Luckily I have set up an equal payment plan with BC Hydro or I would be scrambling to pay December’s power bill.
I used $134 worth of electricity in December, in my 400 sq. ft. apartment where I keep the temperature at 16 degrees all the time because my only source of heat is baseboard heating.
At first I thought there was some sort of mistake.
How could I use more electricity in my apartment than my parents do in their 100-year-old farm house that is at least triple the size?
But when I looked again, and did some research, it is to be expected that our hydro bills triple in the winter months.
So, in an attempt to reduce my consumption I rearranged me house, removing everything that was formerly in front of my baseboard heaters.
I also been unplugging all appliances when I am not using, including my TV, my lamp and my WiFi.
Why do I need to have my WiFi on when I am sleeping anyway?
I also purchased LEDs for all of the lights in my house. It was only five light bulbs, but hey, hopefully it will help?
I’ve read that turning off the oven before the cook time is done, and leaving the door close will save energy.
I imagine that cooking larger meals one time and eating leftovers would also save power.
But really, how much of a difference will it make?
Those are all small things compared to keeping my house from not freezing during a cold snap.
Looking at all of this power usage information made me stop for a second and go back to see how much electricity I was using when I wasn’t home at all during summer vacation.
I will be making more of an effort to leave as many things unplugged as possible the next time I am spending a few days away from home.
Not only will I be saving money, in theory we all need to consume less in order to save the planet.
How do you reduce your electricity use?
