Electricity bills in the summer can be brutal! Our summer rates are double and triple what they are in the winter.
If you’re lazy about conserving electricity in the winter, there is some serious motivation to buckle down in the summertime.
When we moved into our new house earlier in 2017, I signed up for OhmConnect, a free program that encourages people to save power by giving you cash for doing so!
Several times a week I’ll get a text notifying me of the next upcoming OhmHour (usually a day or two in advance), then during that hour, we try to use as little electricity as possible (or at least less than our projected usage).
We get our results a couple of days later and if our actual usage was below our projected usage, then we get points which translate directly into cash via PayPal. The lower your actual usage versus the projected usage, the more points you get.
I thought I was excited about OhmConnect, but it has been my kids that have really taken control and run away with it. Since they’ve been so motivated and involved with saving electricity (both during OhmHours and generally), I’ve decided to put all the OhmConnect money we earn in our family fun fund.
Of course in addition to earning money through OhmConnect, we’re also saving money with a lower electric bill because we’re using less power. Thanks to the OhmConnect program, we’ve closely examined our energy use and we know how to be savvy power consumers.
It definitely pays to be energy conscious!
We have learned that the little things we do to save electricity really do make a difference. We already have good habits of the saving electricity in the big ways, but as we’ve gone the extra mile recently to tackle the little things too, we’ve seen great things happen (i.e. a cheaper electricity bill)!
Air dryer, not hair dryer
If you can get away with a summer ‘do’ that doesn’t require a hair dryer, it will pay off! Any appliances that heat or cool suck lots of electricity. Letting your hair air dry either at night or during the day is another way to keep you cool. Plus, you aren’t heating up your house by blowing hot air into it!
Put a lid on it!
It doesn’t get more simple than this! When you boil water, put a lid on your pot or saucepan. The water will boil faster, which means you won’t have to keep the stovetop on as long. Having the stove on as little as possible not only helps by reducing the amount of electricity needed, but also means you aren’t heating up your house as much, which is expensive to cool down.
Unplug it
Did you know that even when an appliance is off it’s still drawing power if it is plugged in? True story. It takes such little effort to unplug something when you’re not using it, but it can make a difference when you make unplugging a habit, especially in the summer when rates are higher.
Confession time. I actually learned this a long time, but was too lazy to unplug things. Could it really make that much of a difference? Well, now, motivated by OhmHours and high summer electricity rates, we got in the habit of unplugging and it does make a difference!
Use free air conditioning
If you live in a place where it cools down at night, open your windows and let that cool air fill your home at night. Before it heats up in the morning close the windows. It’s so refreshing to feel the cool (sometimes even cold!) air in the morning! This small daily habit makes a HUGE difference in how much we need to run our air conditioning.
Be the thermostat
Instead to setting our thermostat to a normal temperature, we set it ridiculously high during the summer (or ridiculously low in the winter). In essence we use it as an on/off switch for our air conditioning. With a high temperature set, the default is that the air is off. We make a conscious decision to turn on the air when it gets too hot. Another benefit is that we don’t accidentally have the air running when we’re not even home.
Don’t cook
Many of us would love an excuse not to cook. Am I right? Not only does cooking take electricity, it heats up your home. Summer is a great time to have a salad for dinner. (I hated salad until I was in my twenties, but this was the cure for me.) If you like to grill, that’s a great way to keep the heat outside. I’m not above serving cold cereal for dinner on a hot day.
Use those window treatments
Curtains and blinds aren’t just to look pretty. Make sure they’re being functional too! Keep your house cool by drawing the curtains or closing the blinds when the sun is shining straight in and heating up your house. In the winter, of course, you’ll want those window treatments open to capture that nice heat, but in the summer don’t let it make your house toastier.
Lights out!
Both my husband and I grew up with this habit, so it’s not a problem for us, but I have to mention it because it really is a super simple way to make a difference. I’ve been in many homes where all the lights are on all the time. If that sounds like your house, it’s time to make a new rule: Last one out of a room turns off the lights.
