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Seriously, just call the utility and ask if they have an efficiency expert that will come out and evaluate your home and usage to see where you can save or what the major change was caused by.
good points......
a couple of things i'm going to do now......turning down the water heater temp.....it's warm enough out.....(i turn it up and then back down every year....no change from last year).
good point about ' more laundry being processed". we just had twins and do laundry once a week as opposed to once every 3-4 weeks last year.....and i know that dryer sucks electricity like a freaking *&#%*& working at the *&$*&%$!
Only a man would ever admit that I could never go 3-4 weeks, I have little girls and they change clothes 3-4 times a day (school clothes, play clothes, then pajamas), plus I can't stand the smell of laundry if it sits around longer than a week.
Not only is more laundry being done, but the dishwasher is probably being used more often, if you're using it to wash bottles. And more warm water is being used for baths than before. Also, the house may need to be kept warmer on cold days than it was pre-baby. You may even be cooking more than you used to, since it's not as convenient to dine out with infants.
Still shouldn't account for your bill being that much higher though. Your electric company probably provides free energy audits, that would be a good thing to try.
i'm glad it made you smile....but why?
because i said nothing changed and then said that the only thing that changed was a new HVAC system?
Because you kept saying that NOTHING has changed yet you:
- got new appliances as mentioned in your first post
- got a new HVAC system as quoted above
and now....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thinking-man
good points......
we just had twins and do laundry once a week as opposed to once every 3-4 weeks last year.....and i know that dryer sucks electricity like a freaking *&#%*& working at the *&$*&%$!
yet another change, and quite the major one at that!
Because you kept saying that NOTHING has changed yet you:
- got new appliances as mentioned in your first post
- got a new HVAC system as quoted above
and now....
yet another change, and quite the major one at that!
i misspoke.......the "appliance" that changed was the HVAC, but i guess that's not really considered an appliance. (no other equipment in the house changed).
as far as the 'other' change which you noted as a major one, yes, i didn't think about it until someone pointed it out.
Learn to read your electric meter. Read it daily at the same time each day. See if you are using the amount on your electric bill divided by 30 each day. Or less each day, then a whole bunch on certain days. Figure out what was on during those "whole bunch" days.
Of if using that much daily, read the meter several times a day at the same times. Then try shutting different things off for awhile like the refrigerator. Place some ice in the refrigerator and it can be off for most of the day if you don't open the doors.
2 loads a week!!! I need to know your secret. We have about 6 loads a week, and there are only 3 of us. We have a super capacity HD washer and dryer, and we have 1 large load of towels alone. Then there's the whites, work clothes, permanent press light/dark, it comes to at least 6 a week. Even before my son we had several loads a week. Please share you secrets.
2 loads a week!!! I need to know your secret. We have about 6 loads a week, and there are only 3 of us. We have a super capacity HD washer and dryer, and we have 1 large load of towels alone. Then there's the whites, work clothes, permanent press light/dark, it comes to at least 6 a week. Even before my son we had several loads a week. Please share you secrets.
umm.....i don't have any secrets......i dry clean my suits and shirts......we wear our cloths a couple of times before they're put in the hamper....we don't wash the towels after each use.....not sure how you have a large load of towels each week! I personally have about maybe 4-5 underwear, 5 undershirts, 2 or 3 T-shirts for around the house, a pair of jeans maybe, and a few socks that need to be washed every week.....that's about it.
i guess i've never really thought about it.....but 6 loads a week means doing laundry almost EVERY day which seems a lot. the baby cloths are changed once a day or when dirty......but they're tiny so.....
umm.....i don't have any secrets......i dry clean my suits and shirts......we wear our cloths a couple of times before they're put in the hamper....we don't wash the towels after each use.....not sure how you have a large load of towels each week! I personally have about maybe 4-5 underwear, 5 undershirts, 2 or 3 T-shirts for around the house, a pair of jeans maybe, and a few socks that need to be washed every week.....that's about it.
i guess i've never really thought about it.....but 6 loads a week means doing laundry almost EVERY day which seems a lot. the baby cloths are changed once a day or when dirty......but they're tiny so.....
4-5 underwear a week??? We all change ours daily, and our socks too. I don't dry clean my work clothing. I just wash and iron myself. 3 people with towels even if we used them more than once which we do is still enough for a large load a week. We don't do laundry daily though. We have a marathon day on Sunday.
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I could never go 3-4 weeks, I have little girls and they change clothes 3-4 times a day (school clothes, play clothes, then pajamas), plus I can't stand the smell of laundry if it sits around longer than a week.
