Attention: You Cut Your Electric Bill By Almost Half!
Reader Melissa writes in to tell us that using tips from Consumerist and other sites, she cut her (admittedly outrageous) electric bill down to size. Melissa writes:
I cut my electric bill nearly in half. Here’s the story:
For more than a year, my husband and I have lived on a military base – our utilities were paid, so we really didn’t have clue as to how much electricity we actually used. So, when we bought a home in January and moved off-base and received our first electric bill I was shocked. It was $207 for 18 days ($15 was a one-time fee for who knows what) – it breaks down to $10.67 per a day. I immediately went out to Lowe’s and bought some compact fluorescent lights, turned our water heater down to 120 (it was at 145), and programmed our heater to one degree lower every part of the day. I also applied foam strips to the exterior doors and caulked some drafty areas.
We got our electric bill last week for a full 30 days and it was $177 (so $5.90 a day). Just goes to show that those small changes make a huge difference!
Thanks – keep up the good fight. Love the site.
Melissa
Learn more about cutting your utility bills inside.
Cutting your utility bills means more money for fun stuff every month. Here are some Consumerist posts that can help you be an energy miser like Melissa:
How Much Does It Cost To Leave Your Computer On?
Kill-A-Watt: Learn Which Appliances Are Costing You
Walmart Wants You To Use Power-Saving Bulbs
Saving electricity is fun. We like people who save energy. When you grow up with a dad who is an electrician, and who was so obsessed with saving electricity that he installed CFLs on motion sensor switches everywhere… you can appreciate semi-psychotic energy-saving behavior. (Even if you are semi-traumatized from having to pace the floor while doing your homework… just to keep the lights on.)
It’s sort of endearing. —MEGHANN MARCO
(Photo: Thomas Claveirole)
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