FC Community
Discussion Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: amyDAST on August 17, 2016, 11:58:57 am
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When TLC had the extreme cheapskate show on I would laugh at most of the ways people would go to the extreme to save money. I however did get really interested on the peak hours of the electric company. Our electric bill was always over $150.00 & the amounts this lady spent was so shocking to me. Of course I didn't get my bill as low as she did but I did make changes that really helped & lowered my bill under a $100.00.
Here is what I have been doing, using major appliances during off peak hours. (go to your electric company website & it will tell you when your off peak hours are in your area or whatever company you may use)
I only wash clothes in cold water on medium setting.
I only use the clothes dryer if I really have to (raining outside). A clothes line might be old time but considering how much it costs to run a dryer even on off peak hours is a huge chunk of the electric bill!
Unplug small appliances you do not use daily as they suck small amounts of electric. Not much but every outlet used even when item is NOT IN USE, still uses a small amount of electricity.
Are there anyways you have found to cut your electric bill down?
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I live in the state of Florida and have Teco electric. I am a single person with no kids and my bills has been 165 to 170 which is outrages !!!
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I live in the state of Florida and have Teco electric. I am a single person with no kids and my bills has been 165 to 170 which is outrages !!!
WOW! I would look on Teco website on ways to save. During summer it's not so easy though.
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I try to save on electric, but hubby is just as unconcened, so i go behind him turning out the lights, why he turns then on when we have plenty of ligh in the house i will never know, then i have to watch to make sure he does not leave the lights on in the barn at night. Watch when i wash clothes and do dry some on the lines. But the biggest saver to me is having the water heater on gas instead of electric. It is the only item that is on gas.
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I'm just conscious about what I leave on without being too OCD about it.
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I live in texas mine are about 70-100 each month not really outrageous but i have heard some other friends bills in other states 4-500 a month
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My bill averages $150 to $200 a month. I don't have city water, have a well. This is good, no water bill, but....the well runs on electric so every time you turn on a faucet, flush a toilet, take a shower, do laundry your electric bill grows and grows. With the extreme heat thus summer the AC has been in 24/7 and my last brill was close to $300 (which us high even for us).
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I live in Southern MS. My electric bill went up to almost 300.00 one month. We are now on an average monthly billing program and pay 222.00 each month. That is much better than those we received which were close to 300.00. I do have a pool that I need to run the pump daily 8 to 10 hours. My pool is open from first week of May and I close it last week of September. When I close it we run the pump 1 or 2 hours a day.
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I did the update to the house thing too. It helped lower I will see this winter.
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i have teco i pay 50 to 100 dollars. you should check your AC and anything that will cz you to pay more.
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Thank you for the information. Good advice thanks again.
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sometimes leave the AC on that will help you save. Do not keep turning off or on just leave it on. I also bought metal halide bulb
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i got to have electric so i just pay it,,,turn stuff off when not in use
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Time to switch to Solar Energy I guess, My bills have been hitting the 200$+ range. I remember My Electric Bill never hitting the 135$+range. :(
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I've been doing that as well. Using cold water to wash, hanging more items outside and adjusting the thermostat. I don't see HUGE savings but at least a nice change from last year.
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My current, just paid, electric bill was for $115.82. It surprise me that an electric bill can get so high when the electricity (Coop) has so many outages during the month. I can't complain too much. When I lived in Galveston, TX my electric bill was $598 for a one bedroom apartment with nothing running during my 12 hour a day work shifts. Prior to that I lived in Longview, similar apartment and the elec. bill was always under $50. It's hard to unplug to save. Unplugging a lot of tech often requires a long start up and sometimes a reprogramming.
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My biggest and most expensive problem is my fiance who gets hot and sweats easily when the outside temp goes above 80 degrees. Well, in the summer it is above 80 degrees most of the time. Guess who has to have the air conditioner on or else he is complaining. Since he moved in my electric bills have been about $40-$50 dollars higher each month this summer. He also can't leave a room and remember to turn off the lights or a fan if he has one running.
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We have everything on surge protectors that we turn off when we are done using it. My electric bill runs 70 to 100 a month in the summer, we run 3 window Ac. I have now dryer everything is hung out side. My biggest saver was getting rid of my 30 year old appliances.
