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Lower Electricity Costs by Reducing Standby Power – DFA Tip of the Week – 5/18/2009

05.20.2009 by Matt Jabs //

There are many ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each Monday (or maybe later in the week) I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”  – Luke 19:17

This weeks tip involves…reducing your electricity bill by turning off certain breakers.

The Problem

I’m sure you’ve heard it before…your cell phone charger (and/or other electronic devices) hog power even when not in use.

Standby power (aka vampire power, phantom load, low power mode, or leaking electricity) – energy consumed by devices when they’re plugged in but not in use – costs the average American household between $200 – $300 a year and typically accounts for 5 – 10% of total residential electric consumption.

Today I will show you my action plan to reduce this problem in my home.

Here are examples of devices in your home that drain standby power as long as they are plugged into a live power source:

  • Satellite DVR boxes
  • Notebook (laptop) computers
  • Home audio systems
  • Televisions (especially rear projection)
  • DVD players
  • Microwave ovens
  • Cell phone chargers
  • Night lights – most people leave them plugged in & running 24/7/365
  • Alarm clocks – electric ones of course

One common solution you will hear is to install power strips in areas with many electronic devices – such as your entertainment center or office desk.  I have a easier, quicker, & cheaper solution!

So What’s The Answer?

To reduce the consumption of standby power in our home, without paying for a bunch of power strips, I looked no further than our home breaker box.

First I strategically marked any breaker not requiring a live power connection during the course of a normal day with blue tape, then added a quick & simple step to my daily routine.  Every morning before leaving for work I head down to the basement and flip any breakers marked with the blue tape.  When I get home, I head back down to the basement and flip the breakers back to their live position.

I made sure not to include breakers connected to necessary appliances such as my refrigerator, freezer, and range oven (because I don’t like resetting its digital clock every day).

Some may find this information incredibly useful while others may deem it a waste of time.  To the latter I remind you that every penny counts and the more areas you cut costs, the quicker you reduce your debt, and the quicker you’re able to reach financial freedom.  I have been employing this tip for some time now and find the implementation into my daily routine was adopted with nearly zero inconvenience.  The most time consuming part of the entire exercise is deciphering which breakers you can flip and which you must leave powered on.

On that note let me tell you why we leave some on:

  • Garage – because we didn’t leave it on at first then came home in a rain storm and couldn’t open the garage door!
  • Sump – do I really need to explain this one?  Okay, I will…we don’t want to come home to a flooded basement.
  • Furnace – I’m still debating whether or not I could turn this off.  Right now I am doing so in the summer, but not in the winter.
  • Basement – because we need light in the basement in order to turn the breakers on & off.
  • Family room, kitchen lights, master bedroom, microwave, and range (as mentioned above) are all left on because they have digital clocks that I got sick of resetting every day.  This sort of defeats the purpose, so after writing this post I’m recommitting myself to turning these off, then just resetting the clocks.  I’ll probably just never reset certain clocks, like on the range since there is a battery operated wall clock right next to it.

What do you think?  Is this something you would implement into your life to save a few hundred bucks a year?  Before you answer, let me leave you with this famous yet brilliantly simple quote:

“A penny saved is a penny earned!”

– Benjamin Franklin

Click here to see all our past DFA Tips of the Week.

DFA is passionately dedicated to helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.

Categories // Expenses, Tips Tags // electric, reduce, totw

Manually Report Utility Meter Readings To Avoid Being Overcharged

05.17.2009 by Matt Jabs //

I strongly urge you to read this post.  It will help you avoid being overcharged as I was.

Last month I wrote a post titled Automatic Bill Pay Concerns that urged readers to closely monitor any auto-drafts they set up for monthly bills.  To summarize the article:

If you use automatic bill paying features, MAKE SURE you check each & every bill for accuracy.  Though it may not happen every month, you may be surprised how many times there is a Monopoly type “money error in your favor”.  Pass go, collect $200!

Today I felt the need to be more specific and beseech you to start reporting manual meter readings for you natural gas and/or electric provider immediately to avoid being errantly overcharged!  It happened to me the last two consecutive months.  To manually report your natural gas and/or electric meter reading, simply contact your utility provider by phone or visit their website for specific & detailed instructions.  In my experience I just read the gas meter and called it in to a customer service rep.

How To Read Your Natural Gas Meter

Here’s how much my manual reading saved me…

April 2009 – Gas & Electric Bill

My original bill on 4/13/2009 was for $319.14.  I suspected the amount to be unusually high and called to ensure a correct reading had been taken and to report my manual reading.  After a few minutes the customer service rep delivered the good news that their initial meter reading was indeed incorrect & my new bill amount was $202.46.  A total savings of $116.68 for the month of April!

May 2009 – Gas & Electric Bill

Late last week I logged into my online billing to see the original amount of $194.87.  I thought about it for a minute, figured the amount could be high (especially after what happened a month prior) and decided I would call in my reading again to see if there was any error.  Once again, after a few minutes the CSR informed me their reading was once again incorrect and that my new bill amount was $151.42.  A savings of $43.45 for the month of May.

To Summarize…

By calling in and reporting my gas & electric (I have one provider for both services) meter readings manually for two straight months I was able to reclaim a total of $160.13 of errant charges.  Was this happenstance, or is my utility company using this practice on many of its customers to pad its bottom line in rough economic times?  What do you think?

Categories // Counsel, Expenses Tags // Add new tag, electric, gas, reduce, utilities

Hot Water Savings – DFA Tip of the Week – 5/11/2009

05.16.2009 by Matt Jabs //

There are many ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each Monday I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.” Luke 19:17

This weeks tip involves…reducing your Hot Water Heater costs.  This post is coming about 5 days late, but better late than never!

The following post will deliver 4 inexpensive and easy to implement ways for you to significantly reduce your hot water heating costs.

Tip 1 – Turn off hot water heater

hwh_after

You can employ this tip regardless of whether you have a gas or an electric water heater.

What time of day does your family hit peak water usage?  If you are like most American families it is probably some time in the morning hours.  For my wife & I, the only time we really need hot water is around 7am during morning shower time, so here is what we are going to do and what you can do too!

  • Manually turn our gas water heater down to “Vacation” before we leave for work in the morning.
  • Keep it turned down all day.
  • Turn it back on right before bed time, so it can provide us our hot water again for the next mornings showers.

Tip 2 – Install an electric water heater timer

If you are like me and have a gas water heater this is not a viable option for you because of the pilot light system.

If you have an electric water heater you can install this inexpensive & highly rated automatic electric water heater timer.  Also, according to this quote from EnergySavers.gov you may be able to work with your local utility provider to reduce your costs as well:

“Contact your utility to see if it offers a demand management program. Some utilities offer “time of use” electricity rates that vary according to the demand on their system. They charge higher rates during “on-peak” times and lower rates during “off-peak” times. Some even offer incentives to customers who allow them to install control devices that shut off electric water heaters during peak demand periods.”

Tip 3 & 4 – Insulate your hot water system

  • I installed an insulation blanket around my hot water heater – This blanket was easy to install, cost only $10, and will pay for itself in energy savings in a few months time.

hwh_blanket

  • I insulated the hot water pipes in my basement – This was also a very inexpensive and easy project, and one that will deliver hot water savings for the entire time I am in my home.

hwh_pipes

Are there other simple & inexpensive ways to reduce hot water costs that I have not mentioned?  Let us know in the comments!

Click here to see all our past DFA Tips of the Week.

DFA is passionately dedicated to helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.

Categories // Expenses, Tips Tags // appliances, reduce, Reduce Expenses, totw, water

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Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

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