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Dan wrote with a question unlike any I’ve received before. He lives in Alaska, where the residents of Juneau have been confronted with a sudden energy crisis (more here). Here’s Dan’s story:
I am facing a unique energy situation. I live in Juneau, Alaska. Last Wednesday, we had an avalanche which affected the electricity generation within our community. Our energy costs went from $0.11 per kilowatt-hour to $0.50 per kilowatt-hour instantly. Imagine your electricity bill quintupling from $150 to $750 each month. This increase will continue for at least three months.
We rent an apartment with electric heat. We’ve attempted to reduce our consumption substantially, cutting back on lights, tv, computer, and even heat. Pile on the the sweaters! It’s not quite Spring here yet, so it’s a little cool around the house. One thing we’re trying to reduce is our water consumption — our electric water heater may be a source of significant kilowatts.
We haven’t seen food prices increase around town yet, which has been fortunate. Everyone’s basically in the same boat. Grocery stores are dark, but open. Some small businesses aren’t operating.
Do you or your readers have any thoughts on saving energy?
According to the Juneau Empire, 22 percent of Juneau’s households are heated by electricity. But, of course, residents and businesses use electricity for more than just warmth; it’s a vital part of daily life.
The newspaper notes that it will take 100,000 gallons of diesel per day to pick up the slack, at a daily cost of nearly $400,000. Also from the article:
“It’s a disaster,” said Cathie Roemmich, Chief Executive Officer of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce. “This is when we need to pull together.” She was particularly worried about young people and small businesses, she said, who might not be able to handle their higher electric bills. But everyone should use less energy. “The more you and I conserve, the less we all end up paying,” she said Wednesday afternoon. “In fact, I’m going to turn the lights off right now.”
This situation highlights the need for disaster preparedness and for a solid emergency fund. How would you cope if your power bill went up by $500 a month with no warning? A spokeswoman for Alaska Electric Light & Power recommends “living an urban camping lifestyle”. That’s nice, but what’s going to happen to small businesses? Reading the comments on the article (the web version of the Juneau Empire is a blog!), residents are not happy.
Meanwhile, Dan could use some energy conservation tips. What would you do if your electricity costs quintupled? Would you find alternate sources of light? Would you give up television? Your computer? Wear your clothes more than once before washing them?
Photo by DanieVDM.
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April 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 am
To me, it would depend on how desperate you are. You could take simple measures, like you are now, maybe insulate the water heater, wash only in cold, wear clothes multiple times.
If you absolutely cannot manage, and it’s for three more months, get creative. Could you share housing with someone else? Light costs the same whether two or four (or six) people are seeing by it. Charcoal grill your food? Use candles and oil lamps after dark?
It all depends how tight things are, and how creative you’re willing to be. Best of luck and hope this gets resolved for you soon.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 am
I’d say think about going on a long vacation somewhere cheap. The electricity savings will help pay for it!
Mike
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:24 am
Wow… Hard to believe. At this point, electricity almost becomes a luxury rather than a necessity. I wonder how rentals that include utilities will cope?
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 am
I would investigate the possibility of switching to alternate energy sources - such as natural gas for water heating, cooking, HVAC, and the clothes dryer. With a 400% increase in electrical costs, it’s probably worth it at that point.
Otherwise I would install dimmer switches on all incandescent lights - I already have done this at my house, and bulbs last forever now!
Also, I would eliminate all non-essential (and trim all essential) electrical use. For me, that would mean doing without some radio shows that my computer records and I listen to via podcast every day, but I would do it and I would leave my computer turned off. It would mean more time reading and less time watching TV and movies. It would mean that I would finally get to those projects around the house that I never seem to have time to do.
It’s times like this when I really wish we Americans did things the way Europeans do it. For example, in a European hotel, the lights are not always on - you push a wall switch and the lights come on, only to turn off after a few minutes.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:44 am
@Michael
umm raise rent?
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:47 am
Apart from the electric heat and water heater, the four top electricity consuming appliances in your home are likely to be:
1. Refrigerator: Unplug it and put your food outside on the porch if you have one. Spring weather in Alaska is likely to be cool enough to serve as an outdoor refrigerator. If you have a cooler, use that. If you’ve got stuff in the freezer, use it or sacrifice it.
2. Clothes washer: Wash your clothes by hand in cold water in your kitchen sink.
3. Clothes dryer: Don’t use it…hang your clothes out on a line if you can, or use indoor drying racks.
4. Stove/oven: Cook things in the microwave if you can; it uses electricity but less than the resistance heating of your stove or oven, and it cooks faster.
Your situation calls for energy conservation as opposed to energy efficiency. Energy efficiency means doing the same work with less energy. A compact fluorescent light bulb puts out the same amount of light for less electricity. That’s energy efficiency. Turning out the lights or turning down the heat is energy conservation. In your situation that’s what you should focus on first. Probably all the energy-saving devices like compact fluorescents are already sold out in your town.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 am
When you are turning off your TV or computer, go the extra bit and unplug them! As shown in this blog post: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2007/06/a_current_affair_1.html
your TV and computer use up energy even when they are off but not plugged in. The same goes for power cords for cell phones and other electronics. If you are not charging, unplug them.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 am
Depending on how windy it is around your appartment building, you could suggest to the owner a wind generator and put it on top of the building. All the tenants could pitch in and buy it. In the long run it would save a lot of money even after the crisis is over.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 am
The water heater is the energy hog in my home so we would only turn it on 30 minutes before a shower to get a hot shower. After the shower, the circuit breaker goes off for the day.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:11 am
Unplug everything that isn’t necessary. Lower the thermostat on the water heater. Switch to CFL’s, if you haven’t already.
