Only boil the amount of water you need in your kettle - learn the capacity of your mugs and cups.
In winter, turn the heating thermostat down by 2 degrees you'll never notice the difference and while you're there, learn to dress for the weather rather than pumping heat out.
Draught proof all your doors and windows. Close curtains at dusk to retain heat and close them in broad sunshine to prevent solar gain during hot weather than might persuade you to put aircon on.
We've been doing all of these things for years in UK and personally we have a dual pricing system on our electricity which encourages use at slack times: 12.30am-7.30am by lower pricing.
Good luck!
When I turn my computer off, it doesn't actually stop using electricity. It goes into a sleep mode, so it can start up faster next time I boot up. So I have a switched outlet on the surge protector, and turn that off as well, which saves an appreciable amount of power over a year.
The same ~probably~ applies to many other type of electronics, such as your tv, dvd players, and so-on. Unplug them. Unplug anything with a blinking light. Maybe even your kitchen stove, washing machine, dryer, appliances, etc, if that isn't too, too much of a hassle.
You might be able to save power if you can erect a clothes line ( Call it a "Solar Powered Fabric Dehydrator and Sterlizer" if local authorities and neighbours get uppity about the clothes line.) Your blue jeans will love the sunshine. :-)
Unplug any transformers that you aren't actually using. Power runs through them all the time, AFAIK, even though you aren't charging anything up. That includes your doorbell, now that I think of it. Let people knock instead.
As time passes, maybe switch incandescent and fluorescent lights over to LED ones , where possible. But at around $30 each, only switch when an incandescant light actually fails. (I don't know if you can replace fluorescents with LEDs...) And you can take them with you when you move, if you replace the older style bulbs.
I don't recommend CFLs, compact fluorescent lights, any more: they use less power, BUT they contain mercury. Break one and you have mercury all over the house that you can't get rid of. Not good.
None of these are too extreme, although it might be a real chore to unplug the stove every day. But several little steps equals one big one.
Well, maybe, you can do what I;ve done when I rented a townhouse. All I had with me are radio, electric fan, rice cooker and oven toaster. I used the radio so as to make me feel active with my chores. Then electric fan when I was about to go to bed for I used to go malling so as to save enough electric bills. I simply cooked rice at night so that the left over, I ate for my breakfast. If ever I felt like eating only some pieces of bread, I boiled eggs or simply buy the cooked ones. In that way, you will be able to save enough energy as well as money and time.
When I did these, my electric meter was taken declaring that my electric meter was out of order! Because, I paid only 24 pesos per month while the rest of my townhouse neighbors paid 2,000 - 5,000 pesos per month.
So, try these and see the difference.
Have a nice day and GOD BLESS ALL OF US.
Check for leaks around doors and windows: The stronger the draft is, the longer it will take for your home to be heated or cooled
Washing your clothes cold will reduce washer's energy consumption by as much as 90%. Air drying eliminates the energy use for machine drying.
Turn off all lights and appliances when not in use. Unplug unnecessary appliances like microwaves, television, stereos, computers, and VCRs if you are not using them. Also, unplug chargers and devices with bloc-shaped transformer on the plug. All of them consume energy when plugged in. Do not leave them on 'stand-by" mode.
The whole world is suffering from energy crisis.Electricity is one of the main sources of energy.It is wise to save it as far as possible.Electricity can be saved by using CFL and using electric energy as little as possible.
Use CFL
use in properly.
I'm Aussie and they are about to introduce the carbon tax and our electricity bills will skyrocket. As it is we don't use heaters or airconditioners even though it's really cold over here atm. We also try to keep minimal lights on. Ive had our fridge seals redone cause my fridge was leaking..hope this will save on power too. Any other ideas would be much appreciated thanks:)
We also had our shower head installed that is approved by our government as it also is energy efficient.
