How to Avoid High Electricity Bills

Regards.

GA for a good reply.

I have the oppertunity to add:

1.) Some houses have Fancy fittings of lights; having 3 or 4 bulbs in each point.

At least one bulb from each point can be removed [No extra cost]

OR

Replace with low-powerbulbs [Involves some extra cost]

2.) Night-Lights inside house may be reduced in number & power ratings.

<< 4) Line dry clothes ... >> is a good idea where ever is possible having nature to help us. It depends on the locations & directions of houses.

In our country we have been using of drying washings in sunshine & /or wind.

I personally have a metallic Water-tank on the roof for washings & baths

Use of natural resources where possible can make our life more comfortable

And finally get your energy meter checked for accuracy from the supplier.

Have a nice day!

You could try using this at various outlets: ://httpwww.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html

(Kill a Watt)

to see where all the energy is going.

In addition to Steve.S 's excellent suggestions above, turn off what you're not using.

I bought one of these a few weeks ago. Definitely a worthwhile $25.00 US (inc shipping). It gives you V, A, W, VA, PF, Hz, and Kwh consumed over time.

The clamp on ammeter will not see as much use, now that I have this little device.

Consider this an evaluation, not a product endorsement.

I have to agree with Steve, I just love my Kill-A-Watt. I got it new for about $20, and it's proven it's worth many times. I like to tinker on electronic items at home, and I plug anything I'm working on into the Kill-A-Watt, it gives me a quick indication of possible trouble. It's great for finding the "power hogs" in the house.

Tom

1. check your electricity tariff, probably it has increased
2. you were adding more home appliances and using more high wattage lights than last year
3. too often forget switching off unused utilities this year
4. try using smart home system to control use of your electric energy ,if possible

cheers.

Try to use a True RMS clamp-on ammeter and measure the individual usage (current) of each equipment/appliance by clamping on its power source wire.Multiply this with the voltage. Now compare the wattage specified in the nameplate of the appliance with the computed result.

msamad,

1 GA from me as informative tips from meter testing procedure as this is also big factor that must consider, all suggestion are really good and your contribution on how to do meter testing procedure educate me as well.

Thanks and kind regard

Roman

My contribution are;

1. in comparing consumption from last year figure, also consider your additional equipment or load.

2. loosed terminals, which gives you high current.

3. any equipment with bearings that already worn out as this will gives you high current also.

4. If you have loads controlled by timer, like perimeter lights, swimming pool etc, must regularly adjust base on actual reasonable needs.

5. Check your ref, chillers from a damaged rubber gasket this will save your energy ($$)and prolong the life of your equipment.

6. Check your house wiring for partially grounded, equipment as well.

7. Utilized natural light (sunlight) as much as possible during the day especially when your maid is cleaning the rooms etc.

8. One thing to check, your maids and drivers; maybe watching TV for a long time and or using air-conditioning and leave it on 24 hours. sometimes they don't care as they don't pay the bill.

Kind regards

Roman

Guest,

Where I live the price per kW hour changes by the time of day and the season.

To save money people use their high powered home appliances during the low rate period and only essential stuff during peak rate periods.

Consider that after checking all of your stuff to ensure their rated power draw.

Jon

All of the submissions here are outstanding. I think that I will test my meter.

We finished constructing our house a couple of years ago. We hired an engineer at the time to help us with our energy efficiencies. We learned from him that the biggest culprit to high energy bills is air transfer within a structure. Our new house is sealed very tight. We do have a fresh air exchange on our air handler but little transference around doors and windows.

Believe it or not our electric bill averages $120.00/mo. for 2500 sq ft. It is naturally somewhat higher in the summer but I'm not going to complain.

To test for air leaks, use a candle, light it and blow it out. Use the small stream of smoke to test doors and windows and do not forget wall outlets and switches. If you have a fireplace, it will draft year round. In the summer, we use an old pillow to block the flue. Also check your range hood if it vents to the outside. That damper can get stuck open with grease.

Hope this helps,

Toolmaker

Thats a great idea about the fire place and I am kicking myself for not thinking about it. My bill is fairly decent, I average about $100/mo, but I am always looking to save a little more. I'll try plugging my fireplace in the same manner and see how much it helps.

Thanks for the tip

Ian

Regards

Please don't frget to advise to Hot areas in the world where Air-Conditioners are used.

Regularly clean air filters & do not set thermostat too low. A setting of 26 C is recommended in counties like Bangladesh, Bhaarat, Pakistan & like.

The one thing not mentioned is parasitic power consumption. Any TV, computer, cordless phone, most appliances, etc. consumes power, even when not in use. If it is plugged in, it's probably using a few Watts. It adds up fast.

Do you really need to have TVs, VCRs, DVD players, Home theather units and all those other items on stand-by mode. There definitely is some trickle current being lost here. Take a walk around the house and switch off the supply from the wall sockets or breaker box....whichever is more practica;

Guest,

If you unplug TVs, VCRs, DVD players, Home theater units etc when not in use you will have lost all of the setups and programmed features that get dumped after a certain amount of unpowered time.

The OP was talking about HIGH Electricity bills. I don't think the collective trickles amount to any significant bugetary concerns.

Jon

First, look at your electric bill compared to last year. Did you use more electricity,(Kilowatt-Hours, kWh)? Did the cost of energy change, cents/kWh? Did the franchise or other fees changes? Higher fuel factor adjustment? Did your utility start charging for demand or peak on/off peak rates?

If your energy rates or fees changed call your utility and ask questions. If your usage went up, was it weather related? Did you add or replace any electric appliances or use some new equipment around your house?

Check freezers and refrigerator door seals, electric water heater thermostats & actual temperature, look at windows and doors. Check you air conditioning duct work, have you been cooling you attic?

Do you have a clamp on multi-meter amp-meter? If not, get one at your local hardware store. Start in you breaker panel by checking you incoming, "mains voltage." The standard single phase service in the US should be 110-125V Phase to ground and 220-250V Phase to Phase. Then use the clamp on amp meter function to find the circuits that have load, i.e. amps. Write down the amps on each circuit, then go find that circuit in the house to see what is drawing the power. Turn on different appliances and look at their name plate, are they using more energy that stated by the manufacture?

If you don't like energy price increases now just wait for The Waxman-Markey bill (CO2 Cap and Tax). Several studies by industry insiders, independents and technology companies suggest that we're in for 50%-100% increases in electric cost.

Google for a device I have seen somewhere that measures power usage of any circuit they make these.

That device, "Kill-A-Watt", was mentioned in post #2, including a link.

Tom