How to Save Money on Soaring Electric Bills

[@stephc9772]

I just wanted to say thank you for your videos! These are really helpful and you both explain things so well! My dad passed away and my mom has early onset Alzheimer’s. I’m 30, but I still have a lot of questions about adult things😂 for me watching these videos is like hearing from mom and dad! So thank you!

[@UndertheMedian]

Steph, it makes us so happy that you are a part of the Under the Median family! We are sorry to hear about your Mom. That must be very hard for you.

[@mendyviola]

I’m in Houston, and we are having a horrible heat wave. In the summer, the biggest electric cost is A/C, so the name of the game is to keep your home as cool as possible. If you own a home, invest in attic fans to exhaust the heat. Next, focus on the windows. Use blackout shades and curtains. There is a reflective material that is used around hot water heaters that you can get in rolls, cut to fit into the windows. And simply, don’t use the oven if you can avoid it. Keep the A/C at 80 during the day and fans to keep cool. Make sure ceiling fans are set to pull air up, not push it down (pushing down the hot air). Change your furnace/AC filters frequently to keep the air flowing. I have pets, so I have to keep the home reasonable cool during the day even when I’m not home. Another tip, sleep under just a top sheet at night. You can tolerate higher night temps when you don’t have a heavy insulating cover on top of you. Also close off rooms and the vents to unused rooms like guest bedrooms and bathrooms.

[@lovelife7343]

My biggest tip. I run my ac at night . I can cool the house down faster get it to a lower temp sleep fantastic then set it five to six degrees higher. It takes till evening to kick back in . I dropped my bill drastically doing this. The best part is if the electric grid goes down due to excessive use my home is already cooled down.

[@AZCanner]

Mendyviola: I do all of what you said. I have dual pane windows, custom sewn by me Blackout curtains, and insulated windows that had tiny leaks. I have double screens on the windows; the screen that came with the window and one that covers the whole frame. I have a brick home so in both bedrooms I placed a bowl of water which in conjunction with the ceiling fan, it lowers the temperature in the room 15 degrees. Amazing. I also have portable swamp coolers that are pointed at the 2 bedrooms. The AC unit only comes on a few times during the day and it's not over taxed. I also have blinds in each window of the house. So it's: Blind #1, blind #2, dual pane window, blinds, blackout curtain, then decorative curtain (7 layers). Sounds like over kill but it works. I have a pull down shade in the carport that keeps the car cooler and that side of the house. It lowers the electric bill 2 or 3 dollars a month. The window treatments lowered the electric bill $20.00 and the swamp cooler lowered it up to $50 a month. Where my highest bill was $185 a month, my highest bill is $135 to $150.00. I don't run the oven during summer because it's gas and gas appliances heat up the house more. The only summer I ran the oven, the AC ran none stop and the motor broke and had to be replaced. For some areas in the country keeping the humidity down is good. In my home, adding humidity lowers my electric bill. I live in a hot dry climate. I have a gas hot water heater set at below 100. The seller had it set to 110 which was outrageous. In summer, all I need is the cold water side to keep clean. Very hot water runs for the first 5 minutes and it burns.

[@sallyblatchford1585]

I’m in Florida so I feel all of what you said. The summer heat & humidity is beastly lol.

[@barbaratozzano6364]

I do all of this.

[@theesper7404]

Yeah, these $400+ electric bills suck so bad. I've been able to reduce my bill by $50. It's hard when you have tiny ones. I was told that part of the reason the bills are higher in my area is because they're replacing every light pole in the county.

[@deborahsilva3847]

Another way to save money on water use is to take “navy showers” (some people refer to them as army showers) . When you get in the shower, turn the water on to get yourself wet, turn the water off then suds up and then turn the water back on to rinse off. Do the same when washing your hair.

[@d.parisi]

I actually have been keeping my thermostat at 78 in summer and 68-70 in the winter for years! (When the outside temperature is 95, 78 inside is very comfortable for me)

[@VivianTenuta]

We do, too! That was the recommended settings in the 70s to save power. I guess it stuck with me. My kids whined about it a lot when they lived with us. Doesn’t bother me at all.

[@victoriakleber1397]

Same here

[@southerngirlyall6497]

Capturing water is something I've done for years. I even installed a rain barrel to water my outdoor plants. Makes a big difference with the water bill.

[@tryingtogetby]

Me tok until.last night when I used the hose pipe and forgot to switch off the outside tap and it spent about 7 hours leaking. I m going to spend the next 6 months massively cutting back on water use. 💧

[@Lisa-qv7hl]

Believe it or not, some states say you cant do that. Or even charge you. Im glad you live where you can do that.

