Can anyone give me some helpful tips on cutting my electric bill in half?

Question

You know, do laundry at a certain time or on a certain day, but not limited to that only one.

Answer 1

Actually I can. Use a car battery. Just remove the plastic from around the wires and attach like you would a car battery.

Answer 2

You do not give a lot of helpful information about specific uses in your home, but generically speaking you could raise the setting on your thermostat so the AC doesn't run too much. Turn lights off when not in the room. Switch to flourescents as much as possible. Run the dishwasher only with full loads. Do laundry during off-peak hours. Line dry clothes instead of using the dryer.
Good luck.

Answer 3

I do my laundry at night or early morning...doesnt matter what day. We installed quality windows and doors (got the tax break on these last year), made sure everything was caulked for leaks, use flourescent bulbs, turn off lights, tv, computer, etc when not in use, added insulation in the attic, and installed a programmable thermostat. We cut our bill by about 40% doing these things. The original expense will pay off for us in the long run. I am sure there are lots more energy saving things you can do. Good luck!

Answer 4

Time of day will not affect your bill unless you have a Time Of Use (TOU) Electric Meter

If you have a clothes dryer, do not use it on warm, sunny days.

Replace incadescent bulbs with equivalent Compact fluorescent Lamps.

Use cold water wash/rinse as much as possible in the clothes washer

If you have Air Conditioning (A/C), turn the thermostat up to 26C - 28C (78F - 80F). Close drape/curtains through the day and keep doors and windows closed as much as possible through the day.

If the night temperature drops to 15C (59F) or lower, turn off your A/C, open the windows to get a good cross draft, open curtains/drapes to allow air flow. In the day, close the windows and the drapes/curtains. Do not turn on the A/C unless the temperature raises above 28C (80F) and/or humidity becomes unbearable.

Turn off TV sets and pull the plug if they are instant on (almost no warm-up time for the picture to come on)

Hope this helps

Good Luck

Answer 5

Find out when your peak hours are and limit your laundry to hours other than that. Use cold water...the less hot water you use during the day...the less your electric has to be used for your water heater. Do only full loads and full dishwasher fulls of dishes if you use a dishwasher. Use fans to help cool your home if you have central air keep it at a modest 78 or so. Ceiling fans will help circulate the air. If you have air on...do not leave windows or doors open...obvious...don't leave lights on in every room...shut off unwatched televisions etc...put your computer in hibernation mode when not in use during the day. Also, invest in CFLs (compact flourescent lights) in all light fixtures and look for energy efficient appliances.

Answer 6

You can get those swirly florescent lights. I hear those cost less than the incandescent lights.

And unplugging things when you aren't using them also helps. Did you know you still use some electricity when it's plugged in?
You don't have to move a whole couch or something if a plug is behind something, just the easy ones, like the toaster or coffee maker and stuff

Answer 7

also.. what kind of heating do you have..

if you have baseboards, change them if you can.

shut your heat off at the breaker. ( I was taught this many years ago. Back then I had base board heating and it made a huge difference. Now its a habit and I just do it when the summer heat comes around)

there are other things to look at.

some chargers (like game, phone, etc) unplug them when they're not in use. There are some kinds that still pull power when not charging.

Your television and stereo set up.. Make sure you turn off all.. example... the cable box left on and tv is off.. vcr on and tv is off ..

Hope some of this helps..

Good luck

Answer 8

Use the light bulbs that takes 13 watts instead of 60 watts for light. Dry your clothes outside. Use cold or warm water to wash your clothes. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Don't go to sleep with your TV on. If you run your computer 24/7 then turn off the monitor when not working with it.

Answer 9

This will work no matter what time of day you do laundry.
Get your bill and hold it in one hand, and then grab a pair of scissors with the other hand and cut down the middle once. This should give you the results you're looking for.

Answer 10

Replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. If you can, replace older appliances with new Energy Star units. Raise your a/c or shut it off when not at home. Insulate your home with the highest r-rating insulation available. Consider installing solar panels to generate your own power. You may be eligible for state and federal tax credits if you do so.