step 1: replace all incandescent bulbs with CFLs (8 of them). (If I kept them, 12 more PVs would have been needed.)
2: timer on electric water heater, run for 2 hours in the am, 3 in the evening (instead of 24hrs/day).
3: replace side-side refr. with a Danish model,AND a
chest freezer (a new extra!). Together, they used 1/8 the energy as my early 80s model.

4:Install the solar equipment. (This was never completed to full capacity.)

However, after each step, the power bill dropped dramatically. 1- $30 REDUCTION
2- $38 REDUCTION
3- $34 REDUCTION, even with the added (mini) load
of the freezer.

The house is still mainly on the grid.

Powerbill was reduced consistently to between $37 and $55 per month.

I plan to replace the CFLs with LEDs, complete the solar project, and use the grid for my storage medium, with net metering.

And we also have a timer on our water heater, which has also helped our bill.

the new CFLs seem to be brighter than the old ones, was visiting family in Canada and my father in law has replace all of his with CFLs and outside of the kitchen they were all bright enough for me. I told them they should replace there 20 year old fridge freezer and get a gas dryer but they don’t have the cash for that.

One thing that will make a big difference is hanging your dry instead of using the dryer. Only thing to watch for is if you have allergies, clothes can pick up alot of pollen during the summer. I also remember watching a film in school (have no idea what it was about) but the one scene I remember seeing laundry being hung outside in the dead of winter!

LOL! Do you work for an incandescent light bulb company or something? They use a -lot- less electricity, therefore you are paying less to light your home. Go figure out what’s sucking up the juice and driving your bill higher or check to see if your utility rate has increased.

Sheesh.

So..the cost is not as high AND I am still getting some overall savings.

I’ve now worked out that with no stereo/computer/TV gear left on I save £10/$20USD per month, calculated at UK power prices, not to be sniffed at.

Same goes for the person using gas for heat, though gas being more economical on a per unit/btu basis (last i checked) will produce a larger difference in cost savings.

We just replaced our range, refrigerator, toaster and dishwasher with new, energy-efficient models. Our old appliances were in the 30-40 years old range…didn’t really work at all and, yet, used a ton of electricity. I’m looking forward to seeing how the new ones affect our bills.

All of our appliances were “scratch and dent” buys…we saved thousands! I highly recommend it.

One question about the extra freezer: I’ve thought about gettring one, but worry that it will end up costing me more money–because I’ll fill it and then won’t remember what I have (not to mention the added electrical cost). I’m wondering if it isn’t really less expensive to just buy (more or less) what you need. Any thoughts?

And I’m lucky enough to be in the service area of the local utility that did NOT invest in an ill-advised nuclear plant & so can charge significantly less per Kwh than the county’s other power company.

My husband is building our own house, and hopes to be fitting LED fixtures around the house as he says that they are even *cheaper* and last for even longer than my beloved CFLs… (He’s a professional electrician, so I believe him!)

BTW, just found your blog, and am loving it! Have subscribed

Leroy – I didn’t even think about losing the heat. For me, that’s not the best thing…especially in the winter. We have very cold winters. I’ll have to keep track of it and maybe track my gas usage as well. I wonder if having the CFLs will increase my heating expenses. Interesting.

Happy Rock – only one of our light sockets was not compatible with CFLs. That’s the light above our sink. So we rarely use that light now. All of our other lights are older fixtures, so we probably luck out there. We don’t have track lighting or anything like that. Only one light on the ceiling in a room or a lamp. I’ve never had them flicker when turned off. The only difference I have seen from regular bulbs is that it takes a brief second for them to turn on and then it takes a few more seconds for them to go to full blast light. It was weird at first, but I’m used to it now.

Debby – I don’t know what your bill includes, but I should note that our heat is not electric and our water heater is gas. We do, however, have an electric dryer and an electric stove.

Boston Gal – my guess is that our freezer was from the early 80s. Our stove, freezer and fridge came with the house and the older woman who lived here kept some records and the stove was from 84 and the fridge was from 82. We already replaced the fridge and the stove with newer models. I’d love to have a freezer at some point, but I think we’ll go with a smaller one. We don’t need one quite so big as what we had in our basement.

Replacing the old bulbs with CFLs was also a big saver for me. It was so easy to do and they are so much cheaper now than they used to be.

When I eventually remodel my kitchen I will be investing in super energy-efficient appliances – I am now a total convert to their value!

Since I don’t use an air conditioner, for the few months I don’t use heat, I still don’t save a lot, given the lights are on so seldom in the summer months (longer days = little use for light bulbs.)

So, I’m in no rush to pay the extra up front, invest in all that packaging (compare the waste packaging from a CFC vs. an incandescent bulb) and save myself from having to store the dead CFC bulbs for months on an end (around here, it is a 30km drive to an approved disposal site and our local government offers that only 2x per year.)

The summer electrical savings come anywhere close to off-setting my increased costs.

Now, unplugging the freezer does make a HUGE difference – we did that last year (as well as unplugging the bar fridge except over holidays when I need the extra space.)

What am I doing wrong?

CFL’s don’t create copious amounts of heat during the lighting process like regular bulbs do. Less heat means your A/C has to work less to cool your house. Double win!

Mr. Micah and I aren’t getting into that habit as much because we don’t pay our electric bill. We’re more careful w/water, which we do pay. However, we’re good about not using more lamps than we need, which is a start.

We’ll probably have plenty of motive when we live in a place where we get electric bills.