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Home > Whack A Mole Electricity Challenge a/k/a The Best Way to Cut Electricity Costs

Whack A Mole Electricity Challenge a/k/a The Best Way to Cut Electricity Costs

January 11th, 2008 at 01:32 pm



We have a new contest huh? Okay, I'm going to enter this into the 'The Best Way To...' Contest.

The best way to cut electricity costs is to keep a somewhat eternal vigil on usage, wouldn't you say? I know there are big things you can do like buying Energy Star products, etc., but in the meantime or afterwards, is there a way for the ECONOMIZER in us to keep the electrical costs under control?

I've been thinking about this for a few days and I've come up w/a small idea. Alrighty guys and girls, every now and again I am going to alert us to a challenge such as the Flylady HotSpot Alerts.

I'm going to call this thing The Whack A Mole Electrical Challenge. Do you remember those games? Pop one mole on the head and another pops up?

That's what my electricity usage is like.

I think I have things under control but one sweep thru the house reveals a number of items that I can turn off, unplug so there is no phantom usage, etc.

Here I go - it's early morning here with showers and breakfast over...

Okay, I'm back -- I turned off:

1)desk lamp off
2)calculator off
3)computer speaker off
4)printer/copy machine off
5)bedside fan off
6)nightstand lamp off
7)living room TV off
8)living room overhead light off
9)kitchen TV unplugged
10)coffee pot unplugged
11)hair dryer unplugged
12)kitchen night light off
13)utility room night light off
14)bathroom night light off
15)microwave unplugged

YIKES!!!

See why we need to keep whacking that electricity mole????

Okay, your turn. Come back and tell me what all you were able to turn off or unplug!

Then stay ready, because you never know when I'll pop a Whack A Mole Electrical Challenge on you! ummmm...you might want to let your family in on this game, because there might be minor disgust from the spousal unit when one finds the microwave unplugged REPEATEDLY. Don't ask me how I know! Big Grin

What's in your electrical outlets?

Go, Go, GO!!!! Whack Those Moles!!

12 Responses to “Whack A Mole Electricity Challenge a/k/a The Best Way to Cut Electricity Costs”

  1. Broken Arrow Says:
    1200062515

    Hehe, a lot of electronics, even TVs and VCRs that are off but are plugged in, are sipping electricity. It may not seem like much, but again, they are still costing you money for something that you're not even using right now.

    My entire computer setup and desk lantern is on a power strip that is plugged to an outlet, controlled by a wall switch. The neat thing is, when I come home, I just flip on the switch and voila! Every comes alive. And when I go to bed, after shutting off the computer, I simply flip the switch again, and everything is literally turned OFF. No standby, no energy sipping, nothing.

  2. denisentexas Says:
    1200062723

    I'd love to participate in this one but I have a DH who believes that phantom electric useage amounts to such a small expense it isn't worth persuing. And he hates it when I unplug things! So I'll watch from afar and dream.... Smile

  3. luxliving Says:
    1200062926

    @BA - that's a great setup!

    @Denise - you can still run thru and turn off things such as lights in rooms that aren't being used that are costing you some on your electricity. Come play with me!! Smile There are 11 things on my list that were sucking $$'s out my pocket just by being turned on. Off they go!!

  4. luxliving Says:
    1200063925

    @Denise - I'm with your husband in that it can SEEM not worth it - but then I think back to ImaSaver and her hot water tank being on a switch and then I look at where she is at in her financial life as she BEGINS to age - hmmmm...and I think to myself like the Clinton election campaign of old, "It's the Economy, Stupid!" or nicer to say, "It Is the LITTLE things that can add up."

    Do you think it might be reasonable to think that we might be able to cut $5 a month off of our electric bill IF we went thru the house every day or even every couple of days? I think that is a reasonable expectation of savings.

    So, let's put the old calculators over at the SavingsAdvice Forum to work...

    $5 a month savings, or $60 a year at a reasonable 8.0% return. Now granted, it takes a while for it to begin to add up, but it DOES add up.

    20 years = $2,746.00
    30 years = $5,928.00
    40 years = $12,798.00
    50 years = $27,629.00
    60 years = $59,649.00
    80 years = $278,023.00
    100 years= $1,295,855.00

    Well, some of us don't have 30 or 40 years left, but there are many young enough at the SAblogs to make that 50 to 60 year mark and who knows maybe the 80 years! Those get to be some significant savings just for turning off a few lights and appliances.

    100 years of family frugality could end up being quite the little college nest egg for your great-grandkids if one starts early enough!

  5. Ima saver Says:
    1200067876

    I did good, lux! I only had to unplug one radio! I read my meter everyday and write it down.

  6. boomeyers Says:
    1200071760

    Great post Lux! I need to whack the children, not the moles!! They are great energy suckers!!!

  7. luxliving Says:
    1200072850

    Boo, I'm right there with you - try twentysomething manchildren... they are forever standing in front of the frig with it wide open just staring! SHUT THE DOOR!!! We're not going to count the one who sleeps with his TV and gaming systems turned on all night, are we? Can't I whack him??

    Ummmm...NO!

    My legal advisor says I've got to include this phrasing:

    "No Children Are To Be Harmed During this Challenge!

    I Repeat No Children Are To Be Harmed."

    >>>>>BACK AWAY FROM THE CHILDREN!/BULLHORN>
    But if you want to whack them in a pillowfight that'd be okay. Big Grin
    Promise them a pillowfight if they can cut the electricity bill by $5 this month!

  8. luxliving Says:
    1200072942

    @ImaSaver - Julie, you are still my HERO!!!

  9. Broken Arrow Says:
    1200110402

    Denise:
    I think it would drive me insane if I have plug and unplug everything day in and day out. Is there any way to consolidate most of it? Like to a power strip? But then, I'm single so it's just me most of the time, and the only real electronics I have is just this computer.

  10. denisentexas Says:
    1200121892

    LL, I'm with you on this! I'll think about it for a day or so and come up with a way to talk to him about it. He and I have talked about it before but he just doesn't feel that the little savings that *might* come is worth the inconvenience of it all. BA, we have power strips all over this place so it wouldn't be hard to do at all! Smile
    I already run around turning off lights and such and DH is pretty good about that. I might be able to do a few things. I wanna play!!

  11. luxliving Says:
    1200143474

    I told Hubster when he complained, "Hey buddy, you do a couple of little things that you know I find annoying (such as smoking). Soooooo, if I put up w/a few of your little crazinesses, then perhaps you could just adjust to this one of mine?"

    He just grinned.

    I frankly just kept uplugging and turning off - just doing it.

    He adjusted.

  12. Ralph Says:
    1202593009

    Just to add a little balance here, there is the caution that on-off cycles can shorten the life of electronics (think light bulbs - they always seem to fail when being turned on). That's one reason I didn't use compact fluorescent bulbs in lights that get turned on and off a lot and only stay on for short periods of time, like hallways and bathrooms, since the CFBs are even more sensitive to on-off cycles than incandescents. But be that as it may, when the Edison bulbs finally go I probably will just give in and replace them with CFBs.

    Just about everything is a trade-off, so I just wanted to highlight that fact and mention that this is a small concern.

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