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I totally try and save electricity. My bill is on an equal payment plan so right now it's at $160/month. At the end of the cycle, it will either charge me or credit me depending on my usage. I usually pay a bit more each month so by the time the summer rolls around I have enough credit not to pay during that time.
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My electric bill runs between $70 to 80 dollars a month. I leave my AC at 78 degrees and use the ceiling fans and it seems to help keep the cost down.
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I'm really interested to hear what you have to say about saving money on your electric bill. I have been wanting a washing line for my back patio for the longest time, but for whatever reason it hasn't happened yet. I recall watching my electric meter clock up electricity and I noted that when I put my dryer or my kettle on, it whizzed by at such a pace it was like putting all my electrics on all at the same time. Lights etc made little difference to my bill, but the difference to my bill when I used my dryer, was astonishing.
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Those are all really good ideas. Thank you.
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I iive in an all electric house so trying to save on electricity is almost impossible - plus the fact that the climate where I live in the Southwest is always hot.
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In Ca its seems high mine in the summer with the air on all day its 300.00. I seen a news story about a guy who has a smartmeter we have one also.His bill was 900.00 to 1200.00 a month and went up to 1400.00. After i got up from falling off the chair i went to the channel it was on to see the story agin but couldn't find it. Can you imagine maybe he has a huge house that seems terrible.
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i am on a budget plan and this year, it's $111 a month. Last year's bill was $122 a month on budget. The garage is a separate bill that hubby pays and it runs around $40-$60 a month. He has an old fridge for his beer and our chest freezer plus all his power tools and welding equipment. He doesn't use the tools every day so his average bill is around $45
I had an electric cooktop but now I have propane. i still have electric oven but I try not to use it. I do have an old upright freezer that I know uses a lot of electricity and would love to get a newer one. I'd also love to get rid of my old oven ('85). I'd love to get rid of my 'fridge and get a new one. Mine is from '93, but prices are so out of reach that I'm patiently watching for both a used oven and a used 'fridge. I bought a new dishwasher 2 years ago since my old one was falling apart. (It was 20 years old.)
Since it's only 2 of us and we have tons of clothes, I really only have to do the wash once a month and I do it during the night/early morning hours. It's only one dryer load, 3 at the most. I begged for outdoor lines but he put them on the porch above the grills, so I couldn't use them to hang slacks, towels, or sheets. We have no other place to put them since we live in the woods.
Our old TV (18 years old) died last year so we got a new one that states it should only cost $9-%40 a year to use, but since I rarely sleep, it certainly won't be $9 as it's on 24/7. :)
THe house is 3/4 underground so air conditioning is only necessary when it gets near 100 and then I only need it for about 4 hours a day. I keep the doors shut and use fans during the day. The house lighting is all fluorescent except the dining area but they use the flame style incadescent which I'd like to change.
For heat, we use a small coal & wood stove in the fall before the cold days and nights, then we start the Central Boiler which is an outside wood furnace. We have it hooked up to the electric water heater, too, so our bill is a little cheaper in the winter. The wood is free. Hubby has always worked with logging and people call him when they need a tree or two taken down.
My dream is a new fridge, upright freezer and oven. I'll need to win the lottery for those items since pricing new would run the price of a "new" used car. :(
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I try to save on electric, but hubby is just as unconcened, so i go behind him turning out the lights, why he turns then on when we have plenty of ligh in the house i will never know, then i have to watch to make sure he does not leave the lights on in the barn at night. Watch when i wash clothes and do dry some on the lines. But the biggest saver to me is having the water heater on gas instead of electric. It is the only item that is on gas.
wonder if we are married to the same guy lol, I'm constantly turning lights off, closing doors, turning the temps up in the summer. my hubby could care less, it's too much bother to try to save for him
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I'm really interested to hear what you have to say about saving money on your electric bill. I have been wanting a washing line for my back patio for the longest time, but for whatever reason it hasn't happened yet. I recall watching my electric meter clock up electricity and I noted that when I put my dryer or my kettle on, it whizzed by at such a pace it was like putting all my electrics on all at the same time. Lights etc made little difference to my bill, but the difference to my bill when I used my dryer, was astonishing.
