Penny Pinching This Winter

This article was written by my lovely wife. – Mike

The economy right now is crap. Finally, everyone willing to acknowledge this. While it’s unacceptable that our politicians think they can play chess with our lives and get away with it, the reality on the ground right now is that we don’t have as much money as we did a year ago, or what money we have is of less value than it was. Making the best of it is our only option at present, until we get better representatives. That being said, here are some penny pinching tips from a tight fisted German Jew.

Ways to Save on Electric Bills:

If you are like us, electricity is one of the highest bills you are anticipating this year, especially if you are in the south with a wildly inefficient heat pump. Over the years, I’ve come up with ways to cut costs.

1 Read those newsletters! If your electric company sends out a newsletter with the bill, read it! Those often will have energy saving tips in them. They also sometimes have incentives that bring potential discounts.

2 Look into energy audits. I was surprised when my husband told me he’d never heard of these. Electric or gas companies will often cover the cost of a professional to come into your house and analyze what you’re doing. They will give you tips on how to fix ways that you are wasting energy. Some companies might even give you a discount on your bill if you get an audit, so be sure to check into this. There are only benefits from this. Our auditor even gave us a new shower head that was water saving– free of charge!

3 Pay attention to unnecessary energy drains. Do you have uncovered items in the fridge? Cover them! Too much humidity makes the fridge run harder. Have you vacuumed under the fridge recently? You can find brushes to help with this. It will greatly increase efficiency. Speaking of vacuuming places with brushes, when was the last time you cleaned out your dryer vent? Aside from the obvious fire hazard, dry time will be nearly doubled if your vent isn’t cleared. Are you using dryer balls when drying clothes? These also reduce dry time, as well as eliminate the need for fabric softener.

What about appliances around the house? It might be convenient to leave them plugged in, but did you know that many of them draw power even when turned off? Some of the biggest culprits are toasters, coffee makers, washers/dryers, and televisions.  A sure indicator that an appliance is wasting power is if it has a light on it while switched off.

Do you have your hot water heater running all the time? Unless you have a huge household, odds are, you only need hot water a few times a day. You can turn it off at the breaker and turn it on before showers, dishes, and such. It’s all little stuff, but every bit can add up over time.

4 Check the Weather. My dad would always tell my mom to plan her meals around what the temps would be. During the summer, they would use a crockpot, electric fry pan, or air fryer/roaster to cook outside to keep heat out of the house. During the winter, they bake big items on the coldest day of the week. It requires extra planning for your week, but it can help raise the house temperature, while also cooking food for the family. I try to do this as much as possible, but I’ll admit, I’m not as good at planning as my dad.

5 Invest in alternatives moving forward. This one will cost upfront, but in the end can result in a payout. Install storm doors to help cool your house without AC during the spring and fall. Find a wood burning stove you can use to supplement heat– maybe even use it for cooking in the event of electricity going out. If you get a high quality stove, you can potentially heat the entire home. My childhood friend lived in a house that was heated by a wood stove. 

6 Temperature Fluctuation is a Lie. We’ve really been sold a line by smart thermostat manufacturers that we desperately need the temperature to change at various parts of the day to save on electricity. This is a myth. The first year Mike and I were married, I tried adjusting the thermostat the way they said these fancy digital ones do. You know the amount of money we saved? Zero. In fact, it might have cost us more. If your house has a heat pump, you’re probably familiar with “auxiliary heat” or “emergency heat” as a money hemorrhaging setting. If you bump the temperature in your house up by more than two degrees at a time, this will trigger auxiliary heat to kick in, which will negate everything you did by lowering the temperature in the first place. Maybe the fancy thermostat (which certainly requires more power than a standard one) can save you a few pennies in the long run, but it really isn’t worth it in my opinion. The more automation in a product, the more likely it will expensively break.

Y’all stay warm this winter!

~Mrs. Von Steuben