Utilities Savings

It’s “thrifty Thursday”, and that means it’s time for a finance post. I went back into the financial archives to look at my utilities spending and was pleasantly surprised. Over the past five years, the amount we spent for gas and electric has gone down every year, except for 2018, when we spent $50 more than 2017. Here’s the breakdown:

These are some things we have done to lower our utilities cost.

1. We live in a newer home that has energy efficient windows and good insulation. Ten years ago, when we lived in our old house, heating costs were double for a home that was smaller.

2. We changed our supplier. Thanks to deregulation, we can choose a company to supply our gas and electric. We chose Agera Energy. There was no interruption in service, our bill didn’t change - we still pay the utility company. All that changed was the cost.

3. We got a Nest thermostat. It’s nice looking and easy to use - I don’t like when basic things are complicated. The smart technology links to our cellphones so it knows when we’re not home and adjusts accordingly. You can also turn it up or down from your phone. When we are energy efficient we earn leaves. Each month they send an email with our leaf report.

4. We don’t mess around with the Nest. We set it and forget it. In the winter we keep our house at 68 degrees during the daytime and 67 degrees at night.

5. If someone is cold, then they add layers. We keep three fleece throw blankets in our family room, one for each of us.

6. We turn the lights off when we leave a room.

7. I wash clothes in cold water or eco-warm water. Only the sheets are washed in hot water.

8. I hang our nice work clothes on a drying rack indoors. This is one load that doesn’t have to go through the dryer, and the clothes last longer.

Read more about sustainability at goinggreenshow.com.