In a recent post on home energy savings tips, I mentioned the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a non-partisan organization fighting to keep utility costs fair and equitable.
Their staff of experts will analyze your utility bill for FREE, looking for overcharges, oddities, and ways that your home may be sucking a disproportionate amount of power.
Words like "free" and "saving money" instantly get my attention.We have recently been taking some steps to try to minimize our power usage. So, I was interested to see if they would have any recommendations to give me!
They sure did! I'm going to share with you verbatim much of my personalized report on our home energy usage.
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#1 - Check electric and gas consumption
The very first item on the report was the reviewer's general impression of our overall bill. She noted: "electric usage (823 kWh) and gas usage (173 therms) seem fairly
normal for a single-family home, especially in the winter. I assume it
is gas heat, in which case the electric use is a little high."
I was stunned that she had caught the fact that although our gas usage was within expected limits, our electric usage was a little high. She was unaware that we own an electric car! This, of course, accounts for our increased electric usage. But, the very fact that she was thorough enough to take the time to note that perhaps our electric use was a bit out of bounds was amazing to me! This is a person who is looking at even small details.
You can find out generally expected gas and electric consumption amount (based on the square footage of your home) at this website. This site also compares energy costs by state - super interesting data to look at!
#2 - Check for rebates
My reviewer, Cate, then went on to explain that lighting costs comprise about 10% of the average utility bill. While vampire power can suck up to 20% additional energy. If you think that's a high amount, hold on to your hats! Apparently heating accounts for a full 42% of your energy expenditures.
Believe it or not, your utility company is your first line of defense in lowering your bill. Most companies offer a variety of services, designed to inform and help their customers use energy wisely.
- Energy Audits: See if you qualify for a free energy audit. My company, Ameren, will not only perform an extensive audit for no cost if you meet certain income requirements, they will install energy saving devices in your home for free . I talk about this program in Ten Tips for Saving on Your Utility Bills.
- Do not automatically assume that you make too much to qualify. Our family very easily meets the income requirements for a free audit.
Here's a chart to check your income and family size to see if you qualify.
| Number of Persons in Household | Maximum Income |
| 1 | $36,420 |
| 2 | $49,380 |
| 3 | $62,340 |
| 4 | $75,300 |
| 5 | $88,260 |
| 6 | $101,220 |
| 7 | $114,180 |
- Rebates: Your utility company may also offer rebates on energy efficient products and appliances.
For example, Ameren (my utility company) currently offers rebates on:
- LED lighting
- Advanced Power Strips
- Smart thermostats
- If you have a Nest thermostat, you are eligible for Rush Hour Rewards.
#3 - Read up on Energy Efficiency Tips
There is a lot of information available to help the consumer manager his or her costs. Check out the "fact sheet" portion of the CUB website. I picked up a number of super helpful free publications from their booth at a recent energy savings event.
Cate, from Citizens Utility Board, reminded me, "The Department of Energy also has a great website with information on energy efficiency, with a lot of DIY strategies."
#4 - Check Kilowatt use
If you've never used a "Kill A Watt meter", then I can attest to the fact that you are missing out on a whole lot of fun. Several years ago, my husband taught our boys science. (We've homeschooled for nearly 20 years). He chose to spend an entire semester on energy, specifically alternative energy. This sixteen week long science adventure is, by the way, how I wound up with solar panels attached to the side of my house. But, that's another story!
My husband, Larry, found out that the Peoria Public Library had a "Kill A Watt meter". Patrons could check out (for free) to monitor their energy use at home. They picked it up and those boys were all over my house, monitoring our electric usage on everything but the dog!
Not only was it fun and educational, we found out that we were using a whole lot more power than we ever imagined. We also discovered sources of phantom power. (Yes, it's a real thing! And it happens far more than you realize!) Scott, from Citizen's Utility Board explains, "You plug devices into the meter and it tells you how much energy they use - even when the devices are inactive, they are still using power." That's phantom power!
Larry had the boys use permanent black marker to mark the electric usage on the side of our appliances. This is why, ten year later, my microwave still has the power usage written in permanent black marker on the side of it!
My husband, Larry, found out that the Peoria Public Library had a "Kill A Watt meter". Patrons could check out (for free) to monitor their energy use at home. They picked it up and those boys were all over my house, monitoring our electric usage on everything but the dog!
Not only was it fun and educational, we found out that we were using a whole lot more power than we ever imagined. We also discovered sources of phantom power. (Yes, it's a real thing! And it happens far more than you realize!) Scott, from Citizen's Utility Board explains, "You plug devices into the meter and it tells you how much energy they use - even when the devices are inactive, they are still using power." That's phantom power!
 |
| My actual microwave - with the Kill-O-Watt readings written on the side! |
Larry had the boys use permanent black marker to mark the electric usage on the side of our appliances. This is why, ten year later, my microwave still has the power usage written in permanent black marker on the side of it!
Scott, a CUB representative, called and confirmed that the Kill A Watt meter is still available at the
information desk of the Lake View Branch - 1137 W Lake Ave, Peoria, IL
61614 - (309) 497-2200.
If you'd like to own a Kill-O-Watt Meter, you can purchase this 4-star rated model from Amazon!
If you'd like to own a Kill-O-Watt Meter, you can purchase this 4-star rated model from Amazon!
