The Summertime Electric Bill Blues - Peak Hour Killers

All those days as kids when both parents would gang up on us come rushing back into full frontal memory. Now, it's our turn to slam down the hammer.

What's all the fuss about? If it wasn't clear from the title, I'm talking about those outrageous summer electric rates. You homesteaders and solar panelists are probably laughing at me now!

A Cryin' Shame To Admit

Head towards the ground and shaking back and forth, it's not a pleasant fact to admit. Our energy usage as a family is out of control.

Though not the main perpetrator of over usage, I have to claim my own faults as well. One of them is being a lackluster leader when it comes to energy awareness. For my part, I love falling asleep with the TV on.

Another area I need to improve in is laundry land. While we have our own washer and dryer, it takes hours to do all our laundry.

Even when I start early, laundry inevitably carries over into those higher rate peak hours. Those are not the hours to be running an electric drying machine. I've got to split the loads up throughout the week.

Cooking & The Dining Area

A good leader knows their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Kitchen energy conservation marks itself as a family success. For one thing, we grill much of our food on the propane BBQ outside.

Our stove top and oven are electric. As we signed a two-year lease, I may have to look into gas options before next summer rolls around. It's tough to avoid usage here as the stove is vital for food prep.

Keeping The Townhouse Cool

Cold winter nights after we first moved in meant the heater was put to good use. Keeping the house cool, however, requires zero energy use in the summer.

Hooray! Another victory for us, though one that only required a bit of sensual observation. A wind tunnel starts right at our front door when open. It blows into our living room and continues into the dining room.

Acting as the trap spring; once the back patio sliding glass door opens, the wind tunnel is complete. The meter on our thermostat is set to off.

Lurking In The Garage...A Water Heater Monstrosity

Sitting next to our washer and dryer lies the true monster of the bunch. Having an autistic son who LOVES to take baths means the monster bares its fangs quite often.

Living in a state of metamorphosis by day, the monster transforms into something hideously unequaled during peak energy hours. All day and all night, we run that beast down.

It does us no favors, either, as our upstairs shower takes five minutes to heat. Of all the appliances in our townhouse, hot water is the only one that depends on gas. We get a big F for not keeping a tighter lid on our gas usage.

Lights, Computers, Chargers, & Everything Else That Plugs In

Cords that end with pronged plugs seem to have a life of their own in our household. Unfathomable describes the sensation of how often an object that's turned off suddenly has full power.

Perhaps like the genius in The Princess Bride, I really don't know what the term Unfathomable means. Whatever the case, I'm unfathomably dumbfounded!

Good thing the summer peak hours are ending soon, cause the kids will be home schooling. That means even more electrical energy sucking objects will be entering our home.

Oh no!

How's your energy use during the dog days of summer? Are you laughing at me or with me? Leave a energy savings tip....get a definite Upvote.

Thanks for reading and as always...

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