A few years ago we needed a new furnace. Our heating company told us that if we had the local electric company in for their program first, one of the perqs was a coupon for a new high-efficiency furnace. You bet we called them in! They insulated all the pipes, gave us new low-flow whoever heads, replaced all the incandescent bulbs with CFLs (first I removed the incandescent and set them aside, of course; some light fixtures just need incandescent), and gave us a new programmable thermostat (replacing our old programmable thermostat, but that was part of the deal). AND $700 towards the new furnace.

Along with the new efficient furnace, we noticed a significant difference, in gas and electric. (hydro for the Canadians. Btw, if it comes from other sources, do you still call it hydro? My inlaws live in Toronto where I suppose it does come from hydro.)

Another big difference for years has been applying 3M film to the old, leaky, double-hung windows. For a few years we could deduct the film on taxes, but not anymore. Even though we have self-storing storms, the 3M film makes a difference we can feel, on our skin and in our bank balance. Last fall I didn't have the time or mental energy to put it up and we could tell. Next fall I'll be use to put it up. (At one time we could take a deduction for installing new windows, but at the same time DH took a significant salary hit so we cancelled our order.)

After we got a front-load washer, I noticed that our clothes were cleaner and DH noticed our water bill was lower. I also notice that we use less detergent.

I live in Florida. I have no idea what percentage our utility costs are but AC is more important then food many months. We do have great insulation, keep the filters clean, and have energy efficient appliances.

Well, it's colder in Canada! Based on your calculations, it should be $300 per month.

We get monthly reports from our electric utility that show we are often lower than what is considered an energy efficient home for our size. We are 2 adults and two cats. We have what is considered a small home. We have older windows but putting in the energy efficient French doors helped a lot.

Use CFL's and LED's in all fixtures.

We have electric dryer and induction range, which is more energy efficient. Our air conditioning will be the only thing that might send us above the most efficient in the summer.

We do have gas heat and gas hot water. We've had a tankless water heater for about 8 years and getting that dramatically lowered our gas bill.

Our HVAC could be more efficient. It is newer, but the type of system used in our style of home is not that efficient by comparison. We get regular maintenance and change the MERV filter every six months.

We do 5-6 loads of wash per week. We run the dishwasher 2-3 times per week (energy star). Watering the garden leads to more water use.

I don’t see how that’s possible in a winter climate. We spend 12% of net income and I think we’re doing ok. It would be impossible to halve our utility bill. We keep the house at 15 (night)-18/19 (day) during the winter and the house is pretty tight with an efficient furnace. All our lightbulbs are leds and we barely watch tv or anything.

This article on the CBC defines “energy poverty” as spending more than 10% gross income on energy bills including heating and cooling. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4589909

Median family income in Canada is $76,000 So 10% would be about 633$ Energy expenditure per month.

Now that I got that percentage calculation thing off my chest...... I don't think percentage is a great guide. Maybe for mid-income folks as a goal. Low income people spend a higher percentage for utilities and housing and other necessities. Higher income people probably (should) spend a much lower percentage.

Higher income people need to have solar panels, if possible.

We spend way more than we should in our climate (southern CA) because my DH has to run the AC most of the time. If I lived alone I would only use about 1/4 of the amount he does. We do have a large solar panel system.

We also use quite a bit of water because DH has vegetable gardens that need a lot of water during the summer months.

A big help was DS going off to college, then getting apartment. Of course, at the same time DH started working from home. So that electric usage balanced out lol

Another big difference for years has been applying 3M film to the old, leaky, double-hung windows

Also look into replacing the spring bronze weather stripping. It's not super cheap to do, but it makes a huge difference in the energy efficiency of old windows. You most likely have it, but after 50 years or so it loses its spring, and it's far better than the strips and foamy stuff they sell for general weather stripping these days. It's still available, but some brands are better than others.

I should have said I'm terrible at math obviously. :!/. I think I divided when I was supposed to X or something like that.

Neither do I! I don't understand how that's possible in colder climates either! Maybe I misunderstood some of what she said or missed it as I was in traffic and people are having problems focusing on the road so I have to be twice as vigilant

We were still paying quite a bit more for the little leaky house. Still at this house I don't feel so bad if the numbers are 300. I am very conscientious about water and electricity and all that stuff.

