I cut my electric bill in half

May 9, 2007

I am deriving enormous satisfaction from cutting my electric bill in half from an out-of-control high of 1,841 kilowatt hours (KWH) or $307 in January to a mere 758 KWH/$127 in April. My experiment with transmission supplier National Grid was based on replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs and shutting off the hot tub whose heater I estimate was costing at least $50 a month during the cold months here in the Northeast. Near as I can tell, the CFLs accounted for 30-40% of the drop while the lion's share goes to shutting off the hot tub which we used infrequently. My last child is headed off to college in the fall and she was the primary user. And there's a certain reluctance to don a bathing suit (or less) by the adults in household approaching a ripe middle age. No one seems to miss it and it's wooden housing stuff with insulation is largely a home for mice.

There are other ways I will cut my energy consumption. My next car will almost certainly be a Prius. As I seethed yesterday in my six cylinder powered sedan (a wonderful Mercedes E320 with 170K trouble free miles) during a crushing two hour and fifteen minute commute, I thought a hybrid would be drawing tiny amounts of power when stopped in traffic. An announcer on the radio said gas consumption is up 1.75% from a year ago as we rocket up to $4 a gallon. This is insane! Bring on the high prices, I say. Get people out of their cars. For the three years I've had this onerous commute, softened only by the 1-2 days a week I work at home, I've cursed, seethed, sighed and thrown my hands up. Thing is, I love my job at Design News. The topics it covers are truly fascinating.

Our eneergy habits have to change and I'm trying to do my part. My global warming column in the 4/30 elicited more than 40 letters and they're still coming in, many of them disagreeing with my assessement of its true and present danger. One point made several times that really bothered me was that what I do to cut my own energy consumption is insignificant. That's a horrible cop-out. We all need to kick in here.

Posted by John Dodge on May 9, 2007 | Comments (6)

June 29, 2009

In response to: I cut my electric bill in half
rich commented:

I, too, have a hot tub and have noticed the increased cost during the winter months. If you don't want to pay the extra $30-50 per month, then sell it. But you know that there is no destressor like 10-15 minutes in a hot tub. I have a Prius, too. I love it. But my next car (to replace the family minivan) will be a deisel hybrid (if I can manage to go over and ship it back) from abroad or a TDI diesel engine car if the Prius doesn't come in diesel by then. You can even use filtered, heated waste vegetable oil in lieu of deisel fuel in temperate weather (WVO will gel and clog in cold weather without methanol added). Solar panels and wind turbines aren't in the cards for everyone, but if your state has a rebate program and you anticipate living there a while, you'd be crazy not to do it! But conservation, as the writer appropriately points out, is the key to energy shortage and reduction in high utility bills.

September 20, 2007

In response to: I cut my electric bill in half
Power newbie commented:

I think besides using Prius, the diesel car is a alternative option. As the efficiency of the dieasel engine is much higher than gasoline engine, diesel car can save your pocket. Battery is another issue for Prius. How we got to dispose the old battery after using for several years? How much it cost to replace the battery? The cost of battery may kick back all the money we save in fuel.

June 26, 2007

In response to: I cut my electric bill in half
Mark Weiss commented:

... besides peace & serenity of incandescent or even tungsten-halogen are controlling beam spread for task and/or aesthetic purposes (cf old Lightolier catalogs). Just don't be overly literal-minded saying light is light and mose flux/m² with the least juice is necessarily optimal. Peace and serenity of incandescent is a huge benefit -- but so too is lighting control of incandescents / tungsten-halogen (see Lightolier catalogs).

June 26, 2007

In response to: I cut my electric bill in half
Mark Weiss commented:

I already wrote the author on the issue (about the lights), so this is mostly for blog readers. The author e-mailed me back saying his Compact Fluorescent Lights are warm color-temperatured and not irritating. I''ve seen a few, but never in my home. The unquestionable warmth -- and it is the METAPHORICAL meaning I emphasize -- of the incadescent lighting in one''s home is a source of peace & well-being (especially at night

June 15, 2007

In response to: I cut my electric bill in half
I DeBlasi commented:

....and all this energy saving will be forced upon individuals whether they agree with it or not because the experts really,really believe they are doing the right thing. So what if individuals need to be shackeled.

June 8, 2007

In response to: I cut my electric bill in half
cooljerk commented:

i applaud your energy savings...though to compare jan to april is like comparing apples and oranges. how did your usage change over the same period of a year ago?

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