Recieved notification from the local electrical utility provider, Salt River Project (SRP), and my electric rates are going up just short of 10% in June.
It reminded me of the electrical useage audit that I did a few years ago, to see where my useage was going to.
There are a lot of 'phantom' electrical users in your home.
Majority of items still use a fair amount of power even though turned 'off'.
I put all of my audio / video appliances on a 'power strip' that I can turn off when not in use.
Same with the computer and all of the support components ( printer, speakers, scanner, etc....)
If you have an electric water heater, get a digital timer for it, no sense heating water when you're not home.
Replace incandescent lamps with the new generation of compact flourecsent lights (c f l 's).
The transformer for my door bell, was rated at 25 watts, that translates into a little over $20 a year for power for the door bell, I installed a battery powered door bell, and change the batteries once a year.
I used an electrical device called 'kill-a-watt', you plug this into a wall outlet, plug the appliance into it, and it will give you the power comsumption of the unit.
I've reduced my power consumption by about one third.
So take a look around your residence, I bet you can cut your electrical useage noticeably without impacting your lifestyle at all.