The one I listened to definitely said 6%. . She could have been using that however to emphasize how people under or near the poverty line were paying 30% of their income. That's way too much. She mentioned senior citizens and disabled people and how they often have to choose between medicine or heat or special food or hot water xcetera. She also said that people often would even choose between having a shower and not because they were afraid of using too much water. She was talking about indigenous people and how much more difficult their struggle is in many ways on on the reservations as there is not as good housing and amenities.

I definitely wish I were in the bracket to be able to afford solar panels. Thanks for all of your replies.

I'm not sure the energy to income thing is a good guide -- maybe at average, but so much depends on your income bracket. I'm sure the very wealthy spend much less than 6% and the poorest spend much more. Regional costs vary so widely too that it'd be hard to come up with a good rule of thumb. Probably what would be better would be to compare your energy costs to the average for your area. That would take into account unit energy costs from the utilities as well as heating/cooling needs for your environment.

We built our new house green and our energy costs are below a half percent of our income -- but building green wasn't cheap. We chose to put the money into the home while we were working and had income so we could keep our energy and maintenance costs low in our retirement. For example our closed-cell insulation was 4x the cost of fiberglass at the time. We chose to do geothermal heating and cooling which meant we bore the cost of two 250' wells that had to be drilled for the system to work. (We did a lot more but I won't go into the details here.)

The one thing you might consider is tankless hot water heaters which can save a lot if you don't already have them. I wouldn't put it in until your old one needs replacing though.

Also, how new is your refrigerator and do you also run a freezer? New appliances are more energy efficient than those of 20 years ago and can have an impact.

The other stuff will eat at the margins like getting a clothes line and using LED bulbs. We put timers on the light switches which were at risk of being left on accidentally.

You might also check with your utility to see if off peak pricing might be an option. Our utility offers it but it's such a poor offer, it doesn't pay for us. But for some, it could make a big difference. What that means is you save things like laundry and dishwasher for night times and weekends when the rates are lower and avoid heavy energy use week days.

Finding the balance between a happy life and saving money is personal; I have a friend who lives in a million dollar house, which is a gorgeous lakefront home, and she recently added solar panels. However, she works the system and has changed when she does laundry and runs the dishwasher to such a degree that the local power company owes her now, which thrills her.

Probably why I don't have a million dollar home, lol, I like my conveniences more than saving money.

I definitely wish I were in the bracket to be able to afford solar panels.

Have you really investigated what's available in your area? Florida, where I live, has about the most stupid and restrictive laws about solar anywhere (thanks, FPL and Duke Energy), but even here I know people who have been able to install solar via local coops where you essentially rent your setup rather than own it.

I have looked into renting solar panels but would like more info, I haven't read good reviews. Do you know anyone who rents?

Yes, I know a couple of people in the Orlando area who rent through a co-op and are very happy. They've only had it a couple of years, though. Not quite three for one person and just about a year for another.

I can't install anything on the roof here, and even if I could it wouldn't make economic sense, since my bill runs from a low of about $38 in the winter to a high of $75--$80 at the hottest part of the summer/fall, despite the fact I have 40 year old appliances and my windows are all sliding glass doors that are really just standing on their own and not much attached to the walls anymore (renting right now) and I have to always run the A/C because of allergies.

My friends with solar have bills that run $200-$600 without the solar.

Zone heating has not been mentioned. We only heat up the rooms we are in - helps a lot. Heat down at night since I sleep with a human furnace.

I have spent a lot of time dwelling on this topic. It became more essential when I was laid off last year and we decided to try surviving on one income. One thing I have had to work in the process of reducing the utility bills is finding a balance that the whole family could live with. My biggest motivator is economics but for me, conservation of natural resources is important. The rest of the family may agree it is a good thing but are not as ready to go to the extremes I am willing to. We are a family of 6, with the 4 kids ranging from 11-20.

I hang many clothes to dry inside the house (too much dust and pollen outside). Towels, socks, and underwear go in the dryer. Hubs is not on board with the stiffer towels. The kids can put their jeans in the dryer, too. That is because there is only so much room for hanging clothes and the stiffness factor. This way we have reduced the natural gas consumption but the family still gets what is important to them.

