Little Changes, BIG Rewards!

In a time when most things are on the rise, I am happy to report that my family's power usage is on the decline. When I tell people about the electricity project at my home, they often ask what I did to cut it so much.

First things first. How much did I cut? Well. I've been tracking my usage for a number of years now but not doing anything specific to manifest dramatic change. We went from an average of about 1200 kWh a month to 507 this past month.

Okay, averages don't say a lot. Let's compare month to month. Last year for the same period of time we used 916 kWh of power. Again, this year it was 507! And I'm not going to stop now. My goal is to hit 400 for a single month. We'll see if I can do it.

As I chronicle my electric adventures, I will also be Twittering the tips at www.twitter.com/BeautyWriter

So, far I haven't done anything big or expensive. No new windows or doors, no bundles of insulation , or new heating units! We have done small things consistently.

Stay tuned and we will share along the way.

Power Tip #1 Unplug things that just sit on standby waiting to be used. These are things like your coffee pot that has a clock, TVs with remotes, etc. To make it simple some people use a power strip to easily cut the power to things when not in use.

Power Tip #2 Microwaves use less power then the stove. Cook a big meal and then portion it for later heating in the microwave. You can even freeze complete meals and save a ton of time. Imagine, complete meals in your freezer you can grab for work. Bet you will even save money on eating out.

One last thing before I go. There is a great blog you should be reading if you are into saving money. Go to www.BudgeTips.blogspot.com

Until next time...We'll turn the light off for ya'.