Just doing these three things has saved me money on my electricity bill during the past five months.
In dire straits? Spend as much time in other, warmer locales: library, cafes, friends’ homes. Question every time you turn on a light; is it necessary? Bake that potato in the microwave, then unplug the appliance immediately.
In a short term crisis, I’d also consider getting a second job to help pay for the additional utility costs. I think higher utility costs are going to be the norm, anyway, in the not-to-distant future, so we’d better get used to . . . .
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:11 am
@steve: you have to be careful with that, because if the water gets too cold, then it takes a lot of energy to warm it up. The same thing happens with an adjustable thermostat: if in the winter you set it too cold overnight, it takes a lot of energy to warm the house back up in the morning.
It might be better to lower the temperature on the thermostat instead of turning it off altogether.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:22 am
Wow, what a tough situation. Winter in Alaska is their high energy use period.
Most of these ideas are pulled from the comments above. I put my experience into them. As an electrical engineer and a long time homeowner, I have a unique perspective.
-Water heater: as an apartment owner, switching to gas is not likely. Go ahead and ask the owner to do it but don’t be surprised is they won’t or can’t. Also, check to see if you can insulate the water heater. This used to be a great way to save $$$, but newer water heaters come fully insulated. If this is the case, you can actually damage it. If you can do it make it happen now. Your water heater is a big energy drain. Also, turn down the temp on the water heater. That way you are not wasting energy while it isn’t in use.
-Refrigerator: Great idea. Take it one step further…can you move the fridge outside? It is basically a cooler when unplugged. This will help keep animals at bay, keep the food from freezing, and help keep it cool in the day. In fact, if you can move it outside you could probably keep it plugged in. It would use minimal energy while preserving your food.
-Washer and Dryer: Hang your clothes to dry. You can hand wash your clothes, but you won’t see as much energy savings as with the dryer (it uses much less energy). If you still use the washer, switch to the coldest/shortest settings to minimize hot water and energy use. Also, don’t just wash clothes because they have been worn. Wait until they are soiled.
-stove: I like the idea of grilling. I also like the idea of community meals. It takes no more energy to cook for ten than to cook for one. Rotate meals, turn it into a community event, and at the same time make new friends!
-Lighting: switch to compact fluorescent. Dimmers are great, but the fluorescent lights will use less energy in the long run. If you do move, take the light bulbs with you. Also, shut off the lights when not in use.
-Electronics: Unplug when not in use. They continuously use electricity. While it is a trickle, every bit helps. This includes your computer. Your power supply alone uses about 1/2kwh of energy (~$0.25/hour).
-Alternate energy sources: great idea but not practical if you live in an apartment. Also, all energy prices will be going up as demand increases.
Good luck. Hopefully you have a an emergency fund to help you get through these tough times.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:27 am
This is a tough one, as just trimming around the edges won’t really cut that electric bill back down to size. Nonetheless…
Unplug all “phantom” power users when not in use — TV, computer, game systems, whatever. And easy way to do this is with a power strip that you can click on and off.
Convert any common use lightbulbs to CFLs — there is less of a gain here in cold climates because the “waste” energy of an incadescent light is heat, which offsets a small portion of your heating needs. Regardless, you are better off using your furnace for heat and your lights for light. Also, if you have fixtures with multiple bulbs, loosen all but one such that the extras don’t come on.
Increase the temp on the refrigerator (doing without is even better, but that might be tough). If you can’t get away without a fridge or freezer, consider downsizing for the next few months — you may be able to pick up a dorm fridge on the cheap that will suit your needs in a pinch and use far less electricity (you’d have to run the numbers to see if this is worthwhile).
Freezers are most efficient when full, so fill ‘er up (maybe frozen jugs of water?).
Decrease the temp on the water heater (turning it on/off as needed is probably even better if you can pull it off).
Decrease temp on furnace and dress warm. Also, crank the heat way down when you’re in bed or away — just keep those pipes from freezing.
Daniel: You only lose out by turning down the heat if it takes longer to warm things back up than the furnace would’ve otherwise run during the low period. In most cases, you still come out ahead by turning the heat down when not needed. Same goes for the water heater. If it takes X minutes to heat the water for a shower, you’re coming out ahead by shutting it off as long as it would otherwise run more than X minutes in a day.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:28 am
@Jen: Good point regarding the silent users of electricity. We’ve hooked our up to power strips and turn off the strip at night so the television, DVD player, etc. do not continue to suck power all night.
If I were in Dan’s situation I would get radical in looking for ways to conserve energy:
I would definitely wear clothes at least twice before washing (except maybe underwear).
Reuse bath towels/kitchen towels for at least a week at a time.
Grill food outside; use microwave tp heat food inside instead of oven.
Freeze jugs of ice in freezer overnight and then transfer to refrigerator in the morning (helps refrigerator operate more efficiently as it thaws).
Be sure all windows and doors are properly sealed and caulked. Add weatherstripping or caulking as needed.
No lights during the day, and no overhead lights period.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:33 am
When I called my energy utility company and asked how I can save money, they sent me a handy-dandy booklet on just that subject. It has all sorts of good tips, from using a water heater blanket to using electric blankets instead of space heaters.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 am
I’d suggest trying a sleepover schedule. If you can shut off the heat one night/week, you’d end up saving some $$ on electricity. Maybe people could exchange Friday and Saturday nights or something.
