is it possible to have a $30-35 light bill when owning a 3 bedroom house? How?

Question

My wife and I are having a debate on whether a light bill can be between$30-$35 dollars when owning a house. I believe it can if we change the light bulbs to halogen or led bulbs and turn of the lights in rooms that are not occupied.

Answer 1

Lots of good suggestions here ... if your refrigerator is more than seven to ten years old, consider replacing it. Years ago, I shaved $20 a month off of my light bill with a new refrigerator ... your mileage may vary.

Wall warts ... all of those chargers that are conveniently plugged in waiting to recharge cell phones, cameras, etc. are sucking juice when not in use.

All of the components that are connected to the TV - the video recorders, the cable or satellite box, etc., are sucking juice even when not on. When you shut down your computer, be sure to turn the printer off, too. Even in "resting" mode it is sucking juice.

If turning off your computer each time you go for a cup of coffee is inconvenient, consider powering down at least the monitor ... check your owner's manual for recommendations on this.

Of course, you need enough light to see where you are walking, and you probably need some kind of lighting for security. Consider CFL and LED fixtures where appropriate.

Be sure everyone in the house is trained to turn on only the appropriate lights ... you might want to consider disabling some switches either with duck tape or by purchasing a little gizmo that attaches to the wall plate and locks a light switch in one position or the other. You can override it easily with a screwdriver, but it makes you stop and think if you really want to turn that light on this time.

If you live in my house, you can't survive without air conditioning or central heat, but you can do lots to decrease its financial impact. Keep your heating and cooling units in tip top shape by having annual or semi-annual inspections by qualified professionals. Keep the filters cleaned as recommended by manufacturer, and get used to a few degrees warmer in the summer and a few degrees cooler in the winter.

Efficient kitchen use can help reduce energy bills. Consider more one-dish meals (think soup, crockpot and potroast); if you are going to use the oven, use it for more than one small casserole. Make sure the dishwasher is really full before running it. Turn of the "heated dry" cycle on the dishwasher, open it up at the end of its cycles and enjoy the extra humidity during the winter months.

If you live in an area where electricity is more costly at certain times of the day, consider using "delay start" features of dishwasher, washing machines, any other appliances possible where you can have the machines run at a cheaper time of the day. Ditto with water heaters.

Install programmable thermostat for central air and heat ... you don't need to heat or cool the house when no one is home, or when everyone is sleeping.

Come back and let us know how low you can go ...

$30 is unattainable in our area, but it would be interesting to see what percentage reduction you achieve.

Answer 2

YES

depending on where you live and how much you wish to spend on some neat systems.

Just replacing all the lights with money savers can reduce the cost by about 30 - 35 dollars a month. However just doing this wont likely get you a 30 dollar light bill.

Remember you have the hot water heater, cooking equipment, heating/cooling equipment, dryer. These are all the most energy hungry. Now if you have gas for all these then another yes to the energy bills.

Now you can get an even lower bill then 30 dollars a month if you get an elaborate electrical system with other means of power, like wind turbine, solar panels, etc. but the initial cost is huge. Some people even get money back for putting electricity back in the grid.

And I dont care what anyone tells you. Slap that woman and or kids on the butt and make them aware that we are in a crisis. We use too much electricity as is. We need to be more mindful of what we use. The reason electricity and other fuel sources are on the rise in cost is because we use too much and are wasteful.

Check out this book, Sunshine to Dollars. You can check out this site too for energy saving tips and alternate fuel sources.
www.KnowledgePublications.com

Answer 3

Most electric bills consist of delivery and services charges, which are actually higher (sometimes double) of the actual cost of the energy itself. If your bill is $100 per month, up to $60 can be delivery costs.


When my family had an energy usage audit done on our home,, it was calculated that my family and I could save about one third of our expenses per month by changing all of our light fixtures to energy saving cfl and changing our new electric water heater to oil fired, and getting a new furnace.

The water heater was less than one year old, energy star rated, and the furnace was less than four months old, also highly efficiency rated. (Naturally, we decided not to change these, considering the auditing company wanted to sell us products from one of their "recommended energy partners...")

We have changed our light bulbs, wrapped the water heater, and lowered our heat, and no longer have air conditioning in our home and have seen a savings of twenty-five dollars or thirty dollars per month, bringing our bill down below $100 per month.

We do not keep lights on in unused rooms, do not keep draining appliances and chargers plugged in, and never have. Electricity has gone up in price nearly 12%, so if you factor that in, the savings would be greater, based on previous years.

We do reside in an area where we have to heat during the winter, so we cannot cut back on that any further. The changes have made a difference, but not to the point that there is that low of a bill every month.

The only people that I know off that have electric bills in the $35 range, are renting studio apartments, or tiny homes that are cottage size. If you have electric heat, that is where the bulk of your expense is, if you live in an area with a heating season.

A lot of appliances add to the electric costs also, the refrigerator, freezer, electric stove, dishwasher and even your computer, so those are all considerations also.

The changes have helped a bit, and we like the fact that we are helping the environment with some slight changes on our part.

You can check with your local electrical supplier, they have lists of expenses for various size homes available for public viewing. This may give you more of an idea what your actual savings will be.

Good luck and have a good day.

Answer 4

It depends on where you live. I lived in the South Carolina Area. I say it's very realistic if you manage your use of electicity. For example, I found that hot water use contributes significantly and cutting the quantity will reduce your bill. Even though replacing light bulbs with flourescent ones and turning off when not in use will save some electricity; I think more than the lights, the use of your TV , Stove, Electric Heater and other appliances contributes more to your bill. For example, my bill in September was $26; but I also live alone in an old 3 bed room house that is not energy efficient. My bill goes up in winter when I use electric heat I use, but not when I use kerosene heaters; but if you have an oil or gas furnace, you can easily do it.

Answer 5

You must not own a home. There is no possibility of that low a bill unless you are talking room by room and even then it's not happening. The surcharges alone will be that with any electric company. My smallest apartment 20 years ago was more expensive than that. If you are arguing over an electric bill, you aren't ready for the real bills that are going to hit you when you own a home. Do more homework.

Answer 6

Well, the lights aren't the only thing to consider with an electric bill. Will you have an electric water heater, furnace, air conditioner, stove? Do you use a computer, t.v., alarm clocks, microwave? Even if you answer "no" to all of those, I still doubt you could have an electric bill as low as $35, but I guess anything is possible if you're determined to do it.

Answer 7

Sure during summer mine drops to $70 with electric water heater dryer so the $35 is doable. I replaced every light I could with hallogans , put timer on my water tank . Just before prices went up . So I saw no difference.

But they last I date mine and some are going on 9 yrs .

So if you don't use lights only when needed. and have gas dryer/heater its all oingto depend on what fees they charge you

Answer 8

It is possible but you will likely wind up being single of you do.
Hot water has to go, the electric dryer...history, the electric range and oven...think take out and heat (even just the circulator fan) is out.
You may be able to do it if you live in Arizona or Mexico but if not, you'd better get ready to buy the wife a GOOD dinner out.

Answer 9

Change the light bulbs to LED might be a good idea.

Answer 10

You can definitely drop your bill. I just followed the utility company's suggestions and changed light bulbs too. Mine went down around $30.00.