[@rg-mi5hh]

We save water in plastic tubs with lids. Also, when it rains, I catch it from the downspout and pour it into a plastic tub and cover with a lid. Last summer we used very little city water.😁 For the garden that is.

[@vickiehat1074]

I use a pan in the sink to wash hands

[@jewelgaither1504]

We used a fan to exhaust the heat from our home the entirety of my years at home. We had a two story home and there was a fan blowing out the window upstairs and a window open on the first floor. You needed a blanket some nights! Come morning, you would close both windows and make sure the curtains were closed to block the sunshine.

[@morningswithgranny7789]

Great video !!! I turn my ac to 80 when I leave or turn heat to 60. I am hot natured so I bought a cooling mattress cover, pillow and sheets, around $100 for all. I was able to turn ac up 2 degrees at night and sleep comfortably. I also bought a pet cooling pad for $12 and placed it in my chair. it helps keep you cool

[@tommyebay]

Woof-Woof!

[@ohmcintyre2067]

Hi, Hope and Larry! After a $165 power bill in July for a usually frugal one person household, I bit the bullet and shifted that AC from 78 to 80 and put a fan right behind my favorite chair. With no other changes my bill went down $40. Wow! I had no idea a few degrees could make so much difference. Keep those tips coming!

[@RN-mn3jn]

I put a timer on my hot water heater. I bought it at my local Lowes. I've used one for over 25 yrs. It enables me to heat water only prior to my need and then off when I'm done. I have it set to my life schedule 😊 The timer has saved me big bucks over the years on my electric water heater.

[@vickiehat1074]

I turn mine on and off from breaker. It works great

[@KC-dr3cg]

I kept 5 gal buckets full of water to keep at room temp or outside for warm water

[@rauschershollow2204]

R N, my husband and I have done this for years. We have 2 hot water heaters! The one for the upstairs is for the bathroom only. So he has it come on at 7pm until 11 pm. He usually showers around 10 pm. So the water repeats and stays hot enough for any other upstairs bathroom uses. The main downstairs has the temp up a bit higher for kitchen needs, but it turns off at 10pm and comes back on at 7:30 am. It cut our Electric by $150 a month.

[@RN-mn3jn]

@@rauschershollow2204 That is a great savings!!! I have found that having the timer has never affected my flow of life❤️ I always have hot water when I need it...bc I choose the time it's available.

[@troy97523]

I'm in Texas and we turned ours off because it's hot enough here we still get hot water

[@dianadavis7651]

I bought several different outdoor solar lights, string lights, outdoor motion lights, each cost around 6-10 bucks that way I can charge them in the sun during the day, and use solar lights in the evening. Works great. no electric cost. Also called my electric company and found out that my average cost is 8 cents a kilawatt. BUT Monday thru Friday 4pm to 7pm it cost 36 cents a kilawatt. so I turn off and unplug as much as I can during those times.

[@irenedidonato1779]

When the central air conditioner stopped working, we purchased an evaporative air cooler It effectively cooled the room and at little cost,

[@KsoPlans]

I turned off my hot water system. It was a massive tank and over half my electricity bill. It’s winter in Australia and it was going to cost over $1000 to replace my hws with a smaller unit for one person. So I spent $167 on a hot water urn and an electric camping shower which I now use to heat my water for showers, hot water bottles and kitchen washing up. Saves me lots of water too. I use rechargeable battery lights and lamps overnight and use my solar during the day. What I did isn’t going to work for families but works for me :0) I was inspired by tiny house/van living which is something I’d love to do in the future. Great tips guys!

[@DCupcake58]

Great video. I’ll be having a “come to Jesus” meeting with my husband about several things you mentioned. In the shower, I turn off the water while I soap up. And now that my garden is starting to harvest, I re-use the water I rinse the produce to water any pots that need it. Also we have a rain barrel. Finally we got rid of our “energy efficient” top load washer as I had to keep rewashing our clothes. It barely filled with water to cover the clothes and some items were actually still dry after the cycle was done.

[@classicrocklover5615]

Yeah, I am not convinced the new washers do a good job. Maybe for very lightly soiled clothes. But they don't make the cut when it comes to farmer's or mechanic's clothes!

[@judithscharf6318]

I bought a set of 12 silicone baking cups. I use my toaster oven to make muffins in the summer, so I don’t heat up the kitchen. I will make 24 muffins at a time in cooler weather if I use the oven. I got a twin window fan at a yard sale. That, in combination with a ceiling fan, allows me to avoid air conditioning most of the time in the master bedroom.

