Taking a Look at Our Electrical History

The comment thread on electric bills has sparked a question. How much is my average electrical bill in the summer and just how much did my frugal endeavors help us decrease our bill? I took a look at our 36 month history and this is the actual breakdown for how much electricity we used.

6/27/2007	978	$72.46
5/29/2007	888	$66.90
4/27/2007	804	$61.86
3/29/2007	1043	$76.66
2/27/2007	1051	$77.16
1/30/2007	1248	$89.11
12/27/2006	1252	$88.87
11/21/2006	837	$63.42
10/24/2006	839	$63.56
9/27/2006	1198	$85.55
8/25/2006	1282	$90.71
7/26/2006	1043	$76.06
6/28/2006	885	$66.37
5/30/2006	894	$66.93
4/27/2006	681	$53.91
3/28/2006	841	$64.06
2/27/2006	798	$61.40
1/27/2006	824	$62.93
12/28/2005	740	$57.46
11/28/2005	864	$65.06
10/24/2005	700	$55.00
9/28/2005	1240	$87.64
8/26/2005	1292	$90.80
7/28/2005	1415	$98.37
6/27/2005	1112	$79.89
5/31/2005	728	$56.49
4/27/2005	707	$55.17
3/29/2005	755	$57.55
2/28/2005	745	$56.94
1/27/2005	1004	$72.58
12/28/2004	1116	$79.34
11/23/2004	809	$60.84
10/25/2004	765	$58.18
9/28/2004	1239	$86.74
8/26/2004	950	$69.33
7/29/2004	1247	$87.35

You can see how much our electric bill has gone up and down these past three years. I can’t really put my finger on one single thing that we did to he
lp our decreases, but I believe a number of things we did have helped contribute towards our lowered electric bills.

1. We got a new air conditioner. When we bought this house, it had a beast of an air conditioner. The air conditioner was the original to the house and our house was built in 1967. The energy it took to run it cost us extra money. The new air conditioner is much more energy efficient so it has helped our electric bills greatly.

2. We got a programmable thermostat. Unfortunately, I am home almost all of the time so there are no real set days where no one is around. It does help to program times in when we really need the cool air (when we are up and around in the house) and to be able to turn it off or down (when we are sleeping).

3. We do not use the dryer in the summer. This is a new rule this summer, but it is working well so far. It isn’t just to help with the electric bill though. It is also a secret getaway for me. I can go outside and away from everyone with an excuse that I *have* to do everyone’s laundry. No one can argue with that and it has become a great place to brainstorm new ideas for our site.

4. We open our windows when we can. We actually found screens to all of the windows in our shed, that we didn’t even know we had! We put all of our screens in and have been opening more windows to allow that cool night air in. I am not fond of our loud birds in the morning, but it is worth it to keep our bills down.

5. We are gradually making the transition toward the CFL bulbs. I have been researching prices on these and have found the best deal at our warehouse store. If you don’t have a warehouse store, look for the larger packages, as they tend to offer more savings, versus the single bulbs. When a light bulb needs replacing, we have been replacing them with the new CFL bulbs instead.

One of our contributors towards our bills being higher has definitely been the impact of the rising gas costs. If you take a look at the majority of bills now, compared to the years past, you will see a jump in your fuel surcharge. It costs the companies more to provide these services, and that has translated into higher gas prices. This, lucky for me, translates into higher bills.

As you can see, I am an open book when it comes to my bills. I think it helps me to reflect more on ways that I can improve this category and it also helps hold me accountable towards making these bills lower.

Have you ever taken a look at your electrical history? It is a fun way to see how you can make a positive impact towards lowering your bills.