For cooking, a pressure cooker is pretty efficient. It may be worth looking into. If something fits into the toaster oven, I use that for baking. It takes a lot less energy to preheat that small size than it does the larger oven. When I use the regular oven, I try to cook more than one thing at once. If the night's chicken is in the oven, I try to cook that night's vegetables there, too. If baking, I might do a double batch to conserve on the oven energy and conserve the clean up energy, too (it takes roughly the same amount of water to wash the mixing bowl for a regular or double batch; also measuring cups, spoons, etc.). Sometimes filling the oven means making muffins and throwing in some potatoes for the next morning's breakfast or roasting spaghetti squash for a different day. Filling the oven is my goal, but I also cut myself some slack when it just is not possible. Also remember, cooking at home may use more energy but it is still much cheaper than eating out.

On light bulbs, since LEDs have come down in price, we have replaced many when we can. We still tried to make informed decisions in this respect, though. Replacing a closet light bulb did not make much sense when those lights are on for so short a time. If it burns out, we may pay for the more expensive LEDs then but we are in no rush. Since you are renting, I would definitely consider how long you hope to be in the place before replacing a lot of light bulbs with LEDs or consider taking them with you if you move. We also replaced the kids shower head with one that uses only 1.5 gallons per minute. Since there are 4 people who use that shower and they are not as conscientious with time, we could reduce the water used without being on their case all the time.

For appliances, we do not replace unless necessary. When it is time to replace, we try to get the most efficient model that we can afford. This often means more money up front but the savings are important down the road. We had to purchase a new washer this week as our 14-year-old front loader gave out. Since we average about 25-30 loads of laundry a month, the water usage was important. The other important thing with appliances is sizing to your needs. We still needed a larger washer for our family size, but not the largest available as the kids do their own laundry. The day will come when we do not need the largest fridge available, etc. When we can purchase smaller, we should see more savings in electric usage. There is also a device that can be used that sends information to your computer about electrical usage, when it peaks, etc. If you want to really attack the issue. It is something I would like to do but have not taken the step yet. The device is mentioned in this blog article on Mr. Money Mustache. The article may have other ideas of interest.

I would spend time researching other methods that might be available to you that are pertinent to your particular situation. While I think that the 6% calculation is not all that helpful, if you are looking to free up more money, in the budget, utilities are a good place to look.

How much is your water bill Tish? Here, water costs very little, and I would always want a large washer to wash comforters, dog beds, blankets, etc. Water for 2 here with 2 washing machines, 2 dishwashers , etc. is always around 27-29 a month. I never conserve water.

I don't know what math you're doing but 6% of $5000 is $300, not $83.

Anyway, I keep my energy bills down by relentlessly turning off lights in rooms I'm not using. I also replaced every single light bulb to LED, sometimes the whole fixture. I also try not to be too luxurious with the heat in winter, but ac in the summer here is an absolute necessity if you want to stay well.

I have three dogs so the washer and dryer stay going. That pushes my energy bill higher but I don't care. I also live in a two story townhouse with 15 ft ceilings in the living room so there's a trade off there as well.

It sounds like with four adults living there your energy consumption isn't too out of line. I know here we can actually track our energy use through the utility companies.

For our family it's not the cost of water, it's the need for everyone to conserve the resources we have. Some old top loader washing machines use up 40 gallons of water per load. 40 gallons!

We live in an area that slips close to drought stage every year. Conservation of what we have is important.

My energy bill is about half a percent of my income. My total utility bills, including garbage and water, are 2.6%. But I live in mild California and basically neither heat nor cool my house. That means having to put up with indoor temps in the 50s in winter and 90s in summer. I have mostly LEDs with a few CFLs that haven't needed to be replaced yet. I'm not sure if I have any incandescent lamps at all any more. I don't think so.

I do own a top efficiency clothes washer and refrigerator. I don't know if the same models are available in Canada, but in the US the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) evaluates and rates a few types of appliances. They maintain lists of appliances (refrigerators: https://library.cee1.org/content/qualifying-product-lists-residential-refrigerators) with basic specs and an assigned efficiency tier. Something to keep in mind if/when you are replacing something.

