I first posted about ways to save money on our electric bill here. Our 12 months bill averaging just closed this month so I have very positive results to share!
Budget billing is where they average your bill for 11 months and then you settle any usage difference in the 12th month. We prefer budget billing so that we know each month what the electric bill is going to be since living in the South- the AC is crucial but can run the bill up! True, we pay more during months that we aren't running the AC but we can budget each month with no surprises.
Normally, we break even or owe anywhere from $150 to $300 more in the 12th month. I decided to raise the AC temp a little from 76-78 and as I posted in the above post- unplug appliances and items not used daily plus making sure everything was cut off when we left the house.
Guess how much we owe this month after these small changes the past few months? NADA and in fact- we have a $162.00 credit! So no electric bill this month and our budget average has gone down $25.00 so the $162.00 credit will take care of July's bill as well! Not too shabby to only pay your electric bill 10 months of the year versus 12!
Of course, the decrease in our monthly average will make it harder to do a repeat but I have already made a couple of changes this year now that the AC is back on. I've raised the AC downstairs to 80 because it stays much cooler than the 2nd level and I will change the AC to 80 upstairs when we are leaving the house. I just go up and get the air running when we get home to cool things off and get the air circulating. Why cool off space if there is no one here?
Just proof that baby steps and changes will add up and make a difference!!
Do you have any utility money saving tips? Comment and share please! Each comment is an entry into the $100 Grocery Gift Card contest from Cellfire and Southern Coupon Belle!
2 comments:
I've become a nut for turning off ceiling fans in rooms not being used after reading your post a year ago. I also unplugged all the non-used appliances (toaster, Kitchen Aid, etc). I also have turned off the monitor on the server, and we now shut down the remaining computers each night. Our bill dropped about $25-$40 a month. Thank you!
We also changed out regular lightbulbs with the CFD ones (the curly ones). They work great in porch and patio lights, as well as in ones I don't turn on all the time (over the sink, for instance). I also have on a table lamp that has a darker bone colored shade, and its light is comparable to a regular bulb. You often can get them free at the drugstores with coupon and sale matchups.
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