This sounds like a good name for a soap opera!
OK...I was a complainer yesterday!
It all started when I got the Kentucky Utilities bill out of the mailbox.
Actually, I thought it would surely be cheaper because my electric was completely off for 6 days.
I was shocked to see that it was $15.00 higher than my last bill that even had some extra days thrown in.
I am usually never one to call and complain, but I called KU so I could get to the bottom of this.
I finally got a real person after a series of automated directions. We went over the bill top to bottom.
I went out to the meter to get the current reading to compare. Everything seemed normal.
There had been an increase of 6 cents a kilowatt and below normal temperatures.
I've been thrifty ever since watching an Oprah show about unplugging anything you aren't using. This means lamps and power strips too. I have walked through every room to be sure I am doing my best to unplug. All the light bulbs in my office and outside on the porches are the new CFL bulb.
I UNPLUG EVERYTHING!!! Is this crazy or what?
I really kicked this new unplug plan into gear after the ice storm. I'm curious to see how the next bill will compare to the current one.
What more can be done?
I'll let you know if I see a savings or whether it was all for nothing.
Till then the heat is set at 68.( I know it should be lower)
Each degree saves 3%.
(so THEY say)
Lizette Fitzpatrick- Principal Broker at Lizette Realty.
#1 featured Kentucky Realtor on Activerain.com and Localism.com.
Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun!
For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Lizette Realty, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington KY real estate click on Lizette.us.
See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky Real Estate experience. Copyright © 2009 By Lizette Fitzpatrick, All Rights Reserved..*The Unplugged daily Drama*
Lizette,
It seems that the more we conserve the more prices go up. What's a person to do?
Lizette, just looking at your photo is making me very cold! With utility bills, it seems like you just can't get them lower!
Lizette, it sounds like you are doing well with conserving your energy but if they increase the prices they are offsetting all your hard work. Getting through this economic pain is not easy for any of us.
Don - I don't know. I'm just trying to conserve the best I can.
Pat - My Mom thinks my house is cold! LOL She keeps her heat around 70.
Gary - I do like to see I am making some progress. It really bummed me out that I couldn't see a difference. I wonder what it would have been otherwise? I bet some people are shocked when their bill arrives.
It's been cooler here so we've just been using the fan at night...our electric bill went down 50 bucks! I think we can do more ...like you do ..shutting off things when not in use....
Lizette, I am not sure about the logic of unplugging electronics that are not being used. Now turning off the computer at night including the "sleeping" monitors, printers and what not will save some energy, but unplugging a light that is not being used is just adding wear and tear to the receptacle and over time would actually create arcing conditions due to wear. Some things like power strips that have a little LED light to let you know it is plugged in likely uses almost too little energy to measure and again more harm is likely to be done by plugging the thing in and out every day.
What kind of water heater do you have? If it is electric it is the single biggest user of electricity in the house (unless of course you have an electric furnace), and reducing its need for electricity will show the most dramatic results in your electric bill. Along with this question would be what temperature is your water? It takes a lot more energy to heat water from 125 to 135 degrees than it does from 80 to 125 degrees.
This is a very interesting conversation. I'm parking here to see where it is going. :-)
Lizette--How frustrating to try to conserve and see your bills go up anyway! We had a similar problem and found that the meter reader wasn't coming out and so they were estimating the bill but sounds like that was not your situation. I hope that it will balance out next month.
Lizette,
I am with Charlie on that. Some appliances have components that stay on, even when main power is off. But your lamps, when the switch is off, no current flows. I would not sweat lamps. I think Oprah is kind of creating some questions there, where they do not belong.