We did that when we had some severe power outages around where we live a few years ago.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 am
I don’t know if Dan and his family have membership to a fitness club, but if they do they should take advantage of their electricity. I work out every morning and shower at the gym. Thus, I keep my water heater turned off all week, only flipping the circuit during the weekend (or not even then, if I’m out of town). I’ve cut my power bills by more than 50% doing this.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 am
We spent some time in Nicaragua, where they have rolling blackouts everyday. It was annoying at first, but eventually, cooking and eating by candlelight became a real treat, it made you really spend some quiet time. The restaurants all got really creative, and most food was cooked on the grill, with pots of boiling water right on the grill top. I like the idea of alternating sleepovers too - open a bottle of wine and just enjoy someone else’s company for a while. Good luck up there!
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 am
There are certainly a number of options that might help, but it might depend on how extreme people want to go. My first thought was shared housing for the duration, to really cut down on costs. It might be worth looking into getting a BBQ, if you don’t have one already, or starting to consider just eating a percentage of food as a raw diet - lots of people eat raw until lunch, and claim health benefits from it. Or, eating foods that can be soaked in wate r first (beans, grains, etc.) can cut down drastically on cooking times that will take up energy. Given the very high cost of electricity, now might be a good time to look into solar panels - they’re expensive, but with costs this hight they might pay for themselves in fairly short order.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 am
Most to-do lists lump together little behavioral items (turn off the lights) with huge, expensive, labor-intensive investments, like “buy an efficient boiler”. For my earth day post, I define terms: energy conservation (one time tightening up of your household’s “envelope”), energy efficiency (how much electricity does it take to run your appliances and devices), and personal behavior (how committed are you to frugal energy use if it involves habitual effort?). Each person’s home and situation is different - so I hope this way of organizing the options/issues is helpful.
Glad to see soooooo much attention to Earth Day - it’s not Earth Week. Hopefully we’ll get to Earth Century.
http://moneychangesthings.blogspot.com/2008/04/earth-day-getting-our-home-energy-acts.html
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 am
To the extent possible, use ambient heat from sunlight.
In winter I open all the blinds to let the sun heat the floors and walls in my home. At dusk they all get closed to keep the heat in. Insulated blinds or curtains help keep the warmth in too.
The same works in reverse in summer: close the windows, blinds and curtains in the morning to keep the warm air out. Open them again late in the day. You might be able to get away with just using a fan instead of turning on the A/C.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:26 am
I second staying out of the house (either by going to the gym or the library, or getting a second job). If you can mooch heat from somewhere else, then you don’t have to pay for it. During the energy crisis here in California in the early 2000’s, I worked second shift (2:30 to 11:00). Most of the rolling blackouts would occur between 4:00 to 7:00 PM, just as people were getting home and turning up their AC. I was never home to experience a blackout and we never had one at work. On top of that, I let my power company install a device that they could activate and make it so my AC wouldn’t turn on. For every hour they did that, they would give me $1.00. One month, my electric bill was $2.13. I tried but I never got to the point where they owed me money at the end of the month.
Another thing you can look into are a device that plugs into the wall and then you plug your appliance into it. It then reduces how much energy that appliance uses. I think they are called Green Plugs. I had one a few years ago for my fridge with mixed results. The power to the fridge kept overloading and I would have to flip the switch. I don’t know if it was bad wiring to the house or the Green Plug.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
Putting aside the things I would do anyway, these are the extreme measures I would take:
-As someone already said, consider staying with a friend or relative for a while if you need to. You could chip in for their energy usage. You could even just shower at a friend’s place, and turn your hot water heater way down or off.
-Turn off any motion detector-based outdoor lights, unless looting (or safety in general) is a real concern.
-CAREFULLY Use candles for lighting.
-Just leave the stove and oven off, assuming they are electric.
-If you can, consider heating your apartment as a whole to 50 degrees, and just heating one room to a slightly more comfortable temperature.
-If you have both a laptop and desktop computer, consider turning off the desktop computer and sticking to the laptop. If you have any other extraneous devices (wireless router, cable modem, etc.), consider turning them off when not in use.
-For any light switch that ordinarily turns on multiple bulbs (either in the same fixture or multiple lamps), change so that the light switch only controls one bulb.
-If you have different bulbs with different wattages, put the low wattage bulbs in the more frequently used sockets. (If you don’t already have all CFL’s then get them, but as someone already said they are likely long sold out.)
-If putting food outside isn’t feasible, consider whether the items in your freezer justify the cost of running it. If you just have a couple burgers in there, it might be worth throwing them out and shutting down the freezer. (Do keep in mind, though, that food prices significantly rising is very likely.)
-On the opposite end of the spectrum from the previous idea, consider stocking up on groceries in a big way. You stated that food prices haven’t risen yet, but I suspect its coming.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 am
Get a pressure cooker. It cooks food much faster than by conventional ways and from what I understand, can be used to cook a lot of different things. I’ve been reading a book called Voyaging on a Small Income by Annie Hill. She and her husband have been living aboard a 34′ junk rig boat for quite a few years and she swears by it. She says she can even cook bread with it. May not save hundreds of dollars, but everything helps.
Also I would think in Alaska, almost everyone would have a fireplace which could be used for heat. If not, installing a Franklin or Pot-Belly stove would be real handy as a heat source and a cook top.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 am
All of this unplugging, switching to CFLs, etc, makes sense in the summer when you’re cooling. But when you’re heating, such as is the case in Juneau right now, the power consumed isn’t wasted so much because it’s given off as heat, so your heater doesn’t have to work as hard. Example: My web server is on all the time, and it keeps the spare room it occupies noticeably warmer in the winter.
