Utility Bills Price Increase

The Springfield City Utilities are raising their rates on electricity, water and gas some each year for 3 years starting this October 2010. My figures look different than theirs using the same numbers but expressing it in a different way.

Electric for the average user costs $68.21 now.
In Oct 2013, it will cost $86.22
$86.22 - $68.21 = $18.01 or a 26.4% increase above today's price.

Gas for the average user is $60.78 now.
The 2013 price will be $74.53
$74.53 - $60.78 = $13.75 or a 22.6% increase above today's amount

Water for the average user is $20.83 right now
In 2013 the same customer will pay 28.09 for the same amount
$28.09 - $20.83 = $7.26 or a 34.8% increase over the current price.

The quest for a frugal person is to cut back on usage by that amount without sacrificing quality of life. The utility company doesn't really want customers to do that because they are counting on the extra money. From a financial standpoint, they probably want us to use slightly more, not less.

Here are some random ideas to cut usage. Not all will be practical for anybody, especially if you live in a neighborhood association area.

Water
Use water saver shower heads.
Take short showers.
If you are a really sedentary person, if you have lots of trouble with dry skin or if you don't stink and aren't filthy, don't take a bath or shower every day. It wasn't too many years ago people only bathed once a week. (If somebody tells you you stink, do us all a favor and take a quick shower anyway)
Use dishpans to hand wash dishes then throw the dish water out on the garden or flowers like grandma used to do. The soap in the water kills the bugs on the vegetables without using poisons.
Only wash full loads of clothes. Wear clothes more than once if they are not dirty or stinky. Some items can be worn many times unless you are sloppy or work with snotty nose kids who wipe their faces on you and slobbering animals. Get overalls for dirty jobs and wear them over and over to protect your clothes.
Reuse towels instead of washing after each use.
Use mulch and compost in your gardens and flower beds to retain moisture so they do not need as much water.
If you do not own a low volume flush, there are kits available to make them use less water.
Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it.
Replace drippy faucet washers and fix leaks to stop water loss.
Do not leave water running while you leave the room or do other things. Turn it off when not in use.

Electric and Gas.
-Same as savings for washers and dishwashers. Only run them when they are full.
-Electric dryers (gas too) Pull clothes before completely dry and let them finish air drying on the hanger.
-Use a clothesline for as many things as possible. If you live in a neighborhood that is more aesthetically aware than environmentally friendly, a clothesline in the garage or a clothes rack in a bathroom or laundry room can work. I use an umbrella type line that collapses when not in use. It is in a patio umbrella stand so I can move it around or remove it easily. Ace hardware sells the umbrella type clotheslines here but walmart does not.
-Turn out lights and all electricity using devices when not in room.
-Use low wattage energy saver light bulbs in lights that stay on a lot such as a porch light. Some people like to use these everywhere but for some with vision problems, the quality and type of light is hard to see by. Also, the lights contain mercury and may be a health hazard over the long term. Proponents say they don't break, but they do. They also smoke in some outlets and they do not work at all with a dimmer switch.
-Or use bulbs with a lower wattage.
-For those who are not too proud, in fixtures using 3 or 4 bulbs, use one less for a 25% to 33% savings. Leave a burned out bulb in one.
-LED lights are on constantly on many things like TV's, DVD players, stereos etc. They draw small amounts of electricity continually but it can add up. Put all such devices on surge protector strips and turn off the strip when not in use.Want to see how many such devices you have? At night turn out all the lights and look around the rooms for little red lights. Some experts say those little lights emit something that interferes with our sleep patterns so are not very healthy over time. But that's a frugal health issue and somebody somewhere will say "there is no evidence" and "you can't prove it". Can't disprove it either. So I'll continue to do my own thing.
-If you have to replace your furnace or air conditioner, get an energy saving model. They do not save you any cash for many years so don't go out and buy one you don't need. Sometimes there are rebates for the energy efficient models.
-Use solar lights near the home entrances instead of porch lights if you are in a low crime area.
-Trees that lose their leaves in winter and shade the house in summer save electricity. Plants near the house can do the same thing. Shade house in summer and protect from wind and the elements in the winter.
-In summer, close shades and curtains to keep the hot sun from worming the house even more. In winter, open shades to allow the suns rays to warm the house.
- Buy and use insulated curtains and shades to keep heat out in summer and cold out on winter nights. Insulated windows are good if you have them but they are not cost effective to purchase as it will take many years to recover the extra cost of purchase.
-Caulk around windows and doors to reduce heat and cooling loss.
-Replace your furnace filter regularly.
- Insulation in the walls and attic should be increased if need be. It is expensive and the person living from paycheck to paycheck cannot afford it. Like any other major home improvement, the savings take a long time to show up.
-In winter, use a crock pot to cook meals. It uses very little electricity and warms whatever room it is in over a few hours.
- Turning down the furnace several degrees and using a space heater for the room you are in can cost less than heating the whole house a few extra degrees.
-Close vents in the foundation of the house in the winter to keep cool air under the house to a minimum.
- In older houses, the electric switch plates and outlets on the outer walls are not insulated. Small insulators for them are very inexpensive and easy to install.
- Turn down the hot water heater. Put a special blanket on it to retain heat longer and reduce heat loss. Take shorter showers.
- Wash most clothing in cold water.
- Cook several items at once in the oven and on the stove.
- In summer, cook outside as often as possible or choose foods that require little or no cooking such as salads, sandwiches, etc.
- Use a programmable thermostat. No good for us right now because people are here 24/7 coming and going. With sons in college, working night and early morning shifts, etc, there is no off time. But for normal households, this works well.
- I put skirts on the bottom of my doors going outside to keep the wind from coming under the door like they do in motels. If it were not an old house, it might not be an issue.
- On really hot days, I put up the patio umbrella on the back patio near the house to provide a tiny bit more shade to the house.
- I'm considering an acceptable wind break on the front porch and back patio by the doors.
- Insulating the garage doors from the heat and cold.
- Check the chimney for heat and air loss.
- For the super cheapie person. Turn off everything you can, turn the heat down in winter or the ac up in summer and go spend your time in a public building using your computer or whatever. Use their water, electric, etc instead of yours. If you can shower in another location, such as a gym you belong to, all the better.


The challenge for me is to see if I can use less utilities so my bill does not go up with the price increases. Now a mathematician will tell me I am wrong but I don't care. It's just a rule of thumb. I added all 3 percentages together, divided by 3 and came up with an approximate overall increase of about 28% over the next 3 years. It's going to be a challenge to cut that much. Time to go to the hardware stores and browse the aisles.