The Unplugged House

My electric bill is up from $67 to $83 this month. I am thinking of trying an experiment to see if I can bring it back down again. I’m calling this experiment the unplugged house. Part of the reason my bill is low in the first place has to do with the fact that I am considered the electricity police around here. One of my granddaughters mentioned how a light had been left on in one of the bathrooms (probably overnight) at the breakfast table the other morning so I know I am getting through to them somewhat, and I am going to make her my second in command!

The things that already help to keep the bill low include the fact that the dryer is broken, hence the clothesline is in use, the weather has been moderate enough to avoid using the A/C or heat, we have solar tubes (mini skylights) that let in natural light in two out of three bathrooms, the hall, and kitchen, all the lights in my house are energy saving fluorescent, and (I worry here that I am channeling my father) I unplug stuff that we aren't using all the time. I close the curtains to keep the sun out during hot weather and open them to let the sun warm the house on chilly days. Also thanks to Coastal Construction (they rebuilt our house after a fire almost 4 years ago) we have excellent insulation in our new walls and under our new roof.

Now the places where electricity savings can still be had, maybe. I am thinking of unplugging my alarm clock. The grandkids use their phone alarms and I haven’t used the alarm on my clock since I retired last July. Even without it I still get up with the chickens and I have a phone too. I find myself looking to my phone to figure out what time it is also and I am thankful it resets itself whenever I change time zones or the time changes with daylight savings. I figure unplugging the alarm clock is a no brainer. My son, Neil suggested unscrewing three out of four light bulbs in each of the six ceiling fan/light fixture combos we have around the house. I rarely turn on the light in my bedroom but for the times that I do, I might save some electricity. The biggest fight with unplugging will be gaining the cooperation of the grandkids in unplugging their unused phone and other electronics chargers. I have a solar cell on my phone and in the rare event of needing to charge electrically I keep the charger in my bathroom beside my (unplugged) tooth brush charger, easy to find and for me easy to unplug after each use. There are also a couple of other ideas I am considering, these are at least a start. I’ll keep you posted on the downward (I hope) progress of my electric bill.