Keeping Your Electric Costs Down

Some money-saving tips from frugal friends and neighbors.

Back to the Past....Using a Clothesline

My electrical bill is now double what it was last year, so I really need to cut energy use. Any form of heat generation uses a LOT of energy, and that includes your clothes dryer.

I remember my grandmother using a clothes line. So I thought I'd try it. I don't want our clothes hanging outside, (Editor's Note: Some muncipalties and homeowner's associations won't allow outside clotheslines) so I got some white nylon half-inch line and strung it up in our basement, hanging it on some eye bolts my husband put in the wall. I dry the heavy stuff that takes a long time to dry this way, especially things like blankets and towels. I then take them down off the clothesline and put them in the dryer for a minute or two to "fluff" them. Works great!

Any clean, dry place in your house will work. And this saves a lot of energy.....you should see how fast the wheel spins on my electric meter when my dryer is on.

Turn Electronic Equipment All the Way Off

When you leave your VCR on, or your computers, monitors, printers , TVs or other electronic equipment in "Sleep" or "Standby" mode, they're still using electricity. At the end of the day, switch this equipment completely off and save on your electrical bill.

Don't Heat Your Closets!

It makes no sense to heat unused space, so keep your closet and storage area doors closed. If you have rooms you don't normally use, like a guest bedroom, keep that door closed too, and shut the heating vents. Just make sure you don't leave a room with exposed or uninsulated water lines unheated....or lock a heat-sensitive plant or one of your pets inside.