[@PegsFlamingoville]

I just this week started keeping my crockpot outside on the plant table where i keep an extension cord for the weed whipper. SO much better than heating the kitchen! Now thinking about hauling the huge air fryer/convection oven out there. I’ve just been avoiding using it but sweet corn is getting plentiful so it might be time. Thanks for the great tips!

[@FeeBee3001]

I have a fan very similar to the one in the background of this video. Got it from my grandparents, works way better at cooling/air movement then the more modern fans I have.

[@debbielovett3087]

I do use black out curtains and I use the blackout shades with them. You can definitely feel the difference in the winter.

[@jmo2104]

I was raised by my mom to do all these things because we had no money to spare. It has been wonderful and a big help to me all my life. Now at 63 I I'm often surprised at the number of people that don't do these things. I think this is one of the most important videos I've seen on preparedness because it doesn't just talk about the problem or tell you to stock up on food it tells you how to deal with problems in the real world. Here is another,... My grandmother always said, "if it's yellow let it mellow if it's brown flush it down". Saves many gallons of water.

[@lindalannon2039]

That old expression: "...and I didn't even get kissed!", comes to mind. My bill for our small home went up to $350 for the month of July! Something surged and both our refrigerator & box freezer died. Seriously, cut us a break. Good call on those multi-bulb lights. Ma 2 watched you.

[@saltyassassins5816]

I live in a mobile home in Minnesota and pipes freeze a lot during winter. Banking the mobile home with snow helps keep heat trapped underneath the trailer

[@evelinharmannfan7191]

Great idea! A few years ago, we had a few weeks of exceptional cold. But Fortunately, just the day before, it had snowed really much on the roof of the house. The snow isolated it so well, I hardly had to put on the radiator. Made a huge difference!

[@barbarasimmons7237]

Thank you for this information. We don't get snow much here. But its good information

[@marthamette3018]

For those who don’t get much snow, try heat tape & pipe insulation. Plus heard of hay bales (if you can find the large rectangle ones). I have a brick home. But these are things I have seen on frugal groups advising other mobile home owners.

[@saltyassassins5816]

@@marthamette3018 we use heat tape on our mobile home while putting snow against the skirting and a lot of people bag up leaves then put them against the skirting the bury that with snow

[@leichtliving8740]

We live in North Queensland Austraia and cold to us on a bus is 5 degrees Celsius at night. We live on solar alone. To be warm at night we open all sun-sided blinds and close all windows and bus door, it keeps us toasty t-shirt weather..no gas or electrical heater required. Learn to be comfortable with a fan, take it outside... cook outdoors, shorter showers, less standby with no use, less Iight..but most of all less waste and your not going broke because of it!!! Great outcome for you and your family😀❤

[@kimward5862]

Just this summer we’ve started keeping the AC at 78 degrees morning and night, using fans when we’re home, where we’re at in the house. We’ll see how it shakes out, as we also have solar panels and have only had them for 2 summers. Still soooo nice to look at the meter running backwards with the AC on, pool pump running, washer and dryer running.

[@iriswelch3553]

We cook once for several meals. Last night it was a barbecue chicken. Tonight, a chicken salad bowl, then another night, a quick chicken with sauce over noodles. Sometimes I'll make a big meat loaf and use the leftovers for quick meals. This definitely uses less power than cooking or baking from scratch each day. Also, if I turn on the oven, I try to bake several things at once, like the main dish for tonight plus sweet potatoes for another meal and maybe a batch of muffins. That's cheaper than turning on the oven three separate times.

[@saltyassassins5816]

I scrap everything from electronics to other products. Such as lamps to fans. When I get lamps that still have the led bulbs I keep them and use them. I haven't had to buy light bulbs for 5 years

[@barbaratozzano6364]

I added Reflectics to the west facing window in my bedroom. Also, I put a tension rod between the blinds and windowpane and dropped a length of fabric over it to add another layer between me and the hot Air! My thermostat is set on 79⁰ all summer. A little warm at times, but doesn't run as much.

[@valdamarielegault1907]

You're mission to save energy costs amazes me. We do our best but much prefer a comfortable home year round. We have built our home ourselves with all from insulation, tankless hot water heater and argon gas Windows.

[@kathleensamples9455]

Thanks for the tip on light bulbs! Forgot that my main overhead lighting has three led light bulbs. Will remove two of them immediately. I've taken out light bulbs in the bathroom also where there was two of them. Thanks for all the reminders that we sometimes overlook.

[@faithrada]

That Kill-a-watt meter is my hubby's new favorite toy! It has really helped to bring AWARENESS. to our usage.