I KNOW! I never realized that the dryer used so much electricity as I was ignorant to the fact of how I was carelessly wasting hard earned money. Even washing your clothes in warm or hot water uses so much electricity. I used to think hot water is the only way to clean clothes but that's not true & many detergents now are made only for cold water use. Turning off lights saves little cent wise a month but all that adds up. Again that was facts on my electric companies website but it is also a good habit to form when raising kids!
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i am on a budget plan and this year, it's $111 a month. Last year's bill was $122 a month on budget. The garage is a separate bill that hubby pays and it runs around $40-$60 a month. He has an old fridge for his beer and our chest freezer plus all his power tools and welding equipment. He doesn't use the tools every day so his average bill is around $45
I had an electric cooktop but now I have propane. i still have electric oven but I try not to use it. I do have an old upright freezer that I know uses a lot of electricity and would love to get a newer one. I'd also love to get rid of my old oven ('85). I'd love to get rid of my 'fridge and get a new one. Mine is from '93, but prices are so out of reach that I'm patiently watching for both a used oven and a used 'fridge. I bought a new dishwasher 2 years ago since my old one was falling apart. (It was 20 years old.)
Since it's only 2 of us and we have tons of clothes, I really only have to do the wash once a month and I do it during the night/early morning hours. It's only one dryer load, 3 at the most. I begged for outdoor lines but he put them on the porch above the grills, so I couldn't use them to hang slacks, towels, or sheets. We have no other place to put them since we live in the woods.
Our old TV (18 years old) died last year so we got a new one that states it should only cost $9-%40 a year to use, but since I rarely sleep, it certainly won't be $9 as it's on 24/7. :)
THe house is 3/4 underground so air conditioning is only necessary when it gets near 100 and then I only need it for about 4 hours a day. I keep the doors shut and use fans during the day. The house lighting is all fluorescent except the dining area but they use the flame style incadescent which I'd like to change.
For heat, we use a small coal & wood stove in the fall before the cold days and nights, then we start the Central Boiler which is an outside wood furnace. We have it hooked up to the electric water heater, too, so our bill is a little cheaper in the winter. The wood is free. Hubby has always worked with logging and people call him when they need a tree or two taken down.
My dream is a new fridge, upright freezer and oven. I'll need to win the lottery for those items since pricing new would run the price of a "new" used car. :(
I would love new appliances. My washing machine, oven & fridge are older and I know they use more energy then one should but new appliances are so overpriced to me.
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My Electric bill is always high. Whether I wash in off peak hours or not, it doesn't change. As for washing my clothes in cold water, that is a no, no. I don't feel clothes are completely clean water.
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I pay a average monthly payment of 235.00 which is a lot but I have to have the AC and I have oxygen concentrator plugged in 24/7
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Wow that is amazing. We have a program in our area where you give the electric company permission to cut your power to different things during peak hours - we tried it once but it affected the coolness of our house it was very inconvenient so I would rather try what you did. Very interesting.
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Time to switch to Solar Energy I guess, My bills have been hitting the 200$+ range. I remember My Electric Bill never hitting the 135$+range. :(
I may be showing my age but I remember my electric bill only being in the $50-range. When it went up to $130 is when I went on the budget plan. I asked why my bill was higher in the winter than the summer and they said because of the furnace/heating. I asked, "What furnace? We use a wood stove." Next month, my bill was a little lower. I also had a $0 bill one month. They never noticed and it was tempting to not say anything, but it's called theft of services if you don't. So, they put a new meter in because the old one stopped working. At least I got a month's free electric service. ;D
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Is going up, due to the usage of the a/c. Can't wait until 8) fall starts.
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I usually do monthly average on electric bill so it's always consistent. Have a nice day all...
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I unplug everything that is not in use or necessary to keep plugged in. I turn lights off in rooms not being used. I keep the thermostat at a reasonable temperature year round. I would love it if our utility company would offer discounts to use electricity at various non-peak times. I wouldn't mind doing laundry at midnight if I could save $$!
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My electric bill has been lower this year because I'm only home 2 weekends a month. The rest of the time I'm at my daughter's house keeping her baby. When I'm not home in the summer I turn the thermostat up for the A/C and in the winter I cut it down low.
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I use a programmable thermostat. Also keep all but one light on when I'm at home. I don't do anything major, but my bill is pretty affordable, usually around $75-$80.