2010-07-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

If only we could go back to the easier times. When you could light a stove and a candle to see were you are going. I find that life has gotten very expensive and our wages have not increased at all. When i was 24 i had an office job which i was paid the very same as i am now and i am 41. So the cost of living has gone up 100% and the wages have gone up 0%. Do you every feel like its all done for nothing. My hydro bill used to be about 30 dollars a month and now its 350 for the same size small apartment that i had when i was 24. It's realy unreal when you think about it. How the heck am i making it work?

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR MONTHLY HYDRO BILL

2010-05-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

With today’s high coast of living and low employment wages you tend to search for any way possible to save money. ‘

I’m a single parent of one child and have always been since the day I said those 2 little works (I’m pregnant). That was 16 years ago and I stayed single since, therefore, I was always sole income of the household. More often than not money gets tight, so you find any way possible to save a buck. One of the many ways is hydro, and if you follow these steps you will be very surprised at the difference just a few alterations to your daily living will make. It will take some time to adapt to these changes and sometimes a challenge to get the kids in with the program.

First of all call your hydro company and request an ECO KIT. A lot of people don’t know about this kit. If you live in Canada, BC Hydro has a kit for low income households. In this kit you get a water control shower head, kitchen and bathroom sink nozzle, energy saver light bulbs, weather stripping, plastic cover for a window, insulation for the hot water tank hoses, and a few other things that helps your hydro bill. AND it’s FREE!!!

Here are a few hints:

1. If you are done with a room shut off the light.
2. Have night lights in halls and in the bathroom in the evening instead of leaving the lights on.
3. Instead of leaving the outside light on all night, get a movement sensor light or ask your landlord for one. Solar lamps to light up your outdoor walk ways are nice to.
4. For electric heaters, have all thermostats at the same temperature in each room. This will keep your house at a level heat and the heaters are not over working to compensate for the other.
5. Keep the bedroom doors closed. This will conserve your heat in the more common areas of your house and less space for your heaters to push out warmth.
6. Don’t turn the heat up and down throughout the day; this is hard on the hydro bill. If you are cold ask if anyone else is cold. We all have different body temperatures and sometimes it’s just you that’s cold. Get a blanket or put on thicker clothing instead of cranking the heat and making everyone else uncomfortable.
7. Putting plastic on the windows is a good idea in the colder months. Even thicker drapes will help a great deal in keeping the cold out.

A large part of your hydro bill is also water use. Many don’t think you pay for water but you actually pay for both hot and cold, especially if your water supply comes from a well. What pumps up your water? An electric pump! There are many ways to be conscience of this and get control of your hydro bill also.

1. Make sure you wait until there is a full load of dishes before you turn on your dish washer. If your low income you probably don’t have a dish washer and it is better that way when trying to cut back on utility bills.
2. When you do the dishes by hand don’t leave the water running when rinsing, turn it off and on. Same goes for when you are brushing your teeth or washing your hands.
3. Limit your laundry to a full load, and make a clothes line for drying. I hang dry my towels around the house in the winter and dry the rest, but in the summer I love to use a clothes line.
4. You really don’t need to flush every time. If it is yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.
5. Try to limit your shower time to a maximum of 10 minutes.

These tips should be a good start to controlling your hydro bill and pitching in to an environmental cause all at the same time. Try this and watch your energy bill go down. Even if you save 20 dollars a month this adds up to 240 dollars a year. Every little bit counts, so get started.

Please feel free to add any new ideas,concerns, or questions , and I'll be happy to reply.

GO GREEN AND BE POWER SMART

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR MONTHLY HYDRO BILL