[@lauranadig6696]

My heat sets at 68-70 during day/evening. 72 if it is BRUTALLY cold! 62-64 at night. I refuse to turn on the heat for the season before October 15th, but I try to shoot for October 31st! Summer, 71-72 for the a/c. If we have temps above 87 and high humidity, down to 70 with the a/c. My husband works outdoors and has suffered heat stroke twice (despite taking every precaution). He is heat sensitive and likes it cool. At night the a/c is set at 74-75. I use room darkening curtains in the living room. East facing window. I close the curtains before bed, and by the time the morning sun fully peaks, the room is already cooling. If it starts getting too warm, I turn on the standing fan and open the basement door. It’s SIGNIFICANTLY cooler down there, and I like to pull some of the cool air up. Use a ceiling fan in the kitchen. Turn off the a/c if the outside temperature drops below 74 for more than 4 days in a row. I started hanging my laundry on the line, but had to stop temporarily because I broke 3 toes and can’t reach the clothesline. On my good days (prior to broken toes), I had to STREEETTTCCCHHH to reach the clothesline! Nope! No way to lower it! I wash 1/2 my laundry in hot water (husbands work pants, sheets and towels) and everything else in cold.

[@yourhomeisyourbusiness2221]

I keep my furnace at 66 in the winter and my a/c at 78 in the summer. I have a smart thermostat and last year I purchased a humidifier. This summer the humidity in my home has been kept pleasant in the low 40%’s. I checked my water heater, and I was shocked to find it was set at almost the highest setting. My home is only 2 years old, so the setting was placed by the plumber who installed it. Glad I checked!

[@jenniferwang3489]

I was surprised with our electric bill. We are used to paying 84-95 a month for our electric. We were on an averaged billing plan in Kansas. Now we are on Ohio Edison and I think our apartment is total electric. Our bill for this first month was about $75. We're saving a lot other ways since we pay a flat $50 for water (usually 60-75 back in Kansas) and we're saving on internet ($80 a month) since it is included in our rent, along with cable (which we haven't had in years, but is ALSO included in rent). So we will only have to pay rent (water is paid with our rent) and electric, so we will be saving money. It's weird to me, becasue I'm used to really moist heat growing up in Oklahoma. I've already had a few days where we turn off the AC and just open some windows and it feels great! I'm enjoying some good iced tea as needed to help cool off, as well as making the kids some drinks and of course popsicles from the freezer so we can bump up that thermostat while saving soem of that hard-earned dough.

[@Mrsmadison45]

We only use LED bulbs 💡, for the last 3 years we only use one lamp especially after the Time Changes in November. Daylight is the best and free to use . We have a fan to keep the air circulation of air, it's great because it's basically free compared to running the air conditioning 😉 Awesome video Larry and Hope 💖

[@UndertheMedian]

We appreciate having you with us. It' amazing how much difference a couple of small changes can make.

[@Mrsmadison45]

@@UndertheMedian you're so correct....

[@pamwilliams6630]

Mine went from 144 to 93, I was shocked. No vacations here, just trying not to use the driver and keep our a/c at 78 degrees.

[@HB-hn6pk]

Oh my gosh!!!! Just implemented all the tips after stalking ALLLLLLL your videos esp. utilities! Our power bill just went from $128 to $102! I’m going to try to lower it even more! Thank you SOOOOOO MUCH! ❤️❤️❤️ Larry and hope you are a blessing! I’m a SAHM I’ve always been frugal! But your tips help us get a raise with our income! We keep finding our $ again!❤️❤️

[@nancyschwartz5665]

Great ideas! In our area we get nailed for sewer which of course is connected to water usage so I appreciated your water use tips too!

[@donnad4264]

We use dehumidifiers in our home in east NC, they put out some heat, but humidity is really low. More comfortable. Only use oven when I can't cook item in an appliance

[@nancyewan9685]

I use a toaster oven.

[@Ljordan43]

Air fryers are great. They are mini ovens.

[@inspiteofbecauseof4745]

We have a geothermal unit. Saves us 65% in both summer and winter. While keeping as cool and warm as we like it to be. We still unplug and keep off unnecessary electronics too. Higher rates occur between 3-8 pm in our area. Avoiding unnecessary usage during those hours help as well.

[@valdamarielegault1907]

Love using our breville smart convection oven and use my clothesline year round.

[@UndertheMedian]

I looked into getting a Breville a couple of years ago when we replaced our toaster oven. I didn't wind up getting one, but it's good to know that you've enjoyed it It's helpful to know people who really own something when you're deciding whether to get it or not.

