Sweet Summer Savings
making goalscanada
(Jul.29.10)
Do you know what I love about summer?
It's not the cute birds or the bees or the flowers or the trees… I love electricity savings.
That's right. Since the warm weather has arrived, my electric bills have been cut in half – just by keeping the windows open in the daytime and closing them at night. Turning off the furnace or air conditioner can really save you a bundle.
Want more electricity saving tips? Make it a game, and see how much you can save.
1. Don't preheat the oven unless you’re baking. It slows down cooking times and wastes energy.
2. Use a BBQ for spring cooking. It is cost effective and everything tastes better on the barbie. My mom cooks everything – including turkeys! – on a BBQ! It's amazing how well it turns out.
3. Run one appliance at a time. Summer’s here, so you can put freshly laundered clothes on a line. This will save on dryer energy from April to October.
4. Run big appliances after 8 p.m. That is when you get the very best rates.
5. Change to CFL light bulbs. CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs will save a ton of energy and last much longer (it’s a win-win!).
6. Unplug everything you're not using. Chargers and appliances still drain energy to power their little lights. I travel quite a bit, and when I'm out of town I unplug everything I can. Review your bill to really see how much you’re saving.
7. Use timers for outside lights. Leaving them on all night adds up.
8. Pick up a power bar with a timer. Program them to shut down while you’re sleeping, so your cable boxes and stereo equipment aren’t using unnecessary power.
9. Keep playing the savings game. See if you can drop your electricity bill each month. It's amazing how much money you can find when you keep your eye on ways to save. Each time you reduce your bill, reward yourself for being responsible (to the environment and to your sweet savings). You deserve it!
It makes a lot of SweetCents,
Dave