Shorten the shower
For a while I thought this was only a matter of conserving water, but I’ve since seen the error of my ways. One Saturday night, I had four of our kids their take baths/showers right before an OhmHour started. My thought was that if their baths were over when the OhmHour started we wouldn’t have to have lights in the three bathrooms on. We ended up not meeting our goal that OhmHour because the water heater started doing its job (heating up the water for four simultaneous baths/showers) just as the hour we were conserving energy started.
That was the first time it hit me that shortening showers would reduce the amount of water that the water heater would have to heat, which is why shorter showers not only save water, but electricity too! Did you know that the water heater is one of the biggest power users in the house?
Ditch the dryer
If you already have a clothesline installed at your house, then it’s just a matter of choosing to use it. If you don’t have a clothesline, then putting one up might take a little effort (more than the other suggestions on my list), but it will quickly pay for itself.
Every time I use my clothesline I get excited about the savings. Is that nerdy or what?! If you need some motivation, read these 9 reasons to use a clothesline.
Challenge Yourself
If you’re in California (or New York or some parts of Texas), I recommend signing up for OhmConnect to both make you aware of the power you’re using and motivate you to reduce it. After you sign up you’ll need to sign a form (digital signature of the person whose name is on the utility account) giving permission for OhmConnect to have access to your utility account. They use your history to determine your projected use for each OhmHour and to know your actual usage after the OhmHour occurs.
If you’re somewhere else, try having your own family challenge! Take a look at your bill and what your family’s average usage is, then set a goal for how much you want to reduce your electricty usage. Set up a reward that gets your family excited. For example, you could tell your kids that if they can help reduce the bill by a certain amount of money, you’ll take half that amount and put it toward a fun family activity (bowling ice cream party, pizza, etc). Each month you can heighten the challenge.
Not only will you save electricity and money, but you’ll create good habits have fun too!
How about you?
- Do you make conscious efforts to reduce your electricity?
- Are you savvy about how your electricity use is monitored and billed?
- What simple things do you do to save electricity in the summer?
Kristen Koehler says
Love this post. One of the things I try to do is unplug things that aren’t in use. I used to leave my hairdryer and phone chargers plugged in all the time for convenience but I now know to unplug them. Another thing you can do is to install solar control window film to reduce the amount of heat coming in through your windows. The U.S. Department of Energy calls window film an energy efficient window covering and some municipalities and energy companies offer rebates for installing film. It’s cheaper than replacing your windows and keeps them out of the landfill.
NewEra says
Great article on saving electricity! Your tips are really helpful. I’d like to add one more simple yet effective suggestion: consider keeping your curtains and blinds closed during the hottest parts of the day. This can help block out direct sunlight and heat, reducing the need for excessive cooling.
Dash Service says
I love the point about thermostats. I also suggest using this schedule for electricity savings in the summer: set it to 75°F when you wake up, 80°F when you leave, 75°F in the evenings, and 78°F (or turn it off) when you sleep.
You won’t feel a big change in temperature, but you’ll see a significant reduction in energy usage.
Melanie says
I have hung clothes up on a clothes line since I was about 12 or 13 yrs old. My mom was a single mom of 5 & she had to cut back on things. Drying clothes in a dry (except for some winter days) in So. Cal was essential for us. When I got married, (in the day) we didn’t have Pampers, Huggie diapers. At baby showers, I got a lot of cloth diapers & my inlaws paid for 1 yr of diaper service. At end of 1 year, you could buy the diapers in dozens. I usually bought 4-5 doz at a time. Of course I had a clothes line. The duplex we lived in had a used washer, – no dryer. So I had to dry Everything we washed. by the time my 2nd child came along, disposable diapers were available. Many of my girlfriends used those like crazy. I still opt for cloth. My kids hardly ever had diaper rash & but my friends kids did, as they were in those plastic diapers for many hours w/o changing them. Plus the smell of clean clothes on the line & fresh air was great.
I’m’ 68 yr old & to this day I still use my clothesline all th time, I use it from mid spring to almost mid fall. It has dropped our electric bill about $90 dollars or more a month, at our ages, that helps us out being on SS. We live in middle Oklahoma, so between the good breezy winds & hot summers my clothes dry in a short time, sometimes, I can hang up to 5 lines worth (ec line is about 10-12 foot long), & the 1st line most clothes are already dry on a good breezy day by end of line 5. I love how fresh they all smell & my husband loves the smell of his undershirts & the bed sheets.