[@leichtliving8740]

We live in North Queensland Austraia and cold to us in a bus is 5 degrees Celsius at night. We live on solar alone. To be warm at night we open all sun-sided blinds and close all windows and bus door, it keeps us toasty t-shirt weather..no gas or electrical heater required. Learn to be comfortable with a fan, take it outside... cook outdoors, shorter showers, less standby with no use, less Iight..but most of all less waste and your not going broke because of it!!! Great outcome for you and your family😀❤

[@crazyhomemaker]

Our A/C is on 80 F. We live in a southern state where the temp can get over 90 F for months at a time. It is very comfortable in our home at 80 F. In the winter, 72 F is where we keep the thermostat set. Also, cheap blackout drapes from Big Lots are in the main windows. Thanks for all of your wonderful info!

[@MASH2031]

I installed cellular shades and I could feel the temperature in the room drop drastically with each shade I installed in the room. They are beautiful and keep the room much cooler than when I had curtains or roman blinds.

[@sheila1435]

I have no a/c and my furnace is set at 60 in winter when I'm home and awake. When I'm at work or asleep, the furnace is set at 50 or sometimes even off.

[@JayP-kd5rc]

My bedroom gets the afternoon sun, and by the end of the day it gets pretty warm. If the outside night time temps will be cool, and I turn on the window fan in the bedroom, it doesn't really cool off the room. So I first cool off the room with the wall AC in that room , then I turn it off and use the window fan to keep it cool. Works well, and it's cheaper to run the fan all night.

[@AEvans36963]

I use portable personal fans that have usb ports so that I don't have to plug into an outlet. They are very useful when I'm having those hot flash moments😊

[@classicrocklover5615]

Lol, I agree. Seems like as long as I have even a small fan blowing on my face, my entire body is cool

[@ahjzablu2998]

Hello from Alabama! I just came across your channel and I've enjoyed all the videos I've seen so far. We keep our thermostat at 80° in the summer and use a wood heater only in the winter. Our bedrooms get a little cool but we sleep better. Thanks for all your tips .

[@marteajager8533]

THANK YOU for all your great work and sharing! Here, Great Lakes area: heating/cooling: winter: 51-55, summer, OFF, hot water heater OFF or on pilot continually , cold water almost exclusively, batch almost all use of electricity to off peak hours; LED bulbs, solar products, only natural lighting almost exclusively. Would greatly appreciate showing more fan products that are: SOLAR, USB rechargable, strong air flow, without fancy extra features, and sold by OTHER THAN Amazon, which we boycott.

[@rhaessunshine7279]

If you let your house get too hot or too cold it will affect your canned food storage if you don't have a basement. Your food can spoil or not last as long. It affects powdered milk, powdered butter, powdered egg, PeanutButter, anything with oil in it.

[@DSheartlady]

i am so glad i found you again i am going to give the food list to a friend and this also with the under the median so she can see these videos😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@angelawells659]

Oh what id give to be able to open windows and using fans…. Florida is too humid 😩 love these tips thank you

[@basspig]

Tip for clothes dryer.. use the fluff air setting. Uses 5 percent the electricity of the heat mode.

[@MsAtom70]

or the clothesline

[@MelodyAnn57]

I bought a bread machine and a hot air fryer so I don't have to use my big oven nearly as much and that means my kitchen doesn't heat up. Also, it saves on my electric bill.

[@lindadavis5668]

My switch box is inside my apartment. So I turn on water heater 20 minutes, wash clothes, run dishwasher, take a shower, and clean kitchen. Then off. I switch off circuits in bedrooms bathrooms and dining rooms when I don't need electric. Bedtime, I turn all circuits off and use a flash light next to bed if I need to get up. I have large potted palms and trees outside of my windows, and I glue gun garden flags over the outside of windows, it peels off, but stands up to storms and high winds. I glue gun shower curtains over screens, cut to fit. Works great. Place your trees in front of them. Masterpiece. I don't use a.c. at all during day, just fans. A little AC. From hot and beautiful Florida 😍

[@paulaspeak4338]

I live in TX and we are well above the 100 degree mark and the heat index is worse. We do a lot of these things. I have black out blinds and curtains that I close esp during the day. We have fans going throughout our 2300 sq ft home and although we use our central AC we have window units as well that we run on energy saving so our central AC not constantly running all day. I've just started prepping and plan to buy more USB fans and lighting for power or grid outages. I've already invested in an OUPES solar generator you suggested. Thanks for the great content I've already learned a lot!

[@mariandexter7025]

I keep mine at 80 in the summer and 70 in the winter. If I am cold I put on more clothing or use a throw. If I am too warm I use a fan. I live in Minnesota.

