Reduce Electric Expenses

Attic fans can save a lot of money.

I own a home in Phoenix which was built in 1980. I moved into the home in May and by July I was shocked with my electric bills. My July bill that year was $650 and I kept the house warm. It is nothing really special, it has 14 foot ceilings and is four bedroom and two bathroom. It is not a large home but it was just bleeding electricity.

That winter I went on the warpath with my house. The first thing I did was install an electric timer for my hot water heater. This allows the heater to turn off at night and during the day when I am working and even if I am home, I am not using a lot of hot water. The timer heats my water two times per day, once between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. This gives both my wife and myself plenty of hot water for showers, dishes and laundry.

My second offensive was to install an atic fan. This fan turns on when the temprature reaches 100 degrees in the atic and creates a breeze through it. This helps remove some of the air which had previously just sat in the attic getting hotter and hotter.

My last battle was with light bulbs. Changing all of my lamps to CFL light bulbs has kept the house cooler. The fact is, despite what Dad told us, light bulbs do not use that much electricity. In fact, you need to keep a 100 watt light bulb on for 10 hours to use 6 cents worth at my current electric rates. However, light bulbs produce heat, a lot of heat in fact. Therefore in Phoenix using a CFL lamp which burn much, much cooler help keep the house cooler.

Overall, the electric bill in my home at peak times has been reduce by about $200 per month in the summer. Not bad for an investment which was just under $500. At this point I am sure I have been paid back ten or more times.