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In the middle of summer, we blew through 2000 kWH a couple of months, but we've otherwise been able to keep in the "sweet spot" of electricity usage. However, last month we barely exceeded 1000 kWH. It's cooling off to the point where we won't be using the A/C much longer.
My average over the last year was 1927 kWh, but four months I went over 2000 kWh.
Most companies will give you daily or hourly readings from a website. My company posts the data after 48 hours. But you would have to monitor your daily use so you can cut back in the summer (you may have to sweat the last few days). In the winter, you can get an inexpensive oil filled space heater and run it on high (1.5 kWh per hour) for as long as you need to bump you over 1000 kWh for the month. Turn down your primary heat source for a few days so that your net energy usage is about the same.
You really shouldn't spend a lot of money to find something to "waste electricity". At least my idea has you doing little abuse of the environment as you are just trading one heat source for another for a few days and not boiling water in a fishtank.
I have an electricity plan that gives me a HUGE break on my rate as long as I use between 1000 and 2000 kWH per month. As in, my bill for 999 kWH would be over $100, but my bill for 1001 kWH is less than $19 (and my bill for 1999 kWH is about $35).
In the middle of summer, we blew through 2000 kWH a couple of months, but we've otherwise been able to keep in the "sweet spot" of electricity usage. However, last month we barely exceeded 1000 kWH. It's cooling off to the point where we won't be using the A/C much longer.
What is the easiest and safest way to waste electricity? We have gas furnaces (which are barely needed in Houston anyways, haha). One electric water heater, one gas one. Electric oven and drier.
Infrared heater and windows all open at the same time.
If you do not already have a "smart meter" that allows you to see your own real time power usage I would suggest getting a few "Kill-A-Watt" devices to see which things in your house use the most power -- Kill A Watt
Generally an electric heater that pulls 1500W will spin the meter about as hard as anything that can be plugged into a single socket... If you want to keep your garage or patio toasty warm just put that outside on a GFCI circuit 24x7...
I have an electricity plan that gives me a HUGE break on my rate as long as I use between 1000 and 2000 kWH per month. As in, my bill for 999 kWH would be over $100, but my bill for 1001 kWH is less than $19 (and my bill for 1999 kWH is about $35).
In the middle of summer, we blew through 2000 kWH a couple of months, but we've otherwise been able to keep in the "sweet spot" of electricity usage. However, last month we barely exceeded 1000 kWH. It's cooling off to the point where we won't be using the A/C much longer.
What is the easiest and safest way to waste electricity? We have gas furnaces (which are barely needed in Houston anyways, haha). One electric water heater, one gas one. Electric oven and drier.
I'd just run some extra light bulbs. If you are heating the house run some bulbs inside. If you don't need any indoor heating then run some outdoor bulbs. For every 100W of consumption run continuously for a month you'll use roughly 70kWH.
The heat ball was the perfect device for using up large quantities of electricity by turning electricity into heat. It is 95% efficient in generating heat, the other 5% of energy are wasted and turned into visible light. This light is not harmful in any way. They are very easy to use, you can just put them into a regular lamp socket. Be careful when touching them because they do get hot! You used to be able to get them over here, but it appears they stopped producing them. Maybe they are still around on ebay or something.
...the local electric firm probably WANTS folks to do exactly that! Of course that would mean that the OP would use that electricity ALL YEAR 'ROUND which would result in higher total expenditures...
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Well that's not really a waste...