[@faithrada]

In winter I keep a big pan of water on the wood stove. I scoop some nice warm water out for washing my hands and rinsing things off so the water heater isn't constantly turning on.

[@madelinehall8944]

I insulated the walls around my baker's rack where I use my toaster oven. I live in an apartment where I've turned my dinning area into a cooking area right out side the kitchen. The apartment doesn't heat the apartment. I've been using my gas oven for storage for a couple of years now.

[@nelliedean7088]

We don’t have AC in homes in England as things rarely get that hot except for a short part of the year like now. On the European continent people tend to sleep downstairs where it is cooler and have their living areas on the first floor.

[@marlenegearon4709]

80 degrees in the summer 64 degrees in the winter. I use fans with AC which helps living in the South.

[@tryingtogetby]

My temperature in the winter is 18C which is 64.4 F and that is great for us. Put on an extra layer make a hot drink. But to be honest it's just what we are used to.

[@seekingtheminimumlevel1830]

Our AC is 82 during the day and gradually (programmable thermostat) drops to 79 for sleeping with a ceiling fan in the bedrooms. Heat is 55 degrees in the winter. We own plenty of warm clothes and blankets. We're out of the house most of the day 4 days per week. If it's too warm in the summer or cold in the winter, the basement is a more comfortable temperature, so we retreat there.

[@sheilafriese6109]

By the way a 'NESCO ROASTER' makes a nice outdoor oven and comes in various sizes from different companies. Add a portable camping stove and you have a outside kitchen. RJF

[@wendymiller1494]

I don’t have central ac so in the summer I am always cooking outside. I have an 18 quart toaster oven, instant pot, and a traeger. It makes a huge difference in the inside temp of the house on hot days.

[@marykayesugerman6843]

Love you guys but I was sick as a dog all spring due to allergies. After I shut my windows and turned on the air conditioning my coughing and sickness decreased exponentially. It’s worth every penny. (I have been tested for Covid 4 times this spring and always came up negative but was sick as a dog). My body seems to tolerate the filtered air from the air conditioner so those windows are shut!

[@evelinharmannfan7191]

Here in Germany you can by special pollen screens for your windows. They are similar to fly screens, but finer. They let in air, but not pollen. Maybe you can use something like that? Allergies can really be awful. Good your AC has a good filter.

[@jonnaborosky8836]

I do the unscrewing of the light bulbs...have for years and years. In order to make homes as energy efficient as possible, the utility company has a program to give people as many LED bulbs as they need. I got 25. I'll be good for a long time! I keep the AC off as much as I can. If it gets to be 80 or above inside, I turn it on at 77-78. When it gets really hot outside, I might turn it down to 75-76, but almost never. I turn it off when I go to bed as a rule and use a ceiling fan at night. I also use one in the kitchen when I'm there. I wait as long in the day as I can to turn it back the next morning. In the meantime, I can open windows and doors for a cross breeze. I wish I had a whole house fan! In the winter I keep the central heat at 65 (at 64 and below, my nose gets cold.) At night, I turn it off, unless it's cold enough for pipes to freeze. Then I'll leave it on at around 45. I'm going to be under covers so that works fine for me, and when I'm gone the central air is off.

[@sheilafriese6109]

Thank you. We have medical condition and rely on air filter and air conditioning. The tip on closing rooms and blocking vents will be a problem. The HVAC system is designed with the space of the house. By cutting off the air feed and or return air a 'imbalance' is going to be created. There will be a cold coil in the furnace and a hot coil outside to get rid of the heat. Not enough air will flow over the cold coil in the furnace. This 'cold coil' condenses humidity and it drains. With not enough air going over the 'cold coil' the water will freeze into a block of ice stopping the flow of air. i simplified it, but can end up with no air conditioning at all. Once a air tech is called they will thaw the coil and tell you to get the air blocks off of the vents. I worked for GE in college and was one of the techs that had to charge people, when they thought they would save money. RJF

[@ladyheiress9933]

We set our thermostat at 78 degrees, and we still went from $89 to just $198. It was a shock, to say the least. We do the same in the winter and have had good results in the past. We cook very little to help keep the temperature at 78. Our water bill hasn't changed much nor has our gas bill. Amazingly we do almost everything you mentioned here we just need to work on the electricity bill. Maybe look for more areas that aren't sealed properly and unplug unused appliances.

[@lysan4878]

Ours did as well in La. But Entergy is charging all of us all sorts of extra hurricane charges and fuel is twice as much per kw compared to last year. So we just have to do our best but know just like gas, it’s going to go up some.

