![]() Oh, and I did receive this email recently:Įvery home is somewhat unique in terms of the types of appliances and power-gobbling items you have, but there are some pretty standard things as well. What follows here is a recap of the tools and what you can discover. As a result of diving deeper into the tools and doing my research, I did end up changing my plan. That is until I was sponsored to write this article. I kept checking and playing with scenarios but never actually did anything about it. I don’t have a Tesla (yet) but a guy can dream about that type of problem, right? So I decided to look into my electric rate and quite by accident discovered these two tools: the Home Energy Checkup and the Rate Comparison Tool. Over the years, I had heard talks about various electric rate plans (particularly if you have a pool) and co-workers talking about changing their electric rates to ones specific for Electric Vehicles (EV). Bottom line, our energy bills (which include gas, not just electricity) run anywhere from $200 to $400 a month. Security cameras run constantly and outdoor (LED) lighting at night. But we also have lots of gadgets sucking energy all of the time (well, what can I say). I did swap out all of my lights to LEDs (so that’s good too). Dishwasher runs regularly (every other day). And we do tons of laundry (I’m not quite sure how many outfits each of my girls wears a day but 7+ loads a week is a lot). And we have a big pool (great at times, but bad because it has a single-stage/non-variable circulation pump that runs a few hours each day). But luckily, we have a gas furnace with forced air (and not electrical heating because that can be expensive). The attic has old insulation (not so good). It has insulated windows (so that’s good). So here is my situation (as I briefly outlined in the introduction). But none of this would be relevant if it actually wasn’t personal and timely for me as well. All that you have to do is log in to your PG&E account to access these personalized, free tools. While saving money on your monthly energy bill is always a huge plus, it’s also important to focus on energy-SAVING tips to help conserve power.īut if you live in California, and you receive your energy from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), I want to tell you about two tools that they have that can not only save you money but also provide you with education specific to your own home and how it is set up. If they don’t, you may want to tell them to get with the program. HOWEVER, I would guess that your energy provider has some similar tools. Got your attention? I hope so!įirst of all, if you aren’t a PG&E customer, much of the information below might not be super relevant. And I’m writing this article to talk about some easy things you can do just on the PG&E site that can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. I haven’t done everything (I still have my beer fridge). I’ve even recently installed an energy monitor to see the exact electrical usage of specific devices in my home. And even recently, prior to being sponsored to write this article, spent hours on the PG&E site analyzing my usage, comparing rate plans, and configuring my home’s profile for recommendations and tips. I have swapped out every light bulb with energy efficient LEDs. I have kindly asked my wife to turn off the paused TV when she’s not watching it. Yes, I have yelled at my kids to turn off lights, following them out of rooms switching the lights off. When you have a home (that is 70+ years old) and a bunch of kids (who produce a lot of laundry) and a pool (that has a pump running for many hours a day) and are a HighTechDad (with power gobbling gadgets), every month you are pretty much shocked by your energy bill.
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