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Household $aving Tips

There are lots of ways you can reduce your electricity bill.

For more energy saving tips, tour through our Energy Saving Home and use our Energy Calculator to discover how much electricity your appliances use in your home.

Electric Heating

Electric heating is one of the more costly methods of home heating. Minimize heating costs by ensuring your home is well insulated. Installing programmable thermostats can also help. Program your thermostats to keep household temperature at 20 °C when you and your family are at home. Reduce household temperature to 15 or 16 °C or more at night and during the day when no one is home.

	Approx. Wattage	Cost per hour of use
Baseboard – per 8 foot unit	2,000	30¢
Baseboard – per 4 foot unit	1,000	15¢
Fireplace	1,500	23¢
Space Heater	500 1000 1,500	8¢ 15¢ 23¢

Electric Water Heater

Electric water heaters can be one of the largest energy users in your home. Electricity use can vary significantly depending on:

• number and length of showers (20 gallons per 10 minute shower),
• loads of laundry washed in hot water (30 gallons per load), and
• loads of dishes washed (6 gallons per load)

Save energy by shortening showers or installing a low flow shower head, repair leaky faucets, wash clothes in cold or warm water, and always wash full loads. If your family uses a lot of hot water, consider installing a solar hot water system. The table below shows the cost to completely heat a tank of cold water. (Note: in most cases it takes more than one hour to heat a tank of cold water.)

	Approx. Wattage	Cost per tank
30 Gallon	2,500	77¢
40 Gallon	3,000	$1.03
50 Gallon	4,500	$1.28

Electric Stove

Meal preparation can use a lot of energy. Get the most out of the energy your stove uses by cooking more than one dish at a time. Save energy by using the microwave or toaster oven instead of your stove. Not only will you use less energy, but you’ll probably save time as well.

	Approx. Wattage	Cost per hour of use
Oven	3,200	48¢
Oven and 4 Burners	10,400	$1.56
Microwave	1,100	17¢
Toaster Oven	1,500	23¢

Clothes Dryers and Washers

Clothes dryers are energy hogs, adding over $18 each month to your electricity bill (six loads per week). Clothes lines and drying racks are a great alternative to your dryer and using them won’t cost you a thing.

	Approx. Wattage	Cost per hour of use
Clothes Dryer	5,000	75¢
Clothes Washer	1,875	28¢

Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers help maintain a comfortable home environment and prevent damage caused by moisture build-up. And while, most dehumidifiers are only used for one or two months throughout the year, they can make a significant impact on your electricity bill. Save energy by getting rid of your old dehumidifier and replacing it with an ENERGY STAR® certified model. Not only are these models more energy efficient, many models have sensors that detect humidity levels and automatically turn off when the desired humidity level has been reached.

	Approx. Wattage	Cost per hour of use
Standard	600	9¢
ENERGY STAR® certified	530	8¢

Air Conditioning

Air conditioners can be significant energy users in the summer months. Save energy by setting the temperature on your air conditioner to 25 °C (77 °F). Save even more by using ceiling fans and portable fans instead.

	Approx. Wattage	Cost per hour of use
Air Conditioner (Central)	3,500	53¢
Air Conditioner (Room)	1,000	15¢
Ceiling Fan	60	1¢
Fan (Portable)	110	2¢