I've just gotten my second big gas and electric bill in a row. It's cold outside, and the gas portion of the bill is really big. After the first big bill, I made a few small adjustments, but this second bill has caused me to consider more drastic changes. I've been doing some research and I think I have some ideas. We use gas for heat, hot water and cooking, and electricity for everything else. I'm going to look at them as two separate bills and figure out how to lower both. Here's what I'm going to try:
Things I'm going to do to lower my gas bill:
- Limit the length of our showers. My daughters have just recently discovered the joys of a long, hot shower. We're going to start using a timer to keep our showers down to a reasonable length.
- Check to make sure that every storm window is tightly closed. Caulk and weatherstrip as necessary. Hang thick curtains, quilts or blinds over all the windows, but do a better job of opening them when the sun is shining.
- Stop using the space heater and put on more clothes. This one is going to be really hard for me as I really like the space heater under my desk. I might even consider moving my computer upstairs where it is significantly warmer.
- Do something with the old fridge in my basement. It is about 13 years old, which is just on the borderline for being inefficient. Also, the seal hasn't been exactly right since we last moved the fridge to paint.
One side of me think that I should make a more aggressive list, the other side thinks that this will be more than enough to keep me busy. I wonder if it will help. I guess we'll find out! Wish me luck!
