When You Reach for the Switch

Oh yeah, you know what I'm going to say? Make sure you turn the lights out when you leave the room? Well, that's partially true. Turning out the lights when you leave the room, or better yet, use natural window light to see will save you a bundle. But that isn't what I was going to point out.

Behind that faceplate is a space that air can escape or invade. Light switches and outlets are easy to miss. They are small and unassuming. How many outlets and switches does your house have?

Insulators can be found at your local hardware store for a few dollars a pack. They are quick to install and over time the savings can add up.

One thing I found in this old home is that some of the covers were ill fitting and there were gaps in the plaster around them that could be sealed with patching medium.

I have no clue how much savings can be garnered. If anyone has a calculator for that I would love to post a link here, so send it on.

Power Tip #5 Pull on a sweater. Add a layer of long underwear. Shrug into a cardigan. Do whatever you have to do to mitigate the cold BEFORE turning the heat up.

Power Tip #6 Add more blankets to the bed and you may get away with turning the heat way down at night. If you live in a colder region a heated mattress pad or blanket may be in order. That's about eight hours of turning the heat down. That's 720 hours over a 90 day period. What could you save if you turned the heat back over time?

Stay tuned for more Power Tips over time. Each one, on it's own, may not lend a drastic change. Put them together and you will have a supercharged savings plan.

Novel Ideas

Starting a new novel is exciting. It's new, fresh territory with surprises lurking behind each keystroke. It is also demanding--a master that absorbs blocks of time. Since time is limited, I must choose how to portion out my resources.

The art and strategy of saving is in me as much as the determination to get what I want. At times they serve each other. At other times the two objectives collide.

Saving has become a priority for me. Sure, the economy is on peoples' minds but that's not it. The earth is my friend and I long to support the future, but that's not it either. The reality is that I have committed to beginning a new novel and I need the time to write. In turn, I'll be faced with turning down some jobs to accommodate more writing time. At this time saving seems to support me.

I'll continue to twitter my PowerTip each day as well as bring them to you here. If you would like to keep tabs on my progress, sign up for my newsletter. I expect it to go out about once a month. You don't have to worry about spam. I won't sell your name and I don't have the time to send out daily blasts.

For those of you following along on the ENERGY PROJECT, here are the past two tips:

PowerTip #3 Embrace CFL bulbs. They can cut energy use dramatically. Please be sure to dispose of them properly. Disposal sites can be found through your local bulk waste office.

PowerTip #4 Hey, is the carpet really dirty? Does it really need to be vacuumed twice a day. Could you cut back and vacuum every other day?

Stay tuned for more of the steps I've personally taken to reduce my dependence on electricity.

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'.