From next Monday I'll be auditing my own electricity meter to see what my usage is. I do this a few times during the year and it gives me a good idea what uses a lot of power and how I can cut back on the electricity I use.
I'd like everyone to do this along with me. Are you able to access your electricity meter to read it every day?
I'd like everyone to do this along with me. Are you able to access your electricity meter to read it every day?
Hi Rhonda Jean,
ReplyDeleteYes I can. Since we have installed a new HE washer and dryer and a new HE Air Conditioner our bills have gone down about 140.00 a month. Which is a big savings. Last year at this time our bill was 384.00 and this year it is 240.00
I am so pleased.
Blessings,
Elizabeth
our meter box iis easy to access so I'm definately in on this as this is something I've been meaning to do for awhile !!!
ReplyDeleteOK! Elizabeth and Ali, even if it's just the three of us, it's will be an excellent thing to do. I've found through doing this that I have been able to reduce my usage considerably.
ReplyDeleteYes, Rhonda, I can step just out the back door to read it. This will be interesting - I've never done it before! Will you be giving us instructions on what you'd like us to do?
ReplyDeleteCarla (with a much shorter message this time!)
yes Carla. I'll give instructions. : )
ReplyDeleteI read mine on a weekly basis and every so often I read it daily. I was planning to do a daily reading to see how much the fan on our gas central heating increases our elec tricity consumption so count me in.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbour across the road peers out at me from behind his curtains when I trot outside with my note book and pen to record the readings on the gas, water and electricity metres every Sunday morning.
Sure! I never thought of doing such a thing. :-)
ReplyDeleteO joy! Count me in! I have never done this before! I kinda just go by the bill. Ours is lower than most folks around us. Right now we are in the middle of record heat 100F with 110 heat index) and no rain! That means that we are indoors more for health reasons and the AC is running a bit more. Do you just look at it from month to month, or how do you determine your usage?
ReplyDeleteOh this will be scary. (I've stopped using the dryer, but my housemate hasn't.) I'm in!
ReplyDeleteI do this weekly as well as our water meter. I have a spread sheet that I made up so I can see at a glance how much we are using and how much we need to cut back the following week.
ReplyDeleteI'll be in :)
ReplyDeleteI have tried to do this before but was obviously reading the meter wrong when one day according to my figures we had a negative reading.LOL
I usually work out daily use from my bill when it arrives. I just got my winter qtr bill and it works out at 15.97kwh domestic and 6.02kwh hot water per day.(this is double the recommended level for sustainability!) My HWS died 2 weeks ago so the new energy efficient one should make a difference with my next bill. This bill did not surprise me as ds has used the elec heater quite a bit but it wasn't as high as I thought it would be. My usage is normally 18.16kwh but I would like to get this much lower. My gf said her bill is often around $800 per qtr!!! I have no idea how someone can use that much power!!!
Okay Rhonda I am in this will be interesting. Awaiting your intructions
ReplyDelete((HUG))
Yay! we have a nice little group forming. You can learn a lot by reading your own meter. I'll explain it all tomorrow. If you could have your last power bill handy tomorrow, that would be a bonus.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog. It's great. I'll be back. :o)
ReplyDeleteI can read mine easily but not sure what to do ie which bit to read??? I am excieted to see how I can cut down ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been doing this monthly for electricity (lighting, cooking etc) and gas (heating) for almost two years now. Since I have been doing this we all think a lot more about how we use fuel. We measure the miles we do by car as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda. I missed your blog for a couple of days as my computer was with the computer docter. All is well now and I am catching up with your news. Yes I would love to be in on the meter check. Coincidentaly I have read my meter a couple of times in the last few weeks as I think our consumption is too high and trying to figure out how I can cut back. Linda
ReplyDeleteWell I know where mine is - I guess that's a start. LOL. Will have a look tomorrow and see how easy it is to read. To be honest we've gotten a little complacent as our electricity bill was partly out of our control at our last place and now it's dropped by quite a bit. I need to get back to being more thoughtful with my electricity usage so I'll give this a go.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to join in too :) will og hunt down my last bill tonight!
ReplyDeleteRhonda Jean,
ReplyDeleteI'm protesting and resisting (LOL!), so sounds like something I'd better start doing! Count me in.
Let's see what do I currently use electricity for? I'd have to give up computer, TV, and coffee -- plus the occasional baking & stovetop use for dinner in order to improve more... We've been slowly improving our utility use for years, now it happens on our bill sometimes without even the effort. But I've not read our meter -- just asked the guy who checks it and he said we're using about 1/4 of what houses around us do.
I guess our washing machine uses electricity, but I'm not about to give that up. I do like the modern convenience and clean clothes. Not going back to baseball bat and bucket anytime soon, I hope!
If a light is needed, we turn on the overhead briefly to accomplish the task or more often we use a couple low-wattage nightlights or candlelight to brighten up the night and make the path visible. But have been looking forward to adding back in the luxury of using a reading light this dark winter ahead (N. hemisphere) -- otherwise it's more sitting around hours in the dark!
OK, so things I've been trying to improve on could make up for adding reading light back into the equation -- cutting (or rather, seriously limiting) coffee, computer use, frivolous TV / channel surfing...
Ending this comment, still protesting while burning electricity with both computer and reading light... (LOL!)
(Wildside)
I would like to do this because I am sure my meter is not working properly. If it is, I would like someone to explain to me why my electricity bill is £93 per month! Yes, you read it correctly - that's English pounds!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Jackie
(funding the entire National Grid from one domestic residrence!)
I monitor our meter each day at 7 am. It is a wonderful tool for managing your power usage.
ReplyDeleteI am starting to do the same thing with the water meter. Only I'm starting with weekly readings.
Kim
ok! count me in! my power bill was atrocious (i finally gave in to the heat and turned the air conditioners on)
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda Jean
ReplyDeleteI just found your site and love it. We have just moved to country NSW and have had the largest electricity bill we've ever had $460!! Plus we have gas for cooking. I asked around and apparently its normally that for everyone - I even heard of one family who's bill is $1200 because of of the water pump which pumps their water to their house. Its just crazy! So I am in please.
Alita