Reading our meters gives us a real chance to cut back on our use of precious resources. It's like tracking your money when you start budgeting - you need to know how much you're spending, and on what.
On my first day of meter reading my electricity meter was on 22437, my water meter was 369233.
Electricity
When I did the second reading after using normally for two days, the meter read 22469 which is pretty dismal for us. It just shows me that we have to watch this all the time and not think it's okay to leave appliances plugged in or lights turned on. The second reading was 22488. Much better but it's not our best. We can get it much lower than that and I'll talk to Hanno later in the week about getting back to our old levels. According to our latest bill, which went up yet again!, that reduction over two days would have saved us about $90 over the course of a normal billing period. That's incredible, but it shows just how powerful a saving tool it is to read the meter.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emission is incredible too. If we can stay on that lower level we would be saving tonnes of gas emissions every billing period.
Water
That was much the same over the four days: we used between 102 and 107 litres each (28.8 gallons) per day.
The thing that really get me about this exercise is that is is SO easy to do. Turning off, unplugging, hanging out, cutting back - it's simple and easy and everyone can do it. We just have to have the will to do it.
I'm pretty sure the cost of utilities is rising world wide. Our electricity cost has risen twice in the past year. Let's do something about it. Let's stop being sitting ducks for the utility companies to rake in profits by taking control of ourselves and our usage of these precious products. Now is the time, my friends. We can all do it.
So how did you go? I hope you saved a lot - both in gasses and money but my wish for all of us is that we will be amazed at how easy it is to cut back and shocked enough by our reductions that we keep them low. Now I'm looking forward to reading all the comments about your reductions.
OLD POSTS RELATING TO THIS SUBJECT:On my first day of meter reading my electricity meter was on 22437, my water meter was 369233.
Electricity
When I did the second reading after using normally for two days, the meter read 22469 which is pretty dismal for us. It just shows me that we have to watch this all the time and not think it's okay to leave appliances plugged in or lights turned on. The second reading was 22488. Much better but it's not our best. We can get it much lower than that and I'll talk to Hanno later in the week about getting back to our old levels. According to our latest bill, which went up yet again!, that reduction over two days would have saved us about $90 over the course of a normal billing period. That's incredible, but it shows just how powerful a saving tool it is to read the meter.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emission is incredible too. If we can stay on that lower level we would be saving tonnes of gas emissions every billing period.
Water
That was much the same over the four days: we used between 102 and 107 litres each (28.8 gallons) per day.
The thing that really get me about this exercise is that is is SO easy to do. Turning off, unplugging, hanging out, cutting back - it's simple and easy and everyone can do it. We just have to have the will to do it.
I'm pretty sure the cost of utilities is rising world wide. Our electricity cost has risen twice in the past year. Let's do something about it. Let's stop being sitting ducks for the utility companies to rake in profits by taking control of ourselves and our usage of these precious products. Now is the time, my friends. We can all do it.
So how did you go? I hope you saved a lot - both in gasses and money but my wish for all of us is that we will be amazed at how easy it is to cut back and shocked enough by our reductions that we keep them low. Now I'm looking forward to reading all the comments about your reductions.
Hanging laundry
Saving electricity
PS: To all those who asked about the storms here, Hanno and I are fine. We had, and are still having, a lot of rain, but there was little wind here and no damage. Just 50km south, entire streets were wiped out, houses flattened and trees down. It's incredible, as on the same news broadcast we saw those terrible fires in LA. I hope everyone here from that area is safe and sound. Thanks for asking about H and I.
