We just got our electric bill. $277 for ONE MONTH. Granted, we were all near death that month and had the heat cranked to 75 while we huddled under every blanket we own with the chills. Everything in our house is electric. We usually have the heat set at 65 during the day, and down to 60 at night. I wash in cold, as much as I can. We turn off lights when not in use. What ELSE can I do? Does the computer/monitor use that much energy? I vacuum the whole house every day, should I sweep instead? What about the stove? Is there a way I could cook that would use the stove less? Do compact flourescent lights really save much energy? We are STRAPPED for money, so we can't spend money to save money (i.e. insulating the floors, buying a woodstove etc.).

Any ideas?

THE RESPONSES:

• Here are a few energy conserving ideas off the top of my head that are either free or whicked cheap:

  -put thick blankets or quilts over your windows (this will save a TON)

  -eat a raw diet (no need for the stove)

  -use candles and/or oil lamps at night (an easy/cheap idea for this is to take an old wine bottle and fill it with a bit of oil, stick a long cloth wick in there and get a stone stopper to put in the top.....BLAMMO! instant lamp!)

  -re-use bath water in the washing machine (it would still be warm!)

  -put rolled-up towels at the base of doors that lead outside.

• I have to second you about the windows. We also had a monstrous electric bill this past month. Our problem was that our heater was broken (stuck at 75) and would not turn off unless we did the breaker switch. We finally got it fixed, though. Anyway, when I was younger, we'd get plastic and thumbtack it around the windows. You can also take old socks and fill them with beans and make little "door runners" to block the air from escaping the bottom of the door. Do you have storm windows you can put up? We also layer on the clothes.

• "Turn off your computer monitor whenever it won't be used for 15 minutes or more, and turn off your computer when it won't be used for two hours or more. This saves energy."

  "Replace those burned out incandescent light bulbs with a compact fluorescent lamp; they give the same amount of light for less than a third of the energy use."

• Yes, I was going to say that about your computer. The monitor uses quite a bit of power - I can attest to that after being electrified by one when I thought it was off. :> (It was stunning really - your hair really does stand up and it does cause some pain). Since my computer is on all day, I have a setting so that if I don't use it for 10 minutes it goes into sleep mode... also if you have any newer computer appliances (like printers) many of them have their own sleep modes (for instance, my laser printer doesn't even have an on/off button).

  We've also been using a small space heater instead of our house heater.

• Try not to use your oven at all, or if you do make several meals at once that can be reheated later in a microwave (if you have one). If you have a microwave, use that to cook instead of the stove. You can turn off the oven 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time for it to be done, and most recipes will turn out the same. When you're done, leave the door to the oven open to warm up the house. Don't vacuum every day. Go through the house and unplug anything with a digital clock that you don't urgently need (VCR, microwave, stereos) - I've read that most people add about $30 a month to their electricity bills just from running these things. Make sure you don't have leaks at any doors or windows. Close off any rooms you're not using and close the heat vents. If you have ceiling fans, reverse the direction they spin and it will keep the warm air from staying at the ceiling.

• Listen to "swap shop" type radio programs and look at the free ads in your paper's classified section. Our swap shop is on Sunday-- two different stations carry two different programs. We *just* gave away our old woodstove that way (too bad shipping and handling would have been so much!! ). You could find a good deal on a woodstove/wood that way.

  When we rented as newlyweds we had electric heat and it was $300/month for a 4 room apartment!! GULP! I know how hard it can be!!

• If you have a TV, unplug it when not in use. They actually drain quite a bit of power just sitting there.