[@tk-xc2wg]

wow , I would never thought you keep temp at 75, being economical , but you save everywhere else, good for you

[@LierinEdana]

The only real solution to saving on electric bills is to install at least some solar. Spending more on batteries (including rechargeable versions), along with the costs of extra appliances that use them is not really saving all that much. We already use led bulbs, natural lighting, and I use all hand 'gadgets' in my kitchen. For the winter we have wood burning stoves, a 'camp' oven to bake (along with just cast iron dutch ovens and frying pans for certain breads). We put in 'passive' cooling the same way one does for both Earth bermed homes and root cellars (a pipe on the floor and one exiting up by the ceiling) that are covered with screen and hardware cloth to keep bugs and critters out. The floor pipe goes straight down under the house where it is naturally cooler, and the upper one is 'flush' with the wall so there is no condensation gathering up to run down the wall. Both have pvc end caps that we can use to close off either or both to control airflow and humidity in the home. They lower our bedroom and living area temps by about 20 degrees most days. What I will not do is adjust our AC temps and 'get used' to higher temps in the summer. I can't. I have lupus and anything close to or over 80F makes me physically ill, and can land me in the ER if I ignore that. We have a small kiddie size pool (2x8) that I can get in if I am overheated. I will also employ the wet tshirt look to do gardening and other outside chores. If the neighbors enjoy that (or are traumatized) that is their problem lol.

[@vickiehat1074]

Have you tried to take lysine for it. If not look it up

[@LierinEdana]

@@vickiehat1074 My list of allergies starts with benadryl. I don't take any meds, particularly those most lupies are on. I was told I would be in a wheelchair before I turned 27 ... I'm pushing 61 and still walking. I cleaned up my diet and I add liquid minerals to my water. After 40 years of this disease, I've tried everything but chemo ~ and those 7 years were the sickest of my life; and after that is when I began experiencing drug allergies and one anaphylactic reaction after another. The plus side is that I've only had two colds in the past 20 odd years and no side effects from all those drugs. Thanks, but I'll pass.

[@isabelsebastiao-vieira2152]

Great Video as usual... take care you guys and rest! It is going to be 45ºC on Thursday where I live in Portugal. But, it should cool down to about 30ºC by the evening. God Bless! Izzy from Portugal.

[@traceym.8680]

Love your Fan tips but I Need A/C set to almost freezing or I'm useless..lol

[@kilahw]

I keep my a/c thermostat set at 75 in the warmer months and my furnace at 63 in the colder months and I’m comfortable and I live in Idaho. 😊

[@veronicajean4966]

We have put solar powered outdoor security motion lights outside and we have now installed them into our kitchen, bathroom, and laundry area.. we also have some solar powered string lights in the living room and kids room for night lights... we have been doing this the last few months and it’s been working great...

[@aliveinchrist1455]

Do u have to put them outside to charge during the day?

[@veronicajean4966]

@@aliveinchrist1455 We have mounted the light in the room, ran the very thin cord out the window and the window stays closed with no issue and mounted the solar panel to the roof.

[@rachellee.9389]

Noticing that you have a lot of lawn, it would be great to xeriscape that lawn area. If you have a gas lawnmower you could eliminate the need for fuel. Even growing a garden with irrigation would help not only your water usage but have the added benefit of providing you with fresh vegetables.

[@richardskelton190]

You guys are great. Thanks for sharing those wonderful ideas. Will be watching for more.

[@laina-brown]

My Winter and Summer power saving strategies are definitely different. Would be helpful for us to install a programmable thermostat for when we are gone.

[@vickypasteris3429]

In south Carolina, AC is set at 81. If the temp and humidity outside go below 75, I open windows and use fans to cool the house down....even if that means setting an alarm for 0300.

[@Maililnajul]

Programmable thermostat helps us save electricity. Ours is set to hold 80 from 4PM to 11 PM, it drops to 78 then until 9 AM. Then it is set to 84 but it usually doesn’t reach that until 2, except for really hot days like yesterday:112 the official temp. We don’t touch it, we just get a fan. We cash in on the heat with the laundry drying. Yesterday I did four loads and only the towels used a full cycle. The rest I run for about 10 minutes to soften and fluff then hang outside. Dry in an hour!

[@juliemoore6957]

Love the Star Trek coffee mug!

[@saltyassassins5816]

I stayed in Seattle for a short time. I was staying with my uncle. He was the type of telling people that they would take navy showers if they stayed any length of time

[@sheila3936]

I grew up with those. Ok I’m the summer, miserable in the winter.