I would concentrate on doing things that keep heat from escaping–weatherstripping, insulated foam pads behind electrical outlets and light switches, plastic film on the windows (maybe go the extra mile and do two layers–the second layer doesn’t help nearly as much as the first, but when you’re desperate every bit counts), making sure the caulk around the windows has no cracks and re-caulking if it does, close off any rooms that you can afford to not use and not heat for a while, stuff like that.
Also, if you can install a programmable thermostat without violating your lease, it will help immensely. It will never forget to turn the heat down at night. Ideally look for one with a 7-day schedule, so you can program it to turn the heat down to 55 any time you expect to be away from home (working hours, church, stuff like that). It took about a month for mine to pay for itself, and that was at normal power rates and when they cost a lot.
And one final idea: If the public library is open and warm, spend as much time as you can stand there. The last two summers, when we’ve lost power due to storms, my wife and I spent lots of time there.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 am
Depending on your situation and fitness, you might be able to generate some of your own power. Google “pedal power” for ideas and products.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:49 am
The first thing I would do would be to unplug everything in sight, even if it isn’t in use. Even when appliances are off, they suck energy. Your microwave only needs to be plugged in when in use. Yes the clock is convenient, but wear a watch instead. Only plug in your alarm clock before you go to bed and unplug it in the morning. Keep all lights off, eat by candlelight.
Only use your oven to cook once a day and cook everything you need for the 3 meals. I do this at dinner - I cook breakfast (muffins, quick breads, etc) while dinner is cooking and they are ready for breakfast. At lunch we don’t usually eat anything that I use the oven for.
Keep your fridge and freezer 3/4 of the way full, it will work at it’s best this way. Add jugs of water if you need to do.
What a tough situation to be in, I hope it doesn’t last long.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 am
Should consider using solar system ,initial cost expensive , but worth the effort at the long run, our FOC resources,
1) Solar heater
2) Solar Lighting
3) Solar babercue chicken / cooking
4) solar car
Hope thats help ,
Tracy Ho
wisdomgettingloaded
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’m going to go against the grain and say DON’T SWITCH TO CFL’s. You’re in ALASKA for crying out loud. It’s cold.
You want heat? Turn on an incandescent light right? you won’t get that from a CFL.
Incandescent = cheap heat
CFL = cold light. Good if heat is plenty, but bad when you get added benefit of heat.
zach
pennywise-poundfoolish.typepad.com
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 am
Move to a warmer climate. Temps have been in the upper 60s to lower 80s for the past month here in California. No need to run the heat or air conditioning. My utility bills for 8-9 months out of the year are very managable consuming 1-2 percent of my household salary.
’nuff said.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:19 am
1) Investigate LED lights - they are very energy efficient.
2) Review the phantom loads at your home - those are electronic devices that have auto-on functionality, clocks, lights that are on when the device is powered off, etc - unplug these devices when not in use or plug these devices into a power strip and turn them off/on with the power strip.
3) Could it be cheaper to get a propane stovetop and to heat water with that?
4) Depending on the hours of sunlight, shading, and temperature you might be able to utilize solar energy to heat water or set up a small solar generator (takes time & money).
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
What about a portable generator? I haven’t done on the math on this, but would the cost of a few gallons of gas be cheaper than what you’re paying per kwh?
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
I just found a hand powered table-top clothes washer that washes a 5 lb. load in just a couple of minutes. Along with an electric spinner made by the same company that you only need to run for a couple of minutes per load, I imagine this will be a huge savings.
http://www.laundry-alternative.com/washing.htm
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Look at this another way; energy prises are going up, you only got most of the raise at once.
The only way to cope is to cut energy use. That means better insulation for less heating.
As you have electrical heating, you can save a lot if you can install an air source heat pump. You might be able to convince the apartment owner to carry part, or most, of the cost, as it is a permanent investment.
As a bonus, in hot summers the air pump can act as an A/C unit.
The best thing could be to convert the building to a ground source heat pump system, but that is most likely prohibitively expensive.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:08 am
This won’t make a dent in the Alaska problem, but it saves something.
When we run the dishwasher we run it at night right before we go to bed. That way we can put it on air dry (instead of heat dry) and all the dishes are dry in the morning.
Heating up that heating coil in the bottom of the dishwasher must consume a fair amount of electricity, so we just turn it off.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 am
I think people have covered most of the ideas, but I’ll add one more I don’t recall seeing. Go out and buy some of those solar power garden lights. Put them in a sunny spot to charge during the day and then use them in the house for general area lighting. They aren’t bright enought to read by, but they are good enough to have four in a room to have a chat with someone. Additionally you can take them around the house as you get ready for bed and avoid paying for any power at all.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
Close all of your doors. It prevents drafts from circulating. If you need to use electronics use them all in the bedroom. The ambient heat from a desktop PC is pretty good. If you have a laptop charge it elsewhere and use it only on battery at home.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 am
From what I understand…you don’t want to turn off the water heater. If the water heater is off you can start to grow lots of nasty things in your tank. Then the only thing you can do is replace it…
Other than that, there are lots of good ideas here. I specifically like the one’s that deal with not being home. Pick up an extra job and use their heat. I have a gym and shower at work, so that would be a possibility for me!
