In my last post, I went through ways that I could stop spending my money and start saving it. After getting my electric bill last month, however, I now realize that I missed one big thing that’s just eating my money away.
Now, my electric company – the lovely bunch of people they are - did just raise their rates for electricity, but after taking a look at my bill, I know that’s not the only thing causing the increase. Basically, I went from about $50 a month to about $80. My math might be wrong here, but that looks like about a $30 increase, and it’s not all caused by the nasty electric company. It’s obvious to me now that my household is using entirely too much electricity.
During the last couple days, I took a little tour of my house, trying to spot our problem areas. I was actually surprised at what I found…
- Three Cell Phone Chargers Plugged In
Somehow we had left these chargers plugged into the wall sockets, without them actually being connected to any phones. Here’s the best part though – we only have two cell phones, one of which gets used regularly. I know that these don’t waste enough electricity to make a huge difference, but they are energy suckers, nonetheless. - Two Televisions – One of Them On
We have two medium sized televisions in our apartment. One of them is the dedicated movie TV, and the other is hooked to our Wii and Playstation for the kids. My darling children have gotten into the habit of simply leaving the game TV on whenever they walk away, partly because they don’t want to “lose their spots” in the games they were playing. The logic escapes me, but it also brings me to my next find… - Two Game Consoles – Both of Them On
Again, not huge electricity wasters, big still energy suckers. - One Laptop – Plugged in With a Screen Saver Running
Who did that? Guilty! Unlike T, I have a terrible habit of just leaving my laptop plugged in and on – all the time. I think my laptop gets shut off maybe once or twice a month, if it’s lucky. I know, it’s terrible on the old girl, but I still do it. - Lights Left On
Upon further inspection of my home, I found that *someone* (not pointing any fingers) left lights on in the dining room, bathroom, entry way, and both of my children’s rooms. Keep in mind that this was in the middle of the day. I don’t know who would do such a thing! Also, my children insist on having a light on in either the dining room or the kitchen, because like many children and myself, they are afraid of the boogie man. - Clean Clothes in the Dirty Laundry
Another habit my children have snuck it at some point in time is throwing their clean clothes into the dirty laundry basket. What fun! I don’t know if they do it because they aren’t sure whether the clothes are clean or dirty, if they just don’t feel like folding them, or if they just like messing with me. I’m guessing it’s a combination of the latter two. Either way, I still wash them – partly because I’m not sure whether they’re clean or dirty, and partly because if they were actually clean before they hit the basket, they’re dirty afterward.
So, there are my observations after my initial home inspection. Now, what am I going to do about it?
Well, the answer to the first four problems can be summed up in two words: power strips! The cell phone chargers, TV’s, game consoles, and laptop are all going to be plugged into power strips. Not only do televisions and most other electronics use electricity when they’re on, but they also draw “phantom power” when they are turned “off”. Apparently, electronics that can be controlled with remotes – like televisions and DVD players – are two of the biggest culprits, along with electronics with digital clocks and LCD screens. Sneaky little suckers, aren’t they? Switching off the power strips when these electronic devices aren’t in use actually turns them off off even when they’re…well, off.
There’s only one solution for the light problem. It’s time for another “kid lecture”. I know how much I enjoyed the lectures my father gave me when I was a child, and I’m sure my children find mine just as inspiring and entertaining. Also, to solve the “light at night” problem, I think I’ll just opt for a couple ingenious little contraptions called “nightlights”.
Laundry problem? same thing – lecture time. Although, since the weather is finally getting nicer, I think it’s about time to install a clothes line in my postage stamp backyard. I figure this little maneuver will help cut down on the electricity used by my dryer when my darling little ones attempt to ignore my laundry lecture.
Hopefully these little tactics will help me use less electricity and stop paying outrageous electric bills.
Take a look around your house sometime? What could you and your family do to use less electricity?
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