sf wrote:
>
> Got the PG&E bill today. Electric was $104 and Gas was under $3.
> Huh, not even $3? The water heater and gas stove are used daily. We
> did have a little heat wave, but the furnace was used. I need to call
> them to see if they made a billing mistake, because I will *not*
> appreciate it if they tack what they should have charged onto my next
> bill.
>
> I figure at least a third of that electricity was used by the kitchen
> lights. What I really want to know is this: how do you keep the light
> factor high and your electric bill low for kitchen use? I'm thinking
> I won't use the "pot" lights as much and just use under counter
> lighting to see if I can lower that charge next month.
>
> Unfortunately, I think the biggest electric hog is the TV and that's
> not getting turned off any more than it is already.
>
> --
>
> Never trust a dog to watch your food.

CFLs make a big difference in electric consumption, some 75% less than a
comparable incandescent. Use those in your "pots" which I presume are
recessed lights.

Your refrigerator will be one of your top energy users, so if it's not
relatively new you can probably save some energy with a newer model.

You should tell us how many KWH you used, not total price, since
electric rates vary a lot.

I have a nice new (though not the highest SEER/HSPF) heat pump here
heating and cooling my ~1,800 sq. ft., I have three computers on 24x365,
a couple UPSes, router, cable modem, network switch, an aquarium,
electric water heater, electric clothes dryer, electric ovens (LP
cooktop) and a dehumidifier out in my shop. Outside of the few cold
months here, my typical consumption is 900-1000 KWH/mo, last month was
832 since we had started into the "neutral" season with minimal cooling
or heating needs. That includes power consumption for projects in my
shop as well, including welding and plasma cutting. I use CFL lights
just about everywhere, except for a few spots that get little use.

You also need to watch out for the electric rate structure out there,
from what I've heard from my CA coworkers, there are some very strange
rate structures which can bite you if your power consumption lands on
the wrong side of certain thresholds. My rates here are probably lower
that yours to start ($0.135/KWH), and they get lower as I cross power
thresholds (1000KWH, 2000KWH, etc.).

I'd recommend you buy a Kill-a-Watt unit, a ~$25 power meter you plug in
between an appliance (like a refrigerator or TV) and the outlet and it
will measure and log the power consumption over time so you can see how
many KWH an item is using over the course of a day/week/month.

I can't imagine you still have meter readers out there vs. remote read
meters, but if you do, they have been known to typo a digit on the
reading which can have a big effect on the bill, though it self corrects
with the next correct reading.

I don't know what type of housing you live in, but with the economy
these days don't overlook the possibility of someone stealing power from
you if you are in any sort of multi-unit housing.