With cost of Ultilites rising how are you conserving?

[Nata$]

Anyone have tips to save electricity, water, gas? This is going to be a costly summer.

[_Chris_]

i've took it down to 1 shower a week, only flush the toilet once i cannot take the smell any longer, and i make grilled cheeses on a peice of metal in my back yard.

[Charles]

Anyone have tips to save electricity, water, gas? This is going to be a costly summer.


If you aren't going to be home for 8-10hrs at a time or more, bump your thermostat up to around 80.

If you have an electric hot water heater and everyone in the house typically takes showers around the same time you could install a timer to shut it off when hot water isn't needed(same 8-10hr period).

Use a proper size ceiling fan when you are in the room, turn then off when you aren't.

I'm also going to get an estimate to tint the windows on the side of my house facing the sun in the afternoon.

[ms. kat]

I block the sun using room darkening drapes in all of my rooms.
I turn the thermostat up to 80 when no one is going to be home for more than 4 hours.
I have a timer on the hot water heater.
I shut off all lights and fans in rooms no one is in.
The fish tank light is on a timer as well.
I wash all my laundry in cold water at night only.

[Unregistered]

I block the sun using room darkening drapes in all of my rooms.
I turn the thermostat up to 80 when no one is going to be home for more than 4 hours.
I have a timer on the hot water heater.
I shut off all lights and fans in rooms no one is in.
The fish tank light is on a timer as well.
I wash all my laundry in cold water at night only.

Thats pretty much what I do to.

[corey r.]

how does washing clothes at night save money?

[ms. kat]

Most utility companies charge more for prime time usage. Prime time electrical use for laundry is during the day.

[Guado]

I never knew about "prime time" usage. That is interesting to me.

[Bridgette]

What time is "prime time"? I never knew that about washing clothes at night verse day.

[Charles]

I never knew about "prime time" usage. That is interesting to me.


Never heard of that one myself....... cold water doesn't clean as well as warm water does IMO

[whitebread]

Never heard of that one myself....... cold water doesn't clean as well as warm water does IMO
they make some detergents now formulated to work better in cold water. also, cold water doesn't fade colors.

[XtremeSaturn]

I've been stealing my neighbors cable, turned the sprinkler heads on their yards to face mine and tapped into the meter they are using for the new home that's being constructed next door.

I tried to go into the models across the street and use their washer and dryer but they didn't like that too much lol

[corey r.]

turned the sprinkler heads on their yards to face mine



I actually LOL'd at this. :lmao:

[ms. kat]

What time is "prime time"? I never knew that about washing clothes at night verse day.
Each utility company determines the hours of the day that it's customers use the most electricity. FPL, who is mine, determined that the majority of it's customers use more electricity during the day for doing laundry.
They actually give credits to customers if we don't suck up power during the daytime.
I get a $4.00 discount (I know, not much) for doing my laundry during off peak hours.
I am also on a timer with FPL. They cycle houses power down during the day so if I do laundry during prime hours, they know I did and I won't get the credit the next month.
When they cycle power, you can't really tell. Nothing flickers or anything. They just cycle it off and on to reserve power.
I'll see if I can find a better description of what they do. It's called on-call I know that much.
I'll look it up.

[Kristin]

I always bump it up to about 80 before I leave the house. I make sure to close the doors of the rooms and closets that are not used and only turn the fans on when I'm in the room. I've been able to cut my monthly electric down.

[ms. kat]

Ok, here it is: http://www.fpl.com/residential/savings/residential_on_call.shtml
I have my hot water heater and my washer and dryer hooked up to the on call box.

[Charles]

Interesting...............news to me, we have Teco over here and I don't think they offer anything like that.......

[Charles]

turned the sprinkler heads on their yards to face mine

Pure genius!!!

[TNathe]

go to TECO site, they have many programs that allow you to save $. One is they will come to your home and do a free energy survery. They give $100 rebates if you update the insulation in your attic to their specs and $250 for updating an old a/c or heating system to a newet highly efficient one.

[Joe]

I am going to insulate the garage with R-30.

I am then having the spray-foam insulation sprayed onto my trusses to add an extra R-15 worth of insulation to the whole attic. I currently have R-30 for the house, so this should help greatly.

I then will build up dirt mounds all the way around the house and plant holly bushes on the slopes. I will make sure to leave 2" high "vents" for my rifle in "prime" spots.... oh wait, you are talking about conservation... haha I was talking compound....

[ms. kat]

I am going to insulate the garage with R-30.

I am then having the spray-foam insulation sprayed onto my trusses to add an extra R-15 worth of insulation to the whole attic. I currently have R-30 for the house, so this should help greatly.

I then will build up dirt mounds all the way around the house and plant holly bushes on the slopes. I will make sure to leave 2" high "vents" for my rifle in "prime" spots.... oh wait, you are talking about conservation... haha I was talking compound....
hahaha! My son and I were talking compound/fortress stuff just the other day. Funny convo.

[93ex]

I havent run the a/c in about 4 weeks.

Not by choice, but it's gonna be a cheap month!

[martz0r]

I heard turning off the computer at night saves a lot of elec? :dunno:

I don't really do much... :lol:

[J-Dizzle]

ok, heres my solution..the thermo isnt a bad idea, but i dont want to get flamed here. most women have a significant problem with leaving shit plugged in and on (hair dryers etc.) especially lights, i knowu girls get rushed for time, but thats probally the biggest energy conservation is turning of all light, i dont know what it is but in my house theres 4-5 lights left on daily, mainly from my sister who is 18 and just doesnt give a damn .

[AmandaR]

ooohh im saving this thread.. im HORRIBLE about turning off lights and fans and in august i move out into a 2 bedroom and 2 bath condo with kim and ill need all the help i can get since ill be paying all the utilities and half of the rent haha