Vacuum behind your refrigerator once a year, making sure to remove dirt and dust from the coils. Dust build-up not only increases energy use, but can also cause the unit to break down.
Tip: Use the Expensive Motor Oil
Use the expensive motor oil in your engine. Using a synthetic oil can improve your fuel economy by 10%. (Your engine will last longer as well.)
Tip: Toss the Junk in the Trunk
You know that extra junk you keep in the car? Get rid of it and watch your MPG go up! Note: This does not apply to your kids, your spouse, or your in-laws.
May 2007 Utility Bill
I made a fairly serious mistake last month — when I turned on the sprinklers, I set them up to run four times a week and managed to use 96 CCF of water at a cost of $135. May is usually fairly light as far as the utility bill goes, but that water bill really hurt us. (I've just adjusted the sprinklers to run only three times a month.)
In additional to including my utility bill data at the bottom of each of these posts, I have also decided to include all of the raw utility bill data at the bottom of the page in a handy table so you can easily compare month to month. Each month label has a link back to that month's post so you can see the details for that month as needed.May 2007 Data
Electricity, in kWh
Cost / Unit
Gas, in Therms
Cost / Unit
Water, in CCF
Cost / Unit
1,230
$.085
29
$1.61
96
$1.41
Tip: Hang It Up
Hang it up! Clotheslines may be old-fashioned but they dry your clothes better (and cheaper) than dryers do. Your clothes last longer, too; what do you think you scrape off of the the lint screen after each load? (Clothes.)
Tip: Put Your Computer To Sleep
Set up your computer to hibernate after 30 minutes of inactivity. When sleeping it will not use any power and you will not lose your place. (Using screensavers doesn't save you any power.)