I have to admit this week we had frost on the rooftops, but I am pretty sure with the weather starting to get warmer Summer will be with us before we know what we're doing.
Now last year we were offered a rebate by our local hydro company if we cut back our hydro usage by 10% during the months of July and August. We were able to reduce ours by the 10% and we got a $40 discount on our October bill. I have to say I was surprised that we qualified for the rebate as there is one thing I really dislike that is heat and humidity. When its humid I get grumpy and my hair goes all frizzy, I know we're back to the hair thing again!!!! So I will not skimp on the a/c, and have it running a lot.
Anyhow, here are some of the things I do to reduce our hydro costs.
1. I rarely use the dryer. I hang the clothes outside to dry. I have one of those rotary dryers outside, so if some of you are concerned about your neighbours seeing your undies flapping on the line, I put all our underwear on one of the middle lines so no one can see them. I also wash on an evening and hang the clothes up on a clothes horse and the back of the kitchen chairs to dry overnight in the house. Not using that dryer saves you a lot of money.
Can you see my "smalls?"
By the way I made my peg bag, from an old childs coathanger and some spare material I had leftover from making the pelmets in the kitchen/family room.
2. I use the cold water cycle to do the laundry. I have found no difference what so ever in the way it cleans our clothes, and with doing this it saves money on heating the water.
3. We bought a front loader washing machine and that saves energy, uses less water and spins the clothes at a faster rate therefore they come out of the washer a lot dryer.
4. I try and plan my meals and get the meat out of the freezer the night before and defrost the meat in the fridge, which in turn keeps the fridge cooler, which in turn means the fridge isn't working as hard to keep cool.
5. We have a toaster oven and use it a lot instead of the main stove oven, again saving money.
6. Crockpot, this appliance not only saves money but time as well. There is nothing better than popping your meal in the crockpot in the morning and having a fully cooked meal when you walk in the door after work.
7. Cooking with the microwave is also a time and an energy saver. That's how the carrot soup was made.
8. When it is hot and sunny out, close all the drapes and blinds in the house to keep the house cool through the day. I also like to open the windows first thing in the morning and late at night to let the cooler breezes flow through the house, if there is a breeze.
9. We are in the process of changing over our light bulbs to more energy efficient lighting. Being as cheap as I am so far I haven't had to buy any as we have been given them, however I think I will have to start buying some as I haven't seen any freebies or coupons for them recently.
10. Also teaching/telling everyone to turn off the lights when they leave a room is a help. Getting them to listen and actually do it is another task, that unfortunately I can't help you out with. Teenagers are the worst for not listening, though they learn soon enough when they have to start and pay their own utility bills, I know this from experience ; ) Teenagers also have a habit of leaving the tv's on constantly in their bedrooms. I kept telling our two that their tv's were yelling at them to switch them off, but somehow they didn't believe me????
11. In the summer use the barbeque to cook your meals also keeps the house cool, along with making salads. If you need to cook inside try and do it in the morning when its cooler.
Those are some of the things we do. I would love it if you would add some of your tips, as everyone has their own way of saving money. Of course, the internet is a great resource for getting tips on saving hydro.
Now last year we were offered a rebate by our local hydro company if we cut back our hydro usage by 10% during the months of July and August. We were able to reduce ours by the 10% and we got a $40 discount on our October bill. I have to say I was surprised that we qualified for the rebate as there is one thing I really dislike that is heat and humidity. When its humid I get grumpy and my hair goes all frizzy, I know we're back to the hair thing again!!!! So I will not skimp on the a/c, and have it running a lot.
Anyhow, here are some of the things I do to reduce our hydro costs.
1. I rarely use the dryer. I hang the clothes outside to dry. I have one of those rotary dryers outside, so if some of you are concerned about your neighbours seeing your undies flapping on the line, I put all our underwear on one of the middle lines so no one can see them. I also wash on an evening and hang the clothes up on a clothes horse and the back of the kitchen chairs to dry overnight in the house. Not using that dryer saves you a lot of money.
Can you see my "smalls?"
By the way I made my peg bag, from an old childs coathanger and some spare material I had leftover from making the pelmets in the kitchen/family room.
2. I use the cold water cycle to do the laundry. I have found no difference what so ever in the way it cleans our clothes, and with doing this it saves money on heating the water.
3. We bought a front loader washing machine and that saves energy, uses less water and spins the clothes at a faster rate therefore they come out of the washer a lot dryer.
4. I try and plan my meals and get the meat out of the freezer the night before and defrost the meat in the fridge, which in turn keeps the fridge cooler, which in turn means the fridge isn't working as hard to keep cool.
5. We have a toaster oven and use it a lot instead of the main stove oven, again saving money.
6. Crockpot, this appliance not only saves money but time as well. There is nothing better than popping your meal in the crockpot in the morning and having a fully cooked meal when you walk in the door after work.
7. Cooking with the microwave is also a time and an energy saver. That's how the carrot soup was made.
8. When it is hot and sunny out, close all the drapes and blinds in the house to keep the house cool through the day. I also like to open the windows first thing in the morning and late at night to let the cooler breezes flow through the house, if there is a breeze.
9. We are in the process of changing over our light bulbs to more energy efficient lighting. Being as cheap as I am so far I haven't had to buy any as we have been given them, however I think I will have to start buying some as I haven't seen any freebies or coupons for them recently.
10. Also teaching/telling everyone to turn off the lights when they leave a room is a help. Getting them to listen and actually do it is another task, that unfortunately I can't help you out with. Teenagers are the worst for not listening, though they learn soon enough when they have to start and pay their own utility bills, I know this from experience ; ) Teenagers also have a habit of leaving the tv's on constantly in their bedrooms. I kept telling our two that their tv's were yelling at them to switch them off, but somehow they didn't believe me????
11. In the summer use the barbeque to cook your meals also keeps the house cool, along with making salads. If you need to cook inside try and do it in the morning when its cooler.
Those are some of the things we do. I would love it if you would add some of your tips, as everyone has their own way of saving money. Of course, the internet is a great resource for getting tips on saving hydro.
3 comments:
i have a newly purchased clothseline like yours. i love it!!
I also get a kick out of the different words you use, LOL....
I would love to have a regular clothes line, but as we are in the middle of a subdivision, a rotary dryer is a better option.
I ADORE my pressure cooker. We've got a modern one (no scary bouncing valve on top) that is so easy and safe to use. I can cook things in about 1/2 to 1/3 of the normal time. And I can shut the stove off about 10 minutes before time's up and it maintains the heat and pressure.
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