Everyday ways to reduce your electricity bill
By Jackie
A great way to save money is to cut down on what you spend on a continual basis such as your utility bills. I live alone and my water and electricity bill for my single apartment (with a full bedroom, full bath) is about $12/month. That’s not bad, but I know I can do better. Here’s a few ways to save money on your electricity bill:
Live in a box: This requires no electricity usage. You’ll also be someone who is conserving resources. Holla! 
Fumble around in the dark: This will not only sharpen your senses (smell, hearing, ability to brave bruises after tripping over your cat and house fixtures), but will eliminate using electricity altogether. Maybe after awhile, you’ll stop stumbling and start sauntering. Unfortunately, nobody will be able to see because it will be pitch black.
Okay, enough kidding around. Here are some tips, for reals:
Natural lighting:
-Open your windows and use natural light whenever possible. Don’t just turn off the lights when exiting a room in your home, but also turn off the power surges.
Use Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs (CFLs): Although these are pricier than the incandescent ones, a single CFL will save you $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about six months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than a regular bulb.
Batteries: Use these when and if possible. Also, go rechargeable. This saves you money in the long run and you don’t have to deal with hazardous waste disposal and adding more crap to our landfills.
Phantom Power: Energy is also wasted through phantom power, which is energy you use by just having something plugged in to an outlet. Another energy gobblers are appliances that have a digital clock on them, i.e. microwaves, coffee makers. I have separate power surges in my apartment for my home entertainment area, my computer workstation, and in my kitchen. This makes it easy to turn off energy in a specific area in my home. Although the energy use here may seem minimal, it actually adds up to about 10% of your usage. Wowza!
Off-Peak Rates: Some cities offer a discount if you use energy at certain times of the day. While the city of L.A. does offer a discount, you have to consume quite a bit of energy before being eligible for their off-peak rates. We’re thinking having a huge pool in your backyard or a personal zoo with chimpanzees with a liking for disco balls and marquees of Vegas-sized proportions. It’s 1,500 kilowatts, or $150/month. If you use this much electricity, shame on you! Just kidding. Just give LA Department of Water and Power a call and they’ll set you up with a meter, free of charge. Peak hours in LA are 1 – 5 p.m., and off-peak hours are 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and again from 5 – 8 p.m. So if you’re minding your energy consumption, try to do your laundry during these times.
Candles/Lanterns: This isn’t as extreme as you think. How about some mood lighting while taking a shower or having a nice, quiet dinner? I have this portable frog-shaped lantern that I turn on when I cook. Combine that with some Decca records playing in the background and you’ve got a special night (for one) to remember.
LED Lights: LED lights are a great energy saver. Not only is it going to save you money, they add a decorative touch. My boyfriend bought me some LED lights from IKEA which are hung across my room. Amazingly, it spans the length of two walls and is the only source of light I need for most of my apartment.
MAKE magazine has a great how-to in their issue 18 on building your own programmable LED light brick.
Monitoring Energy Usage: If you want to keep track of how much electricity you use, you may want to use a wattage monitor. Public libraries may have these you can borrow, so call your local library to see if they have one you can check out! You can also purchase your own and those clever craftspeople at MAKE show you how you can build your own Tweet-a-Watt Power Monitor, which allows you to monitor and tweet your electrical usage on Twitter. Why you would want to do this remains unknown to me as this is mundane as tweeting how many brush strokes you run through your hair in the morning. But hey, it would make for a fun project.
Other Useful Info:
L.A. Department of Water & Power (DWP) has some good info on their rebates and incentives on how to save on energy. Here’s something to keep in mind. If you don’t live in Los Angeles, check the website of your city’s DWP for useful info.
