Yes, that’s my thermostat. It’s reading 92°. No, I don’t want to turn my air conditioner back on. One cool day is all need to motivate me to turn it off until the heat is needed. I’m tired of the high electric bills. I’m fine in the low 90’s down in Mexico, why not here as well? Honestly, for the record breaking hot temperatures we had, my utility bills were substantially lower than many people I know, even with similar sized houses. How is that? My highest bill this summer was $206. That’s with a non-efficient 1,780 square feet. What I mean by non-efficient is that I have 18′ ceilings with a loft floor plan, cheap windows with broken seals, exterior doors that don’t fit properly and crappy insulation. So $206 isn’t bad at all really, but it could be better. How did I achieve that low bill? Here’s a few things:
- Programming the thermostat. I keep the programs high, like 82°. Sometimes that’s comfortable, sometimes I turn it down. If we’re not home, at least it’s not cooling the place to low temperatures. Good to change your filter each month too.
- Involve my kids. Their incentive is any utility bill under $50, they get $10 each. No doable in the summer, but it is in the winter. I also charge them for leaving lights on. Sounds mean, but it works. Sometimes they turn off the lights, other times, they’re willing to contribute to the cost of the utilities.
- Cook all at one time & outside. Cooking several meals to freeze and microwave works well. We limit the oven use too. Sometimes we use one or two burners on the stove and rotate pots off the already heated cooking elements. We also use the outdoor grill much more than cooking inside.
- Laundry limits. We do laundry after dark when it’s a tad cooler. Full loads only with a partial dry cycle. The damp clothing dries very quickly in the heat, but the clothes are still soft to the touch.
- Use fans. Only when in the room. I don’t run them unless we’re in front of them. I also added a fan in the kitchen, which helps while cooking.
- Energy-efficient lighting. 90% of the bulbs in my house are the energy-efficient type. This costs a bit more, but well worth the conversion in the long run.
- Fix the ridiculous stuff. The attic access in my house was putting out so much hot air, you could feel it when you walked under it. I spent $6 and added weather stripping to it. And even though my doors fit terribly, I replaced the weather stripping around them. $40 made them a lot better until I can afford to replace the doors. I sealed and caulked the large gap under the door that goes to my garage. It cost me nothing, as I used leftovers found in my garage.
These are a few simple things we did that must have worked, because in the past, I’ve had electric bills well over $300 when the heat wasn’t near as bad. Every little bit helps. :)