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
Just for the record, Juneau is in southeast Alaska, which is notably warmer than “mainland Alaska”. While it certainly isn’t hot there , the average temperatues are only 10-15 degrees cooler than Seattle, not the savage Arctic winters most people seem to be imagining.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
B Smith said: “-Refrigerator: Great idea. Take it one step further…can you move the fridge outside? It is basically a cooler when unplugged. This will help keep animals at bay, keep the food from freezing, and help keep it cool in the day. In fact, if you can move it outside you could probably keep it plugged in. It would use minimal energy while preserving your food.”
Good idea, and maybe somebody could back me up on this, but won’t the refrigerator be more efficient when running in the cooler air outside the house? They work off the temp difference between the coil and the ambient air, so if that ambient air is cooler, won’t they be a bit more efficient? Anyone with the appropriate engineering background able to comment on this?
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 am
You might consider going medieval and hanging heavy fabric on the outside walls to insulate them better (rugs, blankets). At night it’s definitely worth covering the windows however you can. Even the most energy-efficient window is much less well-insulated than an adequate wall. Personally, I’d also consider whether I could move my life into a single room temporarily (maybe sleeping on a mattress in the kitchen where the fridge used to be…), making it possible to shut off the heat and power in the rest of the apartment. The solar garden lights idea is clever!
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 am
it might be worthwhile to buy LED lightblulbs. Some of them look funky, but they use 10% of the energy CFLs use!
I liked the idea of going on vacation, just be sure to unplug all your devices!
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Somebody talked about unplugging your clock - why not just switch to a windup one? I’ve got a wristwatch that has an alarm feature. If yours does, use it instead of a clock/radio. It may not be much, but when costs are quintupling, any little bit will help.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
I would unplug from the wall my TV/Computer permanently. If this was a permanent increase in price I would sell my desktop computer and only use a laptop, which are much more energy friendly.
I would switch my waking hours to line up with available daylight so that I would spend fewer hours in the dark which would necessitate light.
I would only do cold water washes and I would make sure the washing machine was as full as possible when doing a load, as well as air drying when it’s warm enough.
Since I rent, full solar panels are out of the equation, but I’d consider a small solar panel to charge a battery during the day which I could then run my laptop off at night, as I am a computer junky and finding an affordable way to get my fix would be a priority.
I would take vampire electricity much more seriously than I do now, and would use a kill-a-watt to find appliances and lamps that are being greedy when off and un plug them when not in use.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
Hi J.D.
I recently wrote an article on 7 ways to cut your heating and cooling expenses: http://20somethingfinance.com/blog/2008/03/09/green-matters-7-ways-to-cut-your-heating-cooling-bills/
The first thing Dan should do, if he hasn’t already is purchase a programmable thermostat and lower the temperature when he is sleeping and while he is away from home. Every degree you lower your temperature can result in 5% less energy usage. Also, insulation and weatherproofing is going to be essential. Forget CFL’s and unplugging clocks, my electric bill is separate from my heat and I steadily pay $30 a month on electric, but go up to $200 in heat. Anything Dan can do to weatherproof and insulate is going to have a big impact.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
This is my second full year of living in Juneau Alaska. I have either unplugged everything i own or plugged them into a power strip. When i am not using them i just turn the switch off.
People in town have been buying water heater timer switches. Kind of like you can do for your lights in your house when your on vacation. They just set the hot water tank to turn on for an hour or two in the morning and then it’s off the rest of the day.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
Get a universal car charger for your cell phone, your iPod, etc. Unplug all chargers you may have in your house.
Dress in layers, get a down comforter, get a dog or cat to keep you warm at night. Turn the heat waaaay down.
Use the back porch with a cooler for food that needs to be kept cold. Unplug the refrigerator. Do not rely heavily on food that easily spoils, such as meat or eggs. Bread, apples, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, peanut butter, canned goods, dried beans or grains do not have to be refrigerated at all.
Consider cooking with your car’s engine. A book called Manifold Destiny will tell you how.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:39 am
I would do most of the things mentioned above — unplug items, shower at the gym every day if possible, spend more time at work, cook less, wear layers.
However, as someone who HATES to be cold, I’d also try to ride out the extra expense by cutting back in other areas of my life. If I suddenly had to come up with an extra $500 a month for three months, I’d change my food shopping (no fancy stuff). I’d stop taking yoga for three months. I wouldn’t eat out or get the occasional latte.
I might also gather together all the things I’d been meaning to sell, and get them listed on craigslist right away.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
While this would be a shock to anyone’s financial system, lets not forget that each resident gets paid $1,000-$2,000 from the permanent fund annually just for living there and that they pay no sales or income tax.
I know this doesn’t directly answer the question but in addition to basic conservation measures, I would suggest using the annual permanent fund dividend payment to cover the extra cost of electricity as the higher rates are expected to last 3 months. Of course this assumes that someone has not spent their previous year payment or has enough of a cash reserve to last until the next payment is received in Dec.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
Since you’re electrically heated and it is cold, any electricity you spend that doesn’t exhaust outside your house is essentially free. So don’t replace lights or unplug stuff with the exception of your water heater and clothes dryer, both of which vent energy outside (down your drain for the hot water).
Turn your water heater down as low as you can tolerate. Consider washing dishes in a small sink of hot water and letting it get cold before draining to save heat. If you can, hang clothing outside to dry, since evaporation takes a lot of energy.
Insulate more; make sure that any drafts are plugged. Look in particular around doors, windows, and vents. If you have forced air heating, make sure that your heating ducts are well sealed and insulated. Ditto for the insulation on hot water pipes. Run exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms for as little time as possible.
