Want to save money on your electric bill?

Our electric utility that we are with has a program each December to entice you to lower your power bill. You have to be 10% lower than your bill was the previous December and they double your discount. Now, I'm not sure of all of the ins and outs of the program here, however, I did sign up for it this year. I am competitive by nature and love to see how much lower I can get a bill.

The electric utility calculated that I was able to use up to 1075 kwh for the entire month. That was based on 10% lower than last year, and that may seem high to you, but we were building on to our home and had power tools going like mad last year. That's why I signed up for this year. I knew that there wouldn't be the tools happening as much so I knew that it was an accomplishable goal to have. 

I have taken our usage amount allotted for the month and broke it down by day. I'm pleased to say that we are currently 15 watts lower than our allowance. 

We wash in cold water, have a wood heat, hang our clothes to dry, turn off lights and all of the normal things that one would do that I am sure you are already doing. But would you like to save more? 

Here are the top 15 ideas that my utility company says can help you save electricity and a link to the other 85.

Looking for ways to save energy? Here are our suggestions; you’ll just need to put them into action.

1	Install a programmable thermostat. A properly set programmable thermostat can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 10 per cent.
2	Set back thermostats by 5°C when I’m away from home.
3	Set my heat/thermostat at 20°C when I’m at home and 18°C or lower overnight.
4	Close the flue damper on the fireplace when it’s not in use. A wood burning fireplace can actually draw heat out of the house, unless you have glass doors or an insert.
5	Use area rugs on cold floors – if my feet are warm the rest of me feels warm.
6	Put on a sweater if I feel cold rather than simply turning up the thermostat.
7	Use insulated drapes or energy-saving blinds in the winter. They help to keep the heat inside your home.
8	Open south facing blinds and drapes on sunny winter days.
9	Improve the insulation in my home. Adding insulation to your attic and basement tend to give the biggest energy savings.
10	Replace my oil furnace with a high efficiency ENERGY STAR® qualified model. High efficiency oil-furnace systems can deliver significant energy savings. Financial assistance is available from the PEI Office of Energy Efficiency.
11	Caulk and weather strip around doors, windows and attic hatches.
12	Use foam gaskets behind light switch and outlet cover plates.
13	Have my furnace cleaned once a year.
14	Avoid heating unused rooms by closing doors.
15	Landscape for energy savings. Evergreens, like pine or fir, planted on the north side of your home will provide an energy-saving windbreak.

To see the rest of the ideas check out this link.

 I must say, the conspiracy theorist in me asks me why would my electric company want to HELP me save money? Isn't this counter productive for them? Electric rates are going up constantly, we are currently at $0.15/kwh, I wonder if they put them up because of all of these measures we are taking to save electricity and now that need to make money?

Anyway, like I said, it's the conspiracy theorist in me. 

What are you doing to save electricity? 

Enjoy your day!