#5 - Check for Multiple Discount Opportunities
- Smart Power Pricing - My husband and I are on our utility's Power Smart Pricing. This program, which is available for a very small monthly fee, allows us to buy electricity at a fluxuating hourly rate. The price is generally lowest early in the morning and late at night, peaking in mid-day. For more information, see this post, in which I give you TEN tips for saving money on utilities.
- Peak Time Rewards - You could have knocked me over with a feather when Cate wrote, "I assume they are also on Peak Time Rewards, and if not, they should be." I thought for sure that since I was already on one energy-saving program that signing up for another was "double-dipping." Not so!
Peak Time Rewards is another money-saving program, but, unlike Smart Power Pricing, this one is free! It allows you to receive a discount on your bill when you agree to reduce energy consumption during specific hours and days.
Utility companies will call or text you when they need you to turn up the A/C or down the heat in your home. An example would be the mid-August, 100 degree heat in Illinois. The energy provider might realize that the grid will be super stressed from 2-6pm on that day and send out an alert that if you modify your air conditioning, specifically during those hours, you will receive a small discount on your bill that next month as their way of saying "thank you."
- High Price Alerts - Cate urged us to sign up for the "High Price Alerts" to be notified if the price is expected to be over 9 cents per kWh on the following day. Check with your utility company to see if they offer these alerts. This is super important during the hot summer months.
We signed up for these quite some time ago and receive these alerts on our phone. They tell me exactly when that peak will hit, so that I can plan to do things like laundry the next day before I am paying a whole lot more money to run that machine. (Speaking of laundry, see this post for a list of things that Larry and I did to cut expenses when we were saving to pay cash for our second home. Line drying laundry not only saved us money, but it was actually pretty easy. I still love hanging laundry whenever I can.)
- Seasonal Newsletters - Your utility company will often offer quarterly reminders on how to save on energy costs. For instance, Ameren customers can sign up for seasonal Ameren newsletters, filled with efficiency tips.
6) Reduce Peak Use
Cate offered one last useful bit of information, "You should be able to log in to your Power Smart Pricing account online to see how much electricity you used for each hour of the day. That can help in deciding how to change behavior according to when prices are higher."I seriously had no idea that the power company offered me access to all the nuances of my own power usage. For a budget geek like me, that's heady knowledge! I totally love the idea of being able to see exactly when our family is using the most power and spending the most money.
Cate added, "On Power Smart Pricing, the Transmission Service Charge ($6.32 on this bill) depends on your electricity usage during one specific hour period - the peak electricity demand. The system peak hour is one hour in the billing period in which
electricity demand was highest across all Ameren Illinois territory."
I had never noticed this charge on my utility bill - and even if I had, I would never have known what it was or what a "system peak hour" was! Here is the bottom line: If I minimize my electricity usage during peak times, I will most likely also minimize this charge.! Once again, CUB was arming me with information to help me save money!
According to the PSP website, "The system peak hour typically occurs between 1 pm and 5 pm on hot afternoons in the summer, and between 6 pm and 9 pm in the winter....You can reduce your Transmission Service Charge by using energy wisely when electricity demand and prices are high."
In other words, by knowing peak usage times and being able to track our usage during these periods of time, I can plan more efficiently and, thus, save money on my utility bill.
I had never noticed this charge on my utility bill - and even if I had, I would never have known what it was or what a "system peak hour" was! Here is the bottom line: If I minimize my electricity usage during peak times, I will most likely also minimize this charge.! Once again, CUB was arming me with information to help me save money!
According to the PSP website, "The system peak hour typically occurs between 1 pm and 5 pm on hot afternoons in the summer, and between 6 pm and 9 pm in the winter....You can reduce your Transmission Service Charge by using energy wisely when electricity demand and prices are high."
In other words, by knowing peak usage times and being able to track our usage during these periods of time, I can plan more efficiently and, thus, save money on my utility bill.
Get Your Own Analysis
If you live in the state of Illinois, Citizen's Utility Board is happy to give you your own analysis. Even if, like me, you think that you are a generally well-informed and proactive utility consumer, you are still sure walk away with useful, helpful, and personalized information to help you save money!
Head over to the Citizens Utility Board website and click on the contact button to request your personalized utility bill review. Alternately, you can check out their calendar of events. They are all over Illinois at a multitude of events throughout the year. You can take along your current phone and utility bills and they will do an on-the-spot, in-person analysis for you for free! If you are looking to save on your bills, these are a great group of people to get to know!
Head over to the Citizens Utility Board website and click on the contact button to request your personalized utility bill review. Alternately, you can check out their calendar of events. They are all over Illinois at a multitude of events throughout the year. You can take along your current phone and utility bills and they will do an on-the-spot, in-person analysis for you for free! If you are looking to save on your bills, these are a great group of people to get to know!
If you don't live in the Land of Lincoln, check with your local utility or your local city hall to see if your community or state offers a similar service.
Save On Utilities with These Ten Easy Tips
Three Water Conservation Hacks That Actually Save You Money
Four Ways to Slash Your Budget
Ten More Ways to Slash Your Budget
Hope
Further Reading
Here's a list of Under the Median articles that give your more tips and ideas on how to save money on household expenses:Save On Utilities with These Ten Easy Tips
Three Water Conservation Hacks That Actually Save You Money
Four Ways to Slash Your Budget
Ten More Ways to Slash Your Budget
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