Does anyone have any good tips on lowering a light bill?

Question

Last month my light bill was $200. This month I decided to make an extra effort to turn all lights off when I leave, and even turn the thermostat up a few notches even though I like to keep my apartment really cold.. This month it is $218!! I live in a one bedroom apartment. Can someone please help me????

Answer 1

dont use light!

Answer 2

>Only use lights in the room you are using, turn all others off/don't leave unnecessary lights burning.

>Turn off utilities & power points AWAYS when utilities not in use.

>Buy some energy saver lightbulbs, or switch to lower watt bulbs or get a lightswitch dimmer.

>If your stove is electric & is adding to this bill: cook a weeks worth of meals in one day ~ you can cook more than one dish at a time in the oven & freeze them when cool ~ this will help as you'll use less oven time (electricity) per week doing this than if you cooked meals everynight.

>Reduce washing of clothes to one load per week (if you already do this, try to stretch it to 2 weeks) Switch to cold water wash if you use hot water wash. DON'T use a clothes drier (hang clothes out on clothes line ~ on a clothes horse & let dry naturally) as they'll really push your power bill up sky high.

>Buy some really cheap candles & implement one night you use light bulbs/ the next night use candle light.

>If you listen to HEAPS of music CD's (like I do) Listen 1 day to CD's/the next day radio ~ alternate ~ The radio uses heaps less power than a CD player.

>In winter, buy extra doona for the bed, rather than use expensive power eating electric blankets. (hot water bottles are cheap too)

>In summer, use portable fans, rather than air conditioning where possible ~ or if this not possible ~ use portable fans on the days under a certain temp & only use the air con. if the temp goes over a certain temp. Keep all interior doors & windows shut while using aircon & room will stay cooler longer.

>Heating in winter ~ same as aircon ~ you can get away without using heat on some cold nights, just use a blanket to keep warm if you're just watching tv/listening to music/reading at home. Only implement the heater when the temp drops to a certain temp. Or turn on the heater for half an hour  to an hour only, to heat up the apartment ~ it will stay warm after this hour for quite a while if you keep all interior/exterior doors/windows shut.

>If you have windy drafts that come in under the doors, get some door stops ~ they are long, door length, made of material things, & are filled with either sawdust/sand ~ you lay them at the bottom of the drafty door & they help stop drafts coming in ~ these help in Winter & summer.

>Close curtains/blinds on really hot/cold days ~ this will help keep the wamth/cool inside the appartment.

>Install/get your landlord to install insulation in the roof of your appartment (if in a single floored appartment, if you have tenants above you, this will probably not be possible) if it doesn't have insulation ~ this will also help ~ keep the heat/cool inside the appartment.

>If your hot water system is electric, reduce your shower time to 10 minutes (or less if possible. Can implement a clock alarm/egg timer if you need to) per day or as often as you shower.(will save water too)

>Wash dishes (once again, if hot water system is electric) only once per day, after the last meal of the day.(Will save water too)

Answer 3

do you sleep with a tv or radio on?

when you are home keep the lights off during the day and keep the windows open.

only use the lights when you absolutely need them i have a three bedroom house and i only pay 46 a month.

Answer 4

Build your own wind turbine.

Answer 5

-Switch light bulbs to CFL

-Unplug appliances not in use - using a power strip has the same affect

-Keep doors, windows, and drapes closed in the AM, open in the evening. Set thermostat to 78.

-Use a fan & cool wet washcloths to keep cool. Layer clothes to keep warm

-Have heating/AC serviced. Replace the filters every 6 months and have air ducts cleaned annually.

-If you sleep with a TV use the timer or switch to a radio

-Dryer - either air dry (best) or partially dry clothes (better)

-Wash clothes in cold water, make sure the loads are full

-Make sure dishwasher is full before use

Answer 6

lights do not amount to anything, your biggest expense is the water heater and the a/c also the dryer is you have one. turn the ac up to 82 when you are not there, shut off the water heater let it run only for about 3hrs a day and experiment with it, if you do not waste hot water the water heater should not be on. if you have a dish washer use cold water.

Answer 7

switch of lights when not using the room and get l;ow energy bulbs

Answer 8

Do you have any appliance such as TV in "Stand-by" mode.

Answer 9

One thing my dad learned was to unplug things you don't use, like nightlights, appliances you don't use often, like blenders, etc. He saved a bit of money. Also make sure your appliances are fairly new--the newer ones are more energy efficient.

  Sometimes the electric company offers a service where they will come to your home, and help you see what you can do to lower your bill.

  Good luck!

Answer 10

$218 for a one bedroom apartment sounds awfully high.

For one, I'd check to make sure your air conditioner is working properly.  Is it malfunctioning?  Is it just really really old?

Make sure the cool air from your air conditioning isn't leaving the apartment.  Are the windows and doors sealed well?  Any cool air escaping your apartment will make the a/c run more.

Turn up the thermostat and use more fans to help make things "feel" cooler.  If your apartment keeps warm due to a lot of sun, get some good blinds and dark curtains.

Check your refrigerator/freezer too.  Did you accidentally leave the door slightly open one day?  Do you constantly open and close them often?  That uses a lot of energy.  Keep them full too...that actually helps.  

Consider replacing any incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).  They use less energy.    Make sure they are off when you're not in a room, as well as your TV, stereo, etc.

Answer 11

whenever you go out the house double check the lights and when you get hot use a handheld fan.Because its just u living there u only need 1 room to be using power!plus open all the windows!