Do dress up warmly and turn the heat way down, of course, especially at night and when you are not at home. As someone else mentioned, going to the library or other public buildings can increase the time when you are not at home and lower your heating bill.
Consider a portable space heater to warm up just one room and leave the rest of your house uncomfortably cold.
In the worst case, move in with someone else, or invite someone else to move in with you and share the bill. Efficiency and unplugging every appliance and electronic device can wait until the weather is warm enough that the heat is not needed for a significant part of the day.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Living in Canada, here are some things I do for winter living:
- Caulk everything, around windows, door frames, any pipes or wires that enter the home, to prevent drafts
- buy insulated backers for behind wall switch and electrical outlet faceplates, put caulking there too, again to prevent drafts. Faceplates on outside walls are most important
- if you have forced air heating, ie; vents, get aluminum tape and seal up the ductwork to prevent heat loss inside your walls
- seal off the vents in rooms that aren’t used much
- take short showers. Keep the plug in the tub while taking a shower to save the hot water. Let the hot water warm the room. When the water is room temperature, drain it. Wasting hot water is literally energy down the drain.
- as somebody mentioned let in as much sunlight as you can. At night close the blinds and curtains to provide a bit of insulation.
- use a toaster oven and/or microwave instead of the stove
- use weather-strip putty to seal off attic hatch
- use ceiling fan to circulate warm air near the ceiling to the rest of the room.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I love a lot of these ideas, especially insulating curtains on the windows at night.
For water conservation, try googling for low flow shower heads. Average is 5 gal/minute. Low flow of about 2.5 saves a lot of water without sacrificing water pressure.
Aerators in your sink faucets. They’re about $3 and take maybe 2 minutes to install and cut your hand washing water consumption by half. It takes a little longer to fill up a water glass, but you also won’t let all that warm hand washing water go down the drain while you’re lathering up your hands.
Is your heat electric baseboard/ electric resistance heat? How old is it? You may save lots of $$ there if you buy a highly efficient space heater with all the safety features (anti tip, auto shut off if it gets too hot, etc) for your bedrooms at night.
Good luck. And try googling energy efficiency or go to the eere.gov website. Lots of good ideas there too.
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Yes, i would give up my tv. I’m doing it already since 4 months and i don’t miss it. Also, i would install solar panels and use candles (how romantic
).
Also, you can collect rain water in barrels and use it for many things. To heath up your house, you can install solarthermal panels.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I assume the price of propane hasn’t gone up. Use a portable gas heater to warm up your place. They don’t cost much and they’re mode to be used indoors.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
This might be difficult in Alaska, where the days are longer/shorter depending on the time of year, but maybe you could try this: Adjust your sleep schedule as best you can, so that you sleep away most of the hours that are dark. If you’re sleeping you don’t need lights, tv, anything electric, except the heat, maybe (turned down!). Try to wake up as it’s getting light out (or after) so that you never really have to turn on any (or many) lights.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
What a terrible situation! If it were me, I would stop using everything with the exception maybe of my phone. Unplug everything … Wear clothes until they smelled and pile on the blankets.
I would also probably invest in come battery powered lanterns. Surely the cost of batteries is less than their electric costs.
I would also handwash my clothes. Yes, it will take longer but then you don’t have to use the electricity to turn on the washer. Hang drying would also prevent the need for electricity hogging dryers.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
You can use solar lights instead of using your electric lights. Bundle a bunch of them together and get light for everyday activities that costs less than your electricity…and they recharge during the day.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I grew up in Alaska, and when we had bad power outages in my town, they used to let us go to the rec center to get showers. It’s inconvenient, but if you really want to save on heat/water, perhaps you can grab a few showers a week at your local gym instead of at home. (This is, of course, assuming the gym is still operating…)
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
This is an interesting situation, and everyone has great ideas. It is the perspective (luckily) that you’re dealing with a short term emergency. Solar lights, communal living to some degree, rechargable batteries (use solar recharger), homemade solar water &/or space heater, learn to love candlelight, even consider a solar oven if have access to 6-8 good hours of sunlight (doesn’t have to be warm), lotsa “woolies”. You can even preheat your bed by putting a cast iron (type) pot with rice/pasta that’s been heated to a boil in it between layers of newspapers/towels tucked in your bed. The rice will cook without extra energy and you’ll have a warm bed!
Always try to multitask your energy use….
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Turn the heat off at night and with a prgrammable thermostat turn it on a hour before you get up. An electric blanket or a bed warmer uses a lot less power than the furnace. Get a foam toilet seat so it warms up quickly when you set on it. If you are in an apartment with neighbors on each side there heat will heat your apartment. My uncle did that for years.
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
@beth (56) - that reminds me… the phone company doesn’t want you to know this, but you can get free electricity from your phone line. Just google “electricity from phone line.”
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Great suggestions! Just a few additions:
1. Just for clarification – LED’s might be a challenge. They’re near impossible to find, and for the moment they aren’t very good at throwing light. That is, they might act as a flashlight, but they won’t light up your room. I would stick with CFLs for now (but be sure to dispose of them properly!!).
Learn more here: http://www.unscrewamerica.org
2. Try and pick up a couple of hand-cranked flashlights. They have usually have batteries that can be recharged by turning a crank or a wheel.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
In the winter it gets down pretty cold. While -5 is nothing like Alaska, my house has NO insulation.
It’s best to move to just one room and heat it. The less area needed to be heated, the less energy used. You may only have central heating, so I recommend buying a small space heater. Electric is pricey and uses a lot of energy but the halogen type is rather energy efficient. Also if everyone in the house is in one room, the body heat alone does wonders!
