People always ask me why my electric bill is so low. In summer, it’s about $30.00, in winter, maybe $40. When my older daughter comes home with her electric hair straightener, blow dryer and other gadgets, it goes up, but never past $50. Friends tell me their bills are $100 or more all year round. As much as you ask me why mine is so low, I have to ask why yours is so high!
Here’s my electricity scenario.
> I have CFLs in fixtures that are on a lot. That is where they do the most good.
> I have two TVs. One is on a power strip that gets turned off when it’s not in use (and it’s not used much). The other is in my daughter’s room and is on most of the evening.
> We have two laptops that are plugged in most of the time.
> We have two cell phones that don’t need charging every day.
> I have a toaster, microwave and coffee pot that are unplugged when not in use.
> I have satellite dishes for TV and internet.
> I don’t have a clothes dryer. I hang laundry outside in good weather and on racks inside in bad weather.
> I have a Sunfrost refrigerator. My energy audit said it ‘squeezes kilowatts until they scream’. When I put this fridge in a rental back in 1998, it cut my electricity bill in half! I’m guessing a conventional refrigerator would jack up your bill.
> I keep lights off in rooms or areas I’m not using.
> I have a lot of windows for natural light so I don’t need to turn on lights during the day. I shared an office with a woman a few years ago. She would close the blinds and turn on a lamp! It made me crazy!
> My solar hot water system has a pump to move the glycol around the panel and the hot water tank.
What’s your scenario? I’m curious to see the difference!
