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From A.Z.:
ReplyDeleteWe decided to change our behavior about energy consumption in February. That’s when we contacted the Save Energy Now program. We joined at the suggestion of our dear friends who are also in the program. It instantly became a competition between our two families to see who could save the most energy. We may have the advantage however, since we admittedly have far more room to improve.
We just got our PSE bill. Granted, we’ve had a warmer winter, but I’m excited by the early signs that behavior changes may be part of the reduction. Our bill for Feb 2009 was $227 (183 therms.) The bill for Feb 2010 is $135 (135 therms.) That’s $92 extra dollars in our pocket. I think I’m gonna like this challenge!
We’re still waiting for the final home audit report to arrive. But the early feedback was we could really use a new water heater. We have it cranked up as hot as it will go to accommodate 4 showers each morning. We also have the equivalent of a black hole pushing cold air into the house from our stove top. The insulation under the house needs some improvement too.
But our biggest challenge is changing our habits. So we’re taking shorter showers – we even have an egg timer in the bathroom to let us know when time is up. We’re washing clothes in cold water, setting the thermostat at 68 instead of 72 (hey I like to be warm), using the gas fireplace less, closing doors to unused rooms, and turning off lights. Next stop, CFL light bulbs.
For the first time ever, I think I’m actually looking forward to our next electric bill.
LH says:
ReplyDeleteMajor behavioral change - switched to only cold water clothes washing and eliminated the "extra" rinse cycle which we had included.
The state is offering extra rebates on clothes washers ($100) and refrigerators ($75) starting March 15. This is in addition to the PUD rebates ($50 for refrig, $100 for clothes washers). Recycling the refrig is required and PUD offers $30 rebate for that.....We have been waiting and intend to buy both.
I intend to do insulation as soon as I figure out the PSE requirements to do so.
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Sustainable Edmonds note:
Easiest way to navigate the PSE insulation rebate program is to call the "PSE Energy Advisor" at 800.562.1482.
Since I've joined the Save Energy Now program I'm paying a lot more attention to my gas and electricity bills and doing more comparing and noticing trends.
ReplyDeleteI still don't have my February PUD bill but the December/January 2010 electric usage was 497 KWH, and for the same period a year ago it was 895 KWH. So that's a 44% reduction in electricity usage. I can attribute this to several behavioural changes in 2009:
-Gave up completely using my clothes dryer in June 09 and only dry clothes out in the sun in summer and on an indoor clothesline in the fall and winter. Clothes dryers are the biggest consumer of electricity in our homes.
-Took off the heat drying mode in my dishwasher.
-Got rid of tv signal in October 2009 so I don't spend time watching tv. I might have time to watch a couple of dvd movies a month.
-Converted my front lawn into a communal vegetable garden and got into the habit of consuming a lot more raw food. That translates into a lot less cooking on an electric stove. (I just ordered a solar oven a week ago).
-I also choose to turn on my laptop instead of my desktop computer at home now that I know that laptops consume a lot less electricity than desktops.
My gas usage for February 2010 was 57.3 therms. That's 38% less than February 2009. The temperature difference was 13%, so I've been trying to think why there was such a difference. Probably a combination of shorter showers and spending less time at home.
I'll be weatherizing the house in the next couple of weeks and that will definetely reduce my gas usage even more in the future.
Just remembered that I did insulate my water heating tank sometime in October 2009, so that must have made a difference, too.
ReplyDeleteA.Z. on the second round of natural gas bills - usage down by 50 therms from last year, saving over $100 this month!
ReplyDeleteSustainable Edmonds asked her what she's been doing:
We did set the water heater temp lower. We also reduced the water pressure during showers. (This is so ridiculously simple- we just don't pull the faucet handle all the way out.) We've shortened the time in the shower too (five minutes max.) My daughter has actually taped a sign to the shower door that reads, "Shorter showers save water." She's also put little notes on switch-plates that say, "Don't forget to turn out the lights."
A PUD thermometer now sits above the thermostat which gives the current temperature and reminds us to keep it at 68 degrees when home, and 55 degrees when gone or asleep (which we do now.) I used to keep it at 70 when we were home and at 67 when we were asleep. We are using electric blankets instead for sleep time.
There are so many behaviors that we never really considered until we got involved in this program. It's really put our actions under a microscope and helped us see ways to change. For example, I get up at 5am and head downstairs. On goes the morning news, the coffee pot, the heater, the gas fireplace and the lights. Then I head upstairs to get ready. I used to leave everything on. Now everything goes off before I head upstairs. That's an hour of energy saved, 5 days a week. It all adds up.
What will we do with the savings? Still don't know. A trip? A more efficient water heater? An extra fabulous Christmas? The possibilities are endless.