Lowering the Electricity Bill

It is hot here and the AC is on virtually all the time. When I opened my electricity bill, I was in for a little surprise. It was not too high! The company we use have an Electricity Usage Summary that compares our current usage with last month and the same time last year. I don’t find the last month particularly helpful because the temperature difference is 15 degrees. This time last year and this year is a good comparison though.

At the same time last year we averaged 33 kWh per day where this year we averaged 33 kWh (slightly less if you divide total use by number of days) but the heat chart shows that this year has been hotter by an average of 8 degrees. Hurrah global warming. So I count last month as successful in saving electricity.

What have we done to save?

• Turned down the AC to 80-82 degrees. Last year it was 76-78 degrees.
• Closed the blinds and turned off the lights. I also covered a few windows with blankets to keep the light out.
• Made more use of the ceiling fans. I read that using ceiling fans makes it feel a few degrees cooler than it is.