.
In the daytime there is not really a need to turn a light on.
Storm Doors
Storm Windows
It is like double paneing everything
Are three TVs on?
Three cable boxes?
Two?
Not needed
It is a matter of Need and Want.

Answer 4

wanna save some money & time buy 130 V lightbulbs since the avg voltage is around 120 volts, using 130 V bulbs means that the lightbulb is only at about 91% of it's rated power, and therefore will last longer than an 120V bulb operating at 100% (If you really wanna make a lightbulb last for years, get double the wattage needed, and put a diode in series with the lightbulb - IOW, if you need 100 watts, get a 200 watt bulb, get a 3 amp 300 V silicon diode, and put the diode on the light switch, here's how - take one of the wires off of the switch, put the diode on the switch where the wire was, now use a wire nut to connect the other end of the diode to the removed wire - done now you have a 100 watt output since the diode cuts the voltage in half - and a bulb operating at 50% will last for years *__* )

Answer 5

Be more conservative with your usage. Try doing laundry all on the same day or better yet hang them outside. The sun is a natural sanitizer and gets your whites really bright. Turn your air up when you're not home. Take tepid showers not hot ones. Try to avoid using the stove so much because it will heat your house up. Run ceiling fans. Takes some pressure off the ac and it doesn't run as much. Buy some black out shades or keep your blinds closed.

Answer 6

Probably your biggest consumer of electricity will be your hot water. There are one or two things you can check to see if that is using more than it should. If you have a hot water cylinder and it's connected to the mains pressure then there should be a pressure valve below the cylinder to lower the pressure going into the cylinder, or if it's mains pressure then it should be at the top. Check and see that there isn't any water leaking out the top pipe. Check the thermostat to see what temperature it's set at, you shouldn't need more than 50 degrees C (122F) .
Shower rather than bathe and when boiling the jug use cold water. Heating the water twice wastes power.

Answer 7

Those expensive flourescent light bulbs really do use less electricity for the same amount of light. And they have a bonus....the energy you save doesn't heat up the house like it used to, which means your cooling bill goes down. And conventional cooking of all kinds heats up the kitchen and the rest of the house, so if you use a microwave to cook with in the summer you get the same bonus you got with the light bulbs....the A/C runs less often.

Answer 8

Use energy efficient light bulbs. Do laundry at night time and all in one day. If you aren't in a room turn the light/t.v. off. That will also save the Polar Bears. Leave your air conditioning at 73 degrees or put it on power saver.

My friend says to put your electric bill in the neighbors mail box and maybe you will get lucky and they will pay it for you. Just a little late night humor.

Answer 9

Move from electric things to non-electrical..

Use candles and oil lanterns or gas lanterns. Cook over live flames, possibly even in a fireplace or an old wood cookstove.

Heat with gas, oil, or coal, even with LP gas.

Use manual fans for ventilation and comfort. The British army at one time used moving slats that waved back and forth making a breeze, when driven by a servant or slave.

Look in antique stores and shops and flea markets specializing in old stuff; can often find a lot of good mechanical stuff, requiring only muscle power.

Run a wire around your electric meter!! Not legal, but effective. And when caught you will have no electric bills for your stay in the city jail!

Answer 10

Open your windows for light and air. Get a fan if you don't have one already. I don't use my air conditioner at all during the day (yeah I know it's weird because it's colder at night but I can't sleep without tundra-like conditions). Make the most out of your laundry loads and dishwasher loads instead of using it for one or two items. Use the energy saver dryer on the dishwasher instead of heated dry and use a cold water detergent for the washing machine. If you can, hang a clothes line and air dry clothes when you can. Keep the lights off and if you can use them without getting headaches switch to CFL bulbs, but be careful not to break them and ask the store how to dispose of them (they contain mercury). Try to not use the oven often. You can pick up an elecric burner (about 10 bucks) for boiling water, pasta, etc and it will save a lot of electricity. Remember to turn off lights and the A/C when you leave the house. And ease yourself into taking colder showers.

Whoever said to get rid of hair dryer, iron etc...DREAM ON!!!