Comments on: The Bedtime Routine: Saving Money While You Sleep

By: Vickie

Vickie — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:42:00 +0000

I really like these tips. It’s good to get into a habit like that. I do similiar, plus check to see if the doors/windows are locked, kid is okay. Leads to a better sleep knowing everything is secure. ☺

By: pamela

pamela — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:31:22 +0000

Surely some company can make electric gadgets that can store information. I turn off my static bike after I use it and have to reprogram it every time I get on. It doesn’t seem like rocket science to add a small bit of static memory that can hold info like my weight, age etc
It’s good to see such small actions changed into $.
I have my computer and tv stuff on a power saving strip and that seems to work well night and day. But other things I do manually. One tip I was given is that if the switch is one you push rather than an up for off down for on type then it’s only putting the equipment on to standby.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 07:20:24 +0000

How do you know that it is saving you 10 cents a night? Do you have any PROOF of that, I am from the Show Me State. Get yourself a Kill-A-Watt and you will be able to tell exactly how much you are wasting or saving for that matter, you also have to consider how much power it takes when you turn it back on,many people don’t think about that part plus the time it takes to fix the settings, plus the extra wear and tear on it, that might save you $1 a year but if it shortens the life of the device by 2 years you have cost yourself money in the long run. Do you have any cfl lights? Also 20k watts for the furnace avg. Where are you getting these numbers?

Just My 2 Cents

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 02:50:26 +0000

Some of us do these things right away to save the bedtime stroll. $60 per hour? Yeah right and I am the cookie monster.

By: Mary Sue

Mary Sue — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:27:31 +0000

I have an 11 watt bulb hanging lamp on a timer in the main room of my apartment. It is on currently from 5pm – 6am, whether or not I’m home during those hours.

Those few cents per day I consider a wonderful investment in my safety and security, since I live alone, on a dead-end street, that is a major pass-through for people at all hours of all stripes heading to the MAX public transit trains.

Also, since my apartment is so small, the light provides illumination for all rooms, reducing the number of broken toes I’ve gotten from slamming into things in the middle of the night.

By: jim

jim — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:24:09 +0000

Purely electric heat is one of the least cost effective and a poor choice for a cold climate. If you do really have an electric furnace in central Iowa then you definitely should look into a more efficient form of heat. Lurker Carl points out that a heatpump could be a good alternative. A natural gas furnace would also save you a lot compared to basic electric. If you are in a rural area then you may not have gas service. You could also get a highly efficient wood stove or pellet stove. Any of these could potentially cut your heat bill in half versus a plain electric furnace. Your electricity doesn’t sound cheap.

A more efficient furnace will cost you a few thousand but in your climate it could pay for itself in a few years.

By: the other Tammy

the other Tammy — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:54:31 +0000

My husband is worse than our five year old about leaving lights on. I can literally follow him around the house and turn lights off behind him in every single room…it drives me nuts! How hard is it to flip the switch when you’re done??? (I guess when someone else does it for you your whole life you just don’t think about it! :-)

We also have tons of electronics in our house, and I agree with #14 that turning them all off would be impractical. I don’t want to dive behind the entertainment center every single night to hit the power strip, much less reprogram the whole thing every time. I would like my husband to get onboard with the hibernating computer(s).

I love our programable thermostat. Thank goodness for one thing I don’t have to personally manage.

By: J.D.

J.D. — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:40:32 +0000

What master-slave power strip do you use? I did a quick search online, and it looks like they can be as expensive as $400. Do you recommend a cheaper alternative?

By: Interested Reader

Interested Reader — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:29:01 +0000

Before you keep your outside lights on all night check with your neighbors to see if it would cause problems.

I’ve been in a couple of situations where someone’s security light was shining right in my bedroom window. The worst case (where it was light enough to read) the neighbors didn’t care. Even though the police station was less than a half mile away. I did use shades, but when the weather was nice I couldn’t open my window and enjoy the night breeze.

By: Snowy Heron

Snowy Heron — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:26:51 +0000

One thing I would not recommend turning off at night is outdoor lights around your doors. It is a fact that neighborhoods are safer when there are outside lights on – it really discourages break ins. Also, they do make compact flourescents for outdoor lights, so it doesn’t have to cost a lot.

By: Marie

Marie — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:21:25 +0000

Contact your local energy company to see if they provide a free programmable theromstat and have an energy savings program in place. Ours does and I just recently signed up for it. In the summer in times of peak usage (between 8-5, M-F) they can shut down the AC compressor for 15 minute intervals to save energy (and $$). I’ll let you know if it saves any money for me.

By: April

April — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:18:56 +0000

These are great tips. Even if it’s not saving you big bucks, they’re still good ideas to help cut back on energy waste.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:12:11 +0000

If you can turn down the heat at night and still be comfortable, are you sure you’re not setting the heat higher than you need to during the day? For me, anyway, there are all kinds of things I can do to help keep warm while I’m awake (get up and move around, put on more clothes, drink some hot tea, take a hot shower) that I can’t do while I’m asleep – and even though most of me is under the warm blanket, my face is still exposed, which makes sleeping uncomfortable when it’s too cold.

If you’re comfortable with the heat at X-5 degrees at night, why not try turning it down to X-5 degrees during the day, and see how that works for you?

By: Telephus44

Telephus44 — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:00:24 +0000

I agree with the general idea, but also think that the cost savings are bogus. However, I am going to ask my husband if we can put the tv/cable box/blue ray player/etc on a power strip to turn off at night. He’s the tech guru in the house, so his say on that is final.

Also to note – I don’t worry about this before bed, but I do check before I leave in the morning. Sometimes my son’s night light is still on, or someone left the coffee maker on, etc. We are gone all day, so it’s worth doing a final sweep before we leave to make sure things are turned off.

By: Luke

Luke — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:45:12 +0000

I leave my main server and a wireless router on 24/7. It runs Skype with an adapter that allows me to use my regular house-type phones with Skype. I have a live phone # that I use through Skype for $30/yr + $36/yr for unlimited calling in USA/Canada. So, what I waste in electricity, I make up for in cheaper phone service. :)

By: David

David — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:38:31 +0000

Abracadabra, thus we learn
The more you create, the less you earn.
The less you earn, the more you’re given,
The less you lead, the more you’re driven,
The more destroyed, the more they feed,
The more you pay, the more they need,
The more you earn, the less you keep,
And now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to take
If the tax-collector hasn’t got it before I wake.

Ogden Nash

By: Brittany

Brittany — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:18:41 +0000

I am not rich by any means, but it’s worth an extra dollar a night to not freeze in my sleep. I don’t magically “not notice” the thermostat is set to 55 because I have a blanket. I have a job so I can pay for heat. It’s nice.

By: krantcents

krantcents — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:46:06 +0000

All right I am convinced, I am going to start shutting down my computer and entertainment center. I will monitor it and see if it was worth the effort.

By: jim

jim — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:57:28 +0000

Dripping faucets generally won’t make the water meter turn. Nearly all meters are not sensitive enough to register that low of a flow rate. You would be saving water, but not money.

By: kjc

kjc — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:41:30 +0000

Hmm… I can’t imagine Trent has an “electric furnace.”

Wouldn’t a home built in the last couple of decades in Central Iowa have gas forced air heat?

Ah, Trent doesn’t respond to comments, so we’ll never know…