[JacobAziza]

Someone in another topic requested I share some insight into my $5 per month electricity bill.

The main thing is living in an RV. It is small. There is less air to heat or cool, less rooms to light, less space to put lots of appliances and gadgets. The bigger the living space, the bigger the bill is likely to be, all else being equal.
The RV refrigerator also helps because, (unlike most units made for homes) it is designed with efficiency in mind. It uses a totally different system to remove heat (no compressor), the coils vent directly to the roof, and there is lots of insulation and not a huge amount of internal space. It is possible to buy similar fridges for homes, but they tend to be expensive and hard to find. The last advantage is low ceilings. In addition to less air space for HVAC needs, this means the lights don't need to be as bright. Light diffuses with the square of the distance, which means ceilings that are twice as high need lights which are 4 times brighter to seem equally bright at ground level.
This allows me to use all LED lighting. I have white 12volt LEDs which I got online from superbrightleds dot com (I also retrofitted my truck and motorcycle lights with them all around). Rather expensive up front, but they only use 1 watt of power each, and should last a very long time.
There are finally commercially available LED bulbs for regular 120v systems (normal homes) but I have never seen one in use, so I can't say how well they work.

However, some of the things I do could apply to any home.

-If you have a choice, use gas appliances. Electricity is less efficient at heating than flame. Ovens and water heaters in particular. Exceptions include microwaves for food, electric kettles for hot water, and ceramic space heaters for heating a single room. These electric powered heaters are all more efficient than their alternatives.

-Tint your windows. This is very cheap, fairly easy, and depending on the type you get, easily removable. Buy a roll at the auto store, cut to fit, spray with soapy water, roll it on. Keeps heat out in summer, in in winter, and provides privacy without blocking the view.

-Put all phantom power draws (anything with a "wall worts" converter plug, anything with a remote, anything with a stand-by light, anything with a clock) on not just a power strip, but a timer. Set it so that it will automatically turn off, but only turn on manually. With the mechanical style, all you have to do is remove the green tab. Set the "off" timer for 30mins after bedtime. It will not only save power when you forget to shut everything down, it will also help keep you from losing track of time and staying up too late.

-Speaking of which - wake up no later than the sun rises. Why pay for lighting up the night when you can get free light by opening a window the next morning? When you sleep in, you are letting free sunlight go to waste, and paying for it again the next evening.

-Ignore "energystar" ratings. They only compare to other appliances of the same class. It would be like calling one SUV a high mileage vehicle just because it gets better mpg than another SUV. Look at the overall estimated energy use instead (on the same label, but in smaller print.) Most new everything uses more power than older things, even though there is more efficient technology in use, because everything is supersized. Try to downsize whenever practical.

-Do more by hand. Honestly, pre-rinsing dishes is almost as much work as just washing them by hand, which uses no electric. Manual can openers aren't that hard to use (I just use a swiss army knife). Never ever use a dryer. Again, sunlight is free. When it rains, you can dry clothes indoors. (I did this for the first time ever for my last load). It takes longer, and there are ropes all over your living room all night, but it gets done, and it's free. Use a corded phone. They don't need to be plugged in.

-Battery powered things almost always use much less power than their plug-in equivalents. Use a battery powered alarm clock, for example.

If you live in a house, you probably won't ever get down to the 40kWh I average per month, but by being conscious of what you plug in, for how long, and why, you can certainly get it well below the 920kWh that is the American average.


I'm sure there is a lot more that I haven't thought of.
Add your own tips of how to lower one's electric bill.