Yes it may take some time to hang up, but once you get it down, you can put up a lot of clothes, sheets or curtains quickly.
Richard says
I wait to install the a/c until it’s unbearable. A two day heatwave won’t do it but if it’s calling for three days or more I’ll use it. Most of the summer I use window fans anyway. My 8000 btu a/c costs at least a dollar a day to run. It adds up!
davidmac says
Best way to save electricity in summer. stay cool and cut costs this summer with these energy saving tips.
Cola Solar says
I really liked your tip to turn off appliances that were not in use, as it can save a lot of energy that would go to random loading. Also, solar devices play an important role in saving electricity and energy. Solar energy is a vast, inexhaustible, and clean resource for generating electricity. Thank you for sharing this post.
Save Electricity in Summer says
I totally agree that renewable energy sources may be used to reduce reliance on traditional energy. In this way. Thanks for your bright ideas on saving a penny for power bills.
Laura J says
Our electric company offers prepaid electric service, with a daily report of consumption. If it goes too high, I don’t have to wait until I get a whole month’s bill, when the damage has compounded over 30 days. I can bump up my thermostat a few degrees and hold off on doing laundry until a cooler day. I also use a clothesline, and love it! So retro and nostalgic, and great for my wallet. You can also turn your water heater down a few degrees, imperceptible at the tap or shower, but makes a difference on the bill. I will be adding some of your other suggestions, to save even more. Recently, I went shopping around for other electric companies, and there might be some cheaper than the one you are currently on. They use the same lines into your home, so switching is seamless. For now, I like micromanaging our usage, so I’m staying with my current provider. Happy saving!
Rodger says
Laura J, Just curious if you’re still on this plan you refer to and if you’d mind sharing the name of the company you are using? Thank you in advance for your response.
Barbara Mcgarity says
Love the post, I didn’t realize how much i could save by just keeping the lid on my pop when I boil water, but it really adds up and it even helps get supper ready that much sooner.
Astrid says
I tried the lid on a boiling pot of water thing and guess what it worked! It seems like seconds after I put the top on , my water was boiling. Who would have thunk? I also bought on amazon a smart switch to turn off the washer/dryer when not in use. We only wash clothes once/week but the unit stays plugged 24/7. It would be too painful to plug and unplug it manually as the whole unit would need to be dragged out a good distance to get behind it to do so and we only have so much space and strength. I’m curious to see how much that saves us. I just got a notice from my electric company telling us that while we use much less electricity than the average consumer, we are using 65% more than the elite “light” electric users. Color me surprised. We are militant about turning off lights in rooms not in use and rarely turn on the lights during the day. We also only put half the number of light bulbs in all of our light fixtures. Everything except for the large appliances, washer/dryer, and tv/cable are left uplugged. Phone chargers are removed as soon as the item is charged. AC is set at 78 degrees. So definitely am going to see what else we can do to bring down our numbers. Appreciate the tips!
Debrashoppeno5 says
We don’t have the OhmConnect where I live but we do have a program called On Call. If the power company needs more power than normal the water heater may be shut down for about 20 minutes. They give a monthly credit each month. If they have done it I never knew. And every little bit helps.
Rodger says
Where do you live that the On Call is available? Thank you in advance for your response.
Shirley Wood says
We cut 13% off our power bill when we installed a clothesline! I love hanging clothes on the line for some reason! Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday!
Cathy @ tips4livingbetter.com says
We recently had a smart meter for our electricity installed at our house.
Our smart meter has really helped save money as we can see and monitor our usage on electricity.
We were surprised to notice that most our on electricity usage was down to our television being switched on for a long time.
We now limit the time our television is on as this has saved us money.
Ann says
wow, that is really useful. Thanks!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
We use the grill, cook with my crockpot, and keep our thermostat up high while running our ceiling fans. We also try to stretch how much we use our dishwasher.
