My power bill last month was $37.46. I don’t think that I live in a particularly hermit-like fashion – I shower daily, I cook regularly, I don’t have a TV, but I do spend too much time online, so I think that cancels out not having a telly.
I really just do the basics – I turn off everything at the wall when I’m finished – stereo, computer, oven, microwave, dehumidifier, lights, everything. I even switch off things like the toaster or kettle – not that they have any sort of standby mode, but it just keeps me in the habit. The only thing that doesn’t get switched off is the fridge.
My flat is pretty cold, so I tend to curl up with the cat, a blanket and a hottie on really cold nights instead of automatically turning on the heater. I’ve found that having someone to cuddle up with also cuts down on heating costs! However, I’m not against using a heater – my health is pretty important to me so I don’t want to freeze and get sick.
Does anyone have any heating recommendations? I’m flatting and can’t afford anything too expensive, but if someone wants to recommend a type of heater that works well, I’d appreciate any advice :)
If you’re interested in how to save money this winter, check out the 25 easy steps towards sustainability booklet.
Comments
$37.46! I'm impressed!
How much of that is supply charge and how much is consumption? Can you find out how many KWh you used? I'm always in for a bit of goal-setting and this would be an excellent goal for me... to beat Sarah's $37.46 power bill record!
Can anyone else do better than Sarah?
Having just moved into a new flat, we now have both gas and electricity. The stove, oven and hot water are all gas (although the hot water still uses a cylinder so I don't know how efficient it is). I'll be interested to see our first utility bill and see whether gas + power will add up to more or less than power alone (given we are now paying two supply charges).
Submitted by Lindis on 20 May 2008 16:29:17
Sarah, have you looked at heat pumps for low cost heating? They're cheap as chips to run and output 4x more heat than a small sized electric heater for the same running cost. There are plenty of different choices for heating but not one can match a heat pump for efficiency or running cost as long as you use them properly (as with an electric heater you don't want to keep it turned on 24/7 at it's highest setting). Check out this easy to use calculator to see what heating capacity your room needs on the bottom of this page: heating calculator
Submitted by jamie471 on 8 March 2010 22:07:33