Answer 12

-always wear shorts and tank tops (or a bathing suit)

-turn off all lights

-open blinds

-put electronics on a timer so when you dont use them the turn off (they still use power when they arent in use)

-go green  

Answer 13

what i did was get those economical light bulbs, and only use one in each room...like in my bathroom it has the 4 holes for the bulbs above the sink, I only keep one in and on. Unplug appliances when your not using them. Even though they're off, they suck power. Take a walk around the apt and look at all the electric holes, see what's plugged in and think about whether you really need it or not. The other thing is your fridge and freezer. When I was by myself I didn't have a ton of food....the fuller the fridge the less it will work to stay cold. Get milk jugs/water jugs and fill, out in fridge and freezer to take up space. I've also heard of people stuffing the fridge with newspaper in the areas they don't use, it's like an insulter.  

Answer 14

Use fans instead of the air conditioning..

Answer 15

Wow!  That's really high... I have a 3 bdrom house with A/C and ours is UNDER $200!  

Well, change your lightbulbs to the new energy saving bulbs CFL's that will help... Use natural light as much as possible... If you have the A/C running- turn it up when you are asleep.. OFF when you aren't at home!  If you have a ceiling fan in your apt. use it to circulate the A/C it will feel colder.  Make sure you are unplugging appliances like styling tools, phone chargers and small appliances.... They suck up power even when NOT in use.... If you have a washer/dryer don't use them at the same time.  Do a load of wash- dry and while the dryer is running SOAK the next wash load.  Hang your clothing up to dry if you don't want to use the dryer...  If it's nice outside.. Open the windows and let the air circulate in the apt... Run the dishwasher on time delay at night... When nothing else is running... Keep your apt. at 75 degrees.... Turn OFF your computer at night turn OFF the power strip.... This goes for TV, STEREO, DVD etc... Plug into ONE strip and turn it OFF every night....

Good luck

Answer 16

when you are at home make sure only lights on is the one you need (i.e.the room you are in) and turn off the lights when u leave the house.

Answer 17

during the day keep lights off, instead open the blinds on windows. at night go out so your not using lights in your home. or you can go to bed early. if you like your apartment really cold have fans to circulate air.

Answer 18

This is a pain to do but if you unplug your tv and like items you will save. Also keep in mind your computer is like having a window air conditioner. Buy those more expensive light bulbs, they will save you money. If you control your water heater and it's electric try setting it so the water will not be so hot but still comfortable for you to bathe. Dishwashers do a way with it. Wash dishes in sink that you fill with water as opposed to having the water run the whole time. Setting in your fridge set to a warmer however not so warm that it spoils your food. Remember every time you open your fridge door you are wasting money. Buy thick curtains for your window to keep the cold in and the heat out, this will also help in the winter months. Keep your curtains closed! Air filters clean, change them, very important. Don't take long baths if your water heater is electric. Ceiling fans on medium or low will keep you cool and you might be able to turn the thermostat up/down according to the weather outside. Make sure your electric company is the cheapest out there, or try to find a new one. Don't do the average plan, it will cost you more  

Answer 19

Turn the A/C off all together, leave the windows open during the night.  Wear light summer wear if you are too warm in the house.  Use energy saving light bulbs.  Laundry can be just as clean if you use cold water and a good detergent.  Hang your laundry outside, do not use a dryer.  Use cold water when ever you can to save on the hot water.  Never leave a light on when no on is in the room.  Turn the computer completely off when it is not in use.  If you do not need timers on a lot of things turn them off.  Don't leave an outside light on when away, use the car lights if you need them to get to the door to unlock.  Don't use electric can openers, or electric tooth brushes, or electric knives, etc etc...you get the idea.  We as a society have become so dependant on electricity that we are becoming helpless individuals with out it...we don't really need all of those luxury items in the home

Answer 20

turn off TV, computer, lights when you don't use them or leave the house.

Air conditioning probably takes most of your bill. Try using a fan as much as possible.

If it's too hot shut blinds so the sun doesn't heat the room even more.  

Sleep under a sheet instead of blanket.

Answer 21

Invest in some energy saving light bulbs even though you do turn off your lights. Try using ceiling fans to keep cool. That way you don't have to worry about your A/C much. Also check with your electric company and see if your kilowatts per hour are the same rate every bill.

Answer 22

Maybe the problem is not with your lights?

TV, computer, toaster?

Even when "off", many of today's appliances are still actually "on"; only unplugging them really turns them "off".

Also, do you have an electric hot water heater?  That uses a lot of electricity...

Air conditioning?

Answer 23

There are simple ways.

Some are:

Allow maximum sunlight during the day and turn off power supply to some lightings accordingly.

Clean air conditioner filters periodically.

Hot water at the kitchen sink, shower, or for washing need not to be too hot.

Cut short the route and insulate hot water pipes.

Run the dish washer and washing machine only when fully loaded.

Defrost refrigerators regularly.

Answer 24

Sure come live with me for free  

Answer 25

turn lights out when not using them

Answer 26

If you turn the air con up above 78 degrees when you are gone, it will have a big impact on your bill. When you are home, set it to what makes you comfortable. Also, compact flourescent bulb replacements use a 1/4 electric of regular bulbs, don't throw off big heat and last much longer. Make sure your air con has a clean filter too!! Turn your electric water heater to 120-130 degrees on both thermostats, this is a major energy hog.