Kay says
I will add- turn off your oven early if cooking, leave the door closed and let the residual heat finish cooking your food, even though the oven is off. Done occasionally it makes little difference, but done regularly, it adds up. Also, turn off your coffee maker as soon as it finishes brewing instead of relying on the automatic timer to turn it off as set. I’m sure every model is different, but ours keeps the coffee heated for roughly an hour after brewing, and turning it off manually really saves in the long run.
Becca says
We are pros at saving electricity. Our average use as of last bill was 8.35 kw\day. Some other tips:
1. I always recommend you start with an energy audit. If you don’t know where you’re using electricity, you won’t know where you’re wasting electricity. You can buy devices that will tell you how much power your appliances use. Get one, and go room by room measuring what you’re using. (Don’t forget to include lightbulbs.)
2. Speaking of lightbulbs, just because your light fitting has space for five, it doesn’t mean you have to use them all. See if you can get by with only one or two. And always go for energy saving bulbs. They really do male a difference.
3. If you have cheap off-peak in the middle of the on night, use timers for dishwashers, washing machines, etc. Turn off the autodry function on your washing !machine. And always use a clothesline. Why pay for something the sun does for free?
4. Dress for the weather. Instead of turning up the heater in the winter, try putting on a sweater and thick socks. (I have the world’s ugliest but warmest cardigan and practically live in it during the winter. As I tell my husband, it’s ugly as sin and warm as hell.) If your house is so cold in the summer that you need a sweater, or so hot in the winter that you want to put on shorts, adjust your thermostat.
5. Consider investing in alternative energy . . . but do your homework first. We used a short lived government incentive to get a 1 kW solar system for $200. (Because they then lost our metre, we ended up getting 3 years of electricity for free. Best 3 years ever.) We are now locked in to a very high buyback tariff – any energy we produce first goes to us, but any excess is purchased off us at a very high rate. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to add to our system, it doesn’t make sense to do it, because any alterations to our system negate our contract and was go from a 65¢ feed in tariff to a 6¢ feed in tariff – which is now the current rate. Indeed some friends of ours missed out on the cheap solar panel deal and installed a 5 kW system, adding it to their mortgage, figuring it’d pay for itself in 15 years, only to have their tariff knocked down to 6¢. There is no way it’ll pay for itself now. So that is why I say, do your homework. Know what you’ll get and know how long that price is guaranteed.
Of course there are other alternatives to solar. You can build a windmill in your back yard with a broken washing machine and some PVC pipe. (This worked well for us until the neighbour’s cow ate our wiring.) Tesla batteries give you the ability to store excess energy for later use. Cheaper batteries are expected on the market soon.
JD says
I use a clothesline and have shortened my showers — shorter showers helps keep hot humidity out of the house, too. I also put lids on my pots when cooking, unless it has to cook with the lid off for the food to turn out. The thing I have a problem with is unplugging. Some plugs are easy to reach, but many are not easy, and putting a power strip out in view with its tangle of cords in my common rooms doesn’t appeal to me, and of course, I’m not going to unplug my bedside clock or my cordless phone. I compromise there — we unplug what we can.
We were on an electric savings program that periodically cycled off our water heater, but we had to drop that. We were told it would be for no more than a few minutes to an hour any time they had to cycle it off during high use hours, but they turned off our water heater long enough that we had no hot water one night. We weren’t the only ones — the man who uninstalled the power company’s control device admitted he was busy uninstalling them all over town after that fateful day. We’ve been a little wary of the programs since. We are good about turning off lights and fans, though, and replace old bulbs with LED. We can’t turn off our a/c at night during warm weather because it stays hot and humid all night outside, but we purposely built our house here in the south with only two west-facing windows. It helps. We always keep the curtains on them shut during the heat of the day.
Becca says
Try a master and slave power board for cords in hard to reach places. These are great for things like home entertainment systems. Plug the TV into the master outlet and everything else into the slave outlets. Then with a flick of a switch you can turn everything off. (When you turn on\off the master you automatically turn on\off the slaves.)
Mrs. Adventure Rich says
I’ve been trying to ditch the dryer this summer and it makes a big difference! Thank you for the other electricity saving tips!