Painful Electrical Bills
Posted by Carol Hart on Fri, Jul 10, 2009 @ 12:46 PM
My electric bill is causing me great pain. Every time I open that
familiar envelope, my stomach clenches, and I start having difficulty
breathing. Some predict that increases in the cost of fuel (which is
used to generate electricity) will cause electric power rates to soar
even higher. That means that Connecticut consumers will be experiencing
even more hits to the pocketbook as they face their summer electric
bills.
As electricians, we are often asked by customers if there are steps
they can take to reduce their power usage. Here are 10 tips to keep
those bills under control
- Don’t use the air conditioner. Consider installing a whole house
attic fan instead. It uses far less power than air conditioning, and
most of the time can cool your house beautifully.
- If you must use your AC, keep your thermostat set at 78○ or
higher. Use a programmable thermostat to kick on 30 minutes before
you’re scheduled to arrive home.
- Clean or replace your air conditioner filters once a month during
the season, and clean the exposed grill and spines on the outside AC
unit.
- Check the connections on your panel or meter socket; a loose
connection can draw more amps which translates into higher energy use.
- Plant deciduous trees to shade your home.
- Run exhaust fans when you shower or cook.
- Install compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use one quarter the energy of incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer.
- Install lighting dimmers in some areas of your home
- Set your home water heater temperature to 120○ and install energy efficient showerheads and faucets.