Baby Lucky Baby: Learning to use less electricity (50 ways)

This month it is our goal to see how little electricity we can use. I thought it would be a fun challenge as it would make us aware of how much we rely on it. It also would help us learn ways to cut back and do with less. I also thought it would be fun to see just how much money we might be able to save.

Currently I believe our Electric bill is around $150 a month. We get a statement each month that shows how much we used from the 19th of one month to the 19th of the next. It also shows how much was used the year previous. We are starting today to try to be extremely efficient and I will be reporting on various things we do and then when we get our statement I will share how well it actually went.

Here is a list of ways that we can save on electricity. I am putting the things we have already been regularly doing in GREEN, things that we have been working on but we want to improve at will be BLUE, things that we want to try will be TAN and things that can save on electricity but are not our style or I don't think we will be attempting for some time will be RED.

COOKING

When cooking with pots on the stove, keep lids on them. This conserves a lot of energy and so you use less. Also match the pan size to that of the burner.

Keep the microwave clean (inside) to maximize efficiency. (This maybe should be blue, but I'll go with green!)

Do all the baking on one day(each week). I have done this fairly well with my breads and desserts but for this month I want to only turn the oven on once a week total.

Don't bother pre-heating the oven. For most things it is fine to stick the stuff in immediately.

Use a crockpot instead of the oven. Microwaves are also more energy efficient.

Use a solar oven. (We recently made one from boxes and have been doing a little experimenting but have quite a lot to learn still. )

Turn off pots of food that have lids shortly before they are done cooking and let it finish cooking with the heat that is still there. Also turn off the oven slightly before the stuff is done baking.

Cook outside over a campfire. We have grand plans for all sorts of cooking and baking.

Unplug the toaster and other appliances when not in use.

Become a raw food vegan and you won't have to cook anything! (this is not in our future.)

Other Kitchen Stuff

Don't stand with the Fridge open while you contemplate what to make for supper.

Thaw frozen foods in the fridge. It thaws much slower but it helps cool the fridge in the process.

Keep fridge and freezer full. (Even with jugs of water or ice)

Allow leftovers to cool before putting them in the fridge.

Raise the thermostat on your fridge. (a lower number) It might not need to be as cool as you think. You don't want food to spoil though either.

Clean the condenser coils on the back of the fridge.

Defrost your freezer.

Check the seals around the door to make sure they are nice and tight.

Run only full loads in the dishwasher.

Don't use the Dry Cycle on the dishwasher. (You can open the door to allow them to air dry.

Around the House

Don't leave the TV going. Our general rule is that only Ken turns it on and that is generally just in the morning while he exercises and at night before bed.

Lower your hotwater heaters temperature to 120 degrees.

Try to use the Air conditioner as little as possible. It is always my goal to go all summer without it. (Though I wouldn't try it if I lived in some southern climates!)

When it is hot see how warm you can manage and when it is cold see how much you can layer on instead of heating.

Skip using electrical entertainment or music. Make your own instead.

Change the filter on the air conditioner/furnace every month.

Unplug things like CD players, lamps, etc when not in use.

Turn off computer when you won't be using it for an hour or more. Even if you don't turn it all off, turn off the monitor.

Flush your hot water heater every 6 months. He explains it here.

Laundry

Wash your clothes in warm or cold instead of hot and use a cold rinse.

Skip out on ironing.

Run only full loads of laundry.

If you use the dryer use the Moisture sensing setting so that it will automatically go off when they are dry rather than just drying for a certain amount of time.

Empty the lint trap on your dryer with every load.

Rewear your clothes so you don't have to wash as often. Use towels over too.

Line dry your clothes. I do this quite a bit but I want to do it more. I would like to get it so I only dry one load per week in the dryer which would be Ken's dress shirts so that I don't have to iron them.

When you do use the dryer, run loads back to back so that the dryer is still hot.

In the Bathroom

Skip using a blow dryer.

While you are at it, skip the curling iron or straightener too.

For baths, don't fill it full of hot water. A couple of inches works just fine for the kids.

Take shorter showers. My normal shower is 6 minutes. This month my goal is to get down to 4 minutes or even less.

Rinse off in cold water. I have heard it is good for your hair. I am sure it is invigorating for you too!

Lighting

Change to florescent bulbs. (We do still have a few that aren't, but most of them are.)

Don't use high wattage bulbs where they aren't needed.

Don't leave outdoor lights on unless someone needs them.

Do without night lights. (this is just a personal preference as we don't feel the need for them.)

Keep lights and fixtures clean so what you do use, is efficient.

Turn the lights off and enjoy the natural lights from the windows.

Spend time outdoors in the natural light.

Enjoy supper by candlelight. (I am really enjoying the candles held up by pebbles in a clear vase. I saw the idea in a book and am loving it - you can see the pictures above.)