How to save money on your electricity bill
I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful for some spring sunshine.
Although we had a full store of wood for the wood burner we’ve used backup electric heating for the first time in a number of years and I’ve just had to submit my meter reading.
It wasn’t good I’m afraid, so my spring resolution is to cut back on our electricity usage.
We’ve gone back up to using around 20 units per day which isn’t good for our bank balance OR the environment.
Here are some areas I’m going to be addressing and I’d love to hear your tips.
Lights
Three days last week I went into Little Miss Green’s bedroom, midmorning, and found the curtains closed and the lights left on!
Every evening last week I went upstairs to bed to find the office lights still on.
Although we use energy efficient light bulbs it’s still wasted electricity, right?
This week, then, I’m the ‘Lights Police’. I’ll be trotting around after everyone checking those switches have been turned OFF!
Compare compare
We’re all creatures of habit who like convenience, right?
Well I’m afraid I’ve got like that with my energy supplier.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut; to ‘avoid the hassle’ of switching or simply not get around to it.
But did you know, you could save over £200 by switching suppliers?
Sites like MoneySupermarket.com make it simple to compare prices AND they will show you all the Green tariffs available so you can make a more sustainable choice.
Shower time
I’m ashamed to say that for the past 3 months there has been a shower sitting in my front porch.
I managed to get it at a knock down price post Christmas but it’s not installed yet!
I’ll be bribing talking nicely to Mr Green and asking him to actually put the shower in so we can use it for its intended purpose.
So far this winter I’ve been incredibly lazy and used the immersion tank every day, which is a huge waste of electricity.
Solar
One of my goals for this year is to get another solar panel.
You’ll be aware we already have two small panels which run the downstairs lighting, but if I could get a couple more we might be able to run the entire house.
This would mean I could hang up my ‘Lights Police’ jacket for good, and if Little Miss Green leaves the lights on too much, well, she might just suffer ‘lights out’ earlier than anticipated!
What about you? What steps are you taking to reduce your electricity consumption at the moment?
as the winter was so mild in the US Midwest, we relaxed our usual energy consumption habits toward march…
but i would like to save for next winter’s bills, i anticipate how cold it may get; so, back to belt squinching..no more lights on in other room..no oven on for just one meal, unless it helps to keep kitchen comfortable..
our are tiny escapades from the strict routines, but i know how good it feels to be prepared for eventuality..and reap a little security as well in our green lives.
in a rural area, we have no choice of provider (the city)..they obtain the electricity from those huge wind minds on the plains horizon..plenty of wind here.
This winter, we put our heating thermostat down another degree. Also, we reset our heating timer regularly throughout the winter, to cut down on the hours the heating was on when the weather was less cold. I now dress and undress by the light of a table lamp rather than putting the main light on. This does not cause me any inconvenience, and, although it is only a small saving each day, it does mount up over the months. I have also reduced the amount of water I have in the bath to about 3 inches, and an absolute maximum of 4 inches, and have a bath only about once every 4 days on average, which I find quite sufficient. After all, when my grandmother was young, she used to have a bath just once a week in a tin bath in front of the fire. Also, I am sure I use less water in the bath than I would use in the shower. In colder weather, if I have a shower, I tend to spend longer than I need in there, showering my body with hot water in a vain attempt to get warm! I wash my hair in the wash basin rather than the bath, and do most of the rinsing in cold water. What would be wonderful would be good storage batteries in which we could store enough energy from solar panels to be self-sufficient and meet all our energy needs for the year.
@nadine sellers: Wow, no choice of provider? I wouldn’t like that so much. We’re the same for telephone and pay well over the odds through lack of choice.
@Jane: Hi Jane, thanks for sharing all your ideas – I’m a big fan of those tiny changes that add up to significant impact over time. I quite like having those shallow baths but it’s not energy wise for us as I have to heat an entire immersion tank worth of water anyway, so I might as well lie back and enjoy! I agree; wouldn’t it be wonderful to store all that power until needed 🙂