[@marilynkozlow8400]

Had a whole house fan in one of the homes we owned. Forgot to open a window, turned on the fan, and it proceeded to pull all the ash and soot out of the fireplace. Never forgot to open a window from then on.

[@twilightshealy4152]

I do not have central air in my house. I do have a floor model air conditioner in my bedroom, I use periodically during the day and at night to go to sleep. When I wake up in middle of night I turn it off. I also have ceiling fans and switch blade rotation direction with season changes. I switched from drip coffee maker to electric kettle & Instant coffee. I only heat the amt of water needed for cup of coffee.

[@rachelseibert7882]

Mine is 75 in the summer, 65 in the winter. Thank you for all this information!

[@valdamarielegault1907]

Finally made a live. Blessings upon you both!

[@jimgeistlinger3545]

We keep our thermostat at 80 degrees in the daytime and 79 at night. We use fan when napping. we have whole house fan we use on cool mornings.

[@moniquebradberry4370]

Thanks for the great videos. I keep my central a/c on 80 degrees with a small fan.

[@daniellebrooks3670]

We keep our thermostat at 66 in winter and 75 in summer, sometimes off altogether during parts of late spring and early fall when the highs and lows are mild.

[@mariasinclair9718]

I have an electric water heater and I turn it on for 4hrs every 3 days and off the rest. Still good on the 3rd day.

[@gracefoubister573]

Well we live in Australia and have lots of sunshine. Will be putting in solar our friends get PAID! Can't wait.

[@ohmcintyre2067]

I wish I could get a daily energy use amount. It isn’t offered by my provider. This month has had multiple 100+ days and I’m a little worried about what the bill will be. I got blackout curtains for the bedroom and have been keeping the AC at 78 or 79 depending on the humidity (Winter:66 or 68). Question: would it be cost efficient to run a dehumidifier instead of lowering the AC to get rid of humidity?

[@auntiali9344]

I have black out curtains in the living room, where the sun hits the front of the house, as well as two bedrooms. I contacted my power company earlier this year and got 6 LED bulbs, a great power strip and 4 light activated night lights. I have two of these in my small bathroom and there is no need to turn on the light. My dad had a system when I was a kid of using 2 box fans to cool down our 3 bedroom 1 bath house. He had one on a wooden chair in the living room door and one in our dining room at the other end of the house. The parents swore it lowered the heat in the house but I could never tell, lol. Of course nowadays you can't leave a door open at night. I turn off the dishwasher as soon as it's done and often run it on a quick cycle for 30 minutes to save time/money.

[@cindypatrick785]

We have a programmable thermostat.We try to keep it 78 during the day in the Summer and 73 at night. During the winter we set it to 71-72 during the day and 65 at night but programmed to be 72 in morning. We use dehumidifier in Summer & humidifier in Winter . 9:08

[@joancaruso170]

I turn my AC up when not home and bring it down slowly and turn my ceiling fans on. In Winter, I put the heat on to 67 and turn it down to 65 when I go to sleep I get a better night's sleep.

[@suebutler4567]

64 degrees Winter and Summer, No AC just swamp cooler from 9PM till 4AM. Heat only in rooms where plumbing needs protection.

[@kathy7613]

Thank You hope and Larry for sharing your videos.

[@michelleadams5609]

Fans only move air inefficiently, circulator create a vortex which move the air through a room. We have several vornado circulators and our ac rarely comes on unless it's over 100 degrees. My bill has been half of what it was previous summers. They are about $49 at Costco, the whole room panel kind. I have a 2600 square foot home and it's nice and cool.

[@heatherknits124]

I manage to save money on electricity by paying a flat rent, which includes all utilities. If I owned a TV, I’d have cable, too. It looks atrocious to pay rent, but I have nothing else for housing. I’m never blindsided by $300 heat bill, or unable to afford to run the air, which is essential to remove humidity. I can tolerate, and enjoy heat, but not the humidity.

[@alicephillips841]

68 and 78, as Larry mentioned, just happens to be the exact temperature settings for my thermostat. Good video!

[@jobellecollie7139]

I signed up for electricity average payments. $144/month which is used in Summer is for a/c. In October to mid-March, my central heat is off. Since I've only lived here one year, I had no history. So now it's the same price each month. Box fans and window fans. A/C is set at 75F.

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

Arlington, Tx, 2024. I paid 562 electricity bill for January. In a 1200 sq ft apartment. Nearly half of my rent.

[@marybrasier1180]

This is great! Thank you so much!

[@Mrsmadison45]

Summer we keep thermostat set at 78, and Winter 74. Usually we have the air conditioning or heat shut off when we leave our Ranch, we prefer fresh air 😁