Doing hot pots on a portable gas stove is also a great way to keep the heat. Not only does it use no electricity, the soup warms you and the air up, and since everyone sits around it in a tight bundle its another great free way to utilize body heat.
I used no heater what so ever, and my house consistently dropped down to 0-5. You can stay warm without using 15 billion layers. You just need to layer smart. Under-armor is a great investment for this, if your base layer is this, you can just go by with a either a thick hoody, or a baggy sweater. Socks and gloves are important, just wearing socks will keep you surprisingly warm, and WEAR A HAT. You lose a large amount of your body heat from there.
Also think of sleeping in sleeping bags at night. You won’t have to turn on the heater at all. Someone said it may take a lot of energy re-heating your house us, but I can’t see how re-heating it would burn more energy than 7 hours of non-heat. If someone would like to prove me wrong please do.
A lot of heat is lost through the crack in your house and windows, really make sure those are sealed. And your windows are very cold itself, it can become a heat vacuum. I recommend using thick drapes. Unless it is a really sunny day then open those suckers up!
Last, use a humidifier or if you a really cheap hang up a moist towel. Better yet don’t use the dryer and hang your clothes in doors. Moist air can hold more heat than dry air.
All other suggestions are great! Cold water CAN get clothes clean (just buy cold water formula detergent). Boiling water for your dishes not only forces you to use a bucket (and use less water) but saves a lot of energy. Yes, it does take a bit of heat to re-heat up the water but again I can’t see how the re-heating would cost MORE than perhaps 20 hours of non-heat. So only turning on the heater when using the shower is another great idea.
I’ve read a few already on here, but not all of them, so sorry if these are repeats!
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Turn central heat down as far as you can stand it - 55 or lower.
Use a small portable heater to heat the room you’re currently using.
Turn water heater down to 120, and keep it off - only turn it on before you need hot water (an hour before, 30 minutes before? - you’ll have to experiment)
Wash clothes in cold water, hang them to dry.
And there’s little point to unplugging a modern (2001 or newer) fridge - an apartment sized fridge will use under 500 kWh/year, which is only about $20/month even at $0.50/kWh
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
@ #54
Propane heaters have the potential to be extremely bad… They can use all the oxygen in a closed environment (which you’ve now created with the extra insulation) and asphyxiate you. In Arizona here, we have an optional pay-as you go power plan, which really helps you monitor your power consumption. We have the same insulation issues as our Juneau friend, but with heat in the summer instead of cold. Closing drapes makes a huge difference, and the heavier the drapery the better. If you don’t have it already, double or triple paned glass makes a difference. Moving to a mini-fridge vs. a fullsized unit saved noticeable amounts. The $40 programmable thermostat paid for itself in 2 months. One day of forgetting to shut off the A/C in the morning kills the power bill.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:38 am
There are so many great comments! I want to add my two cents.
When I was growing up, we had very little money and so my mom was always coming up with frugal solutions to heating our drafty old house. We also went through many weeks during the harsher winters without electricity (not in a row…) when Seattle had big windstorms, etc..
I would recommend that you live Little House on the Prairie style for a while:
The suggestions below all follow doing this one list: turn off the heat, turn off the water heater, turn off all lights, unplug everything.
Put your groceries in coolers outside (protects them from animals, prevents refrigerator usage).
Cook all meals by grill or at apt building events where you rotate apartments each night. Or cook by fire if you have one.
Confine yourself to only one room - your entire family can do all their daily activities in the one room. If there are any open doorways leading to other rooms from your main room, drape blankets over the doorways and make sure they’re closely sealed against the wall. Hang blankets over all the windows, especially at night. My mom used to just tack them against the wall - no need to buy pretty curtains. I would also suggest that if there are still drafts, cover your windows in sealer plastic.
Heat this one room that you are now living in with fire (if you have a fireplace), or with candles. You’d be surprised how few candles it takes to raise the temperature in a room. And with all of you staying in the same room, your combined body heat will add to the room’s warmth. Do activities huddled under blankets. Sit together on the couch - you’ll conserve body heat this way.
Wear SMART layers. Your body is kept warm by the proper layering of clothing. Wear something with some padding - “pocket space” - close to your body to hold warm air. Fleece is especially good for this. Then wear something tight-knit outside of that - this traps the warm air in the pocket layer. This is how to dress when hiking in sub-zero temperatures (at least, that’s where I learned it) because it keeps your body heat trapped against you. And like said above, wear a hat! And wear socks with your slippers. If you have no slippers, apply the two-layer heat trap idea to your socks, too.
Wash your clothes only once every two weeks. Nearly everyone has enough clothing to do this, and it’s really not good for your clothes to wash them all the time - unless they’re soiled in some way (mustard stain, dirt, sweat, etc.). I do laundry every other week (I could go two months, with the amount of clothes I have) and even with three wears, things are always clean and presentable. It can be done!
Read by candlelight. For activities, play board games or riddles with your family. Keep the computer and the TV off as much as possible, and keep them unplugged.
If you’re freezing, do 100 jumping jacks.
Take very short showers. When I had a French exchange student living in my home, she would take 20-minute showers, but the water would be on for only 3 minutes or so. I kept telling her she could just leave it on, but in France she had to conserve, and so she kept doing it her way. She told me the process - get wet all over, turn water off; soap-wash whole body, shave legs, shampoo hair; turn water on and wash off everything, turn water off; condition hair and wash face; turn water on and rinse off, turn water off. I know it may sound a little neurotic, but it uses little water. This way you can keep your water heater at a low temperature and the whole family can use its contents in one burst in about a half-hour.
Alternately, you could heat a pot of water on the stove or in the fireplace or on a grill and then have each person take sponge-baths with a washcloth alone with their pot of warm water. It’s what they did before water-heaters. You can use baby-powder to cut the grease in your hair and you’ll stay pretty clean - and you could then turn the water heater off for good.
Sleep in sleeping bags either in the main room, or heavily bundled up in the other rooms. Consider sleeping in the same bed as other family members to keep the heat together and heat the house less.
I would recommend doing all of your cooking by grill or by fire because it’s free heat. If you can’t, since all of your neighbors are in the same boat, I think organizing apartment complex or neighborhood meals would be an excellent idea.
I hope this all helps! You are in an incredibly tough situation and I’m sorry that you all are going through this. I can’t imagine my electricity bill quadrupling
JD - I would love if later you’d find out what he’s done since this post and how it’s worked. I’m curious for the “after” post.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 am
Research everything before you buy.
For example, Energy Star isn’t just for big appliances. I just bought an Energy Star compliant cordless phone (V-tech Dect 6.0, and it is EXCELLENT), and in their power adapter section, they list mobile phones that have energy star chargers. http://energystar.gov/
If you are technical, look for things with ’switching’ power adapters. These use less power than transformers.
There are some newer ‘green’ PC’s that will save you money in the long run. Look for the 80 Plus logo when you buy http://80plus.org
If you build your own PC, or have one that uses a standard ATX power supply that you can replace, I recommend the Seasonic brand. I have built 3 PC’s with them, and they are absolutely reliable. http://www.seasonic.com They make non-80plus power supplies too, so check the model number first.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:30 am
Build and use a solar cooker:
http://solarcooking.org/
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Gotta love the solar suggestions for southeast Alaska, LOL!
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Dave, you are right about using less electricity. And it isn’t often my non-engineer friends ask me to elaborate on something technical!
Basically, a fridge only turns on when the temperature rises above the set point. The smaller the difference between the ambient (room/outdoor) temperature and the temp inside the fridge, the slower the heat transfer. The slower the heat transfer, the less the compressor runs. The less the compressor runs, the less electricity you use.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Gasp! And here I felt put upon when we were told our power bills would go up a mere 9 percent this summer! No more complaining from these parts….
Having spent three months in Alaska hitchhiking and sleeping on the ground, I’d say the summer weather there is pretty temperate. Now is a good time to set aside some extra money toward next winter’s power bills.
Here, our winters are mild and the summers fierce, with upwards of six weeks of 115-degree (plus) temperatures. Our power company told us about the raise in rates last winter. I’ve put the amount of a typical month’s power bill in savings and figure I can use it to stay on budget when the astronomical statements come in.
Meanwhile, I’m experimenting with the Month of (not-so-)Extreme Frugality as we scribble, and indeed am scribbling this by candlelight. My plan is to see whether keeping the lights off at night to the extent possible will actually make any difference in the power bill. Tune in next month to see the result, if any.
Meanwhile, I’d second & third all the advice above, except for the idea of leaving the food outside where the bears can eat it. Even in the city, grizzlies and brown bears will come through and raid anything they can find, and they certainly are clever enough to open a cooler (yum!), a refrigerator, or a freezer.
With the thermostat turned down, use electric blankets at night and wear socks to bed (it’s amazing how much warmer you feel when your feet are insulated).
During the summer, definitely cook everything you possibly can on a grill. Use a toaster oven for small iterms, such as sandwiches, bacon, and the like. Bacon cooks nicely, layered between paper towels, in the microwave–one minute per slice. If you’re in the market for a grill, look for one that has a side burner on it–this will allow you to use propane to boil water and cook in a saucepan. Propane is expensive, but a tank lasts quite a long time.
Even in southern Alaska, it’s likely to be too cold and wet to cook outside during the winter. So use a) a slow cooker to put together all-in-one meals; b) a pressure cooker to speed cooking; and c) the oven to cook several things at once. Prepare plenty of recipes that make leftovers, which can be reheated quickly or made into cold sandwiches.
SDXB, who loathes electric stoves, cooks on a camp stove in the kitchen. While this may annoy the distaff side of the family (note that he doesn’t live here any more…), it does cut the power bill. As Carl points out above, don’t overdo this–run the blower over the stove and open a window. Burning propane creates CO, which in an enclosed space can suffocate you in short order. Absolutely positively never start a charcoal fire indoors. Don’t even think about it.
Keep the thermostat turned as far down as is safe for the plumbing and use a space heater to make a single room livable.
And please please don’t move to Arizona! We’ve got too wayyy many people here. Enjoy those fine crisp winters in Alaska…118 degrees in the shade is scary.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Electric heat in Alaska? I believe that wood pellet stoves are the most energy efficient solution.
April 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
hi For this Alaska friend
I have a post about saving energy on my blog.
Hope this can help a little.
with my best wishes,
Mrs.ThePoint
April 25th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I was asked to write an article for a magazine a few months ago dealing with power outages during the winter months. Some of the advice in the article may be helpful in reducing usage also.
http://totallyready.com/content/view/25/9/
I also write a blog dealing with emergency preparedness which may have tips for helping you to prepare in the future for future emergencies. Good luck and stay warm!
blog.TotallyReady.com
April 29th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Hi,
There’s this great website (www.edenbee.com) focused on ecology and reducing one’s carbon footprint. Lots of tips on power conservation and effeciency.
Good luck!