You didn't say where in Canada you are, but my brain is currently packed with lots of information about solar programs and solar system costs in Ontario. If you are in that region and want to throw questions my way, feel free.

How much is your water bill Tish?

In the winter, our bill is $37 and it increases to $60-75 during the growing season, which we are working on. Of that bill, $17 is the service fee and $5 is a septic maintenance fee and of course, part is sales tax, too. Conservation can help reduce the bill, but it only goes so far with some of those fees.

When it comes to water though, it is more of an ethical matter. The water from the tap is groundwater. The levels of water in the aquifer are declining faster than the current models say they should be. I am also in New Mexico where prolonged periods of drought is not uncommon. In this environment, being water conscious is part of being a good citizen.

On the washing machine, my current one is 3.7 or 3.8 cu ft. I could fit the king size down duvet inside and it got pretty clean. When shopping, I would have preferred the 5.0 cu ft model but it was out of stock, and instead we purchased the 4.5 cu ft model which should give my duvet enough room. There were other models though that went as high as 6 cu ft. The 4.5 or 5.0 represented good utility for our needs and the larger ones would really be excessive.

Wow. Thanks for starting this thread yeonasssky. I have learned a lot.

I also live in southern California, and our electricity and gas bills are minimal, but I keep the thermostat at comfortable temperatures. We use heating about three months of the year, and then very little at that, but we do have a few days in the summer/fall when we use A/C, but being close to the ocean, our summers are very mild. We have double pane glass in all windows, but that is for noise reduction rather than temperature control, as we live fairly close to LAX.

Our biggest bill is for water, and so we have mainly succulents in the front yard and only a small area of grass in the back yard. We have all low water use appliances and fixtures, such as DW, washing machine, and toilets. I grow herbs and vegetables in pots so that I can keep hand watering to a minimum. Right now I have volunteer parsley growing in the middle of the concrete patio, because we have had a lot of rain in the past two months.

I pay only $86 per month for electricity; and another $80 for natural gas each month. My total is half of what similar sized homes in the same age range cost, according to my monthly analysis from the utility companies.

In North Carolina, my summers can be very hot, and the winter is up and down -- with March being colder than February this year.

My 1939 house is made of wood (thick planks), and all the walls are six inches thick, instead of four, as is more common now.

I replaced the 1991 HVAC system and my electric bill dropped by $75 in the hottest part of the summer!

I replaced the ductwork with insulated ductwork.

I replaced the hot water heater.

I added insulation.

I use LED bulbs in 95% of my fixtures.

I updated most, but not all, of the electrical.

Hi everybody. it is a very interesting discussion. Thank you very much for making it so with all your valuable knowledge.

I have looked at solar panels and cannot afford them at this time. I could put them on my storage sheds. Which are my own not my landlord's.

I bought all new appliances. There was several weeks of sticker shock. in the place we were previously they didn't supply any appliances and our financial situation made it difficult for us to buy new for many many years. I can't tell you how tired we were of our machines being inefficient in every way they could be inefficient!

I'm in Vancouver BC. I appreciate the offer but that's a little far away from Ontario :-).

Our water is included in our rent so we don't know exactly how much we use. My plan is to put bricks or some sort of thing into my tank of each toilet to minimize the amount of water. All of our laundry washing and so on on gets done after 9 p.m. I set my dishwasher for around 2 am. I'm sure there is cardinal sins be perpetrated when everybody's home on the weekends and on their computers.:-) I don't want to convince anybody to use the computer at 2 a.m. instead :-)

I love parsley and I'm seriously considering doing a pot garden of veggies. My plan is to get several rain barrels for my gardening. Thanks again everyone.

Our largest bills are in the summer for water and electric (a/c). Luckily we have many mature trees which provide shade, but our lawn is St. Augustine and we have a large corner lot. We have replaced some of the lawn with native plants and have five rain barrels whose water we use for the garden and potted plants. If I ever build a house it will only have a small patch of grass in the backyard. The rest will be native plants in beds with wildflowers. I live in Austin, and lots of homes have yards like that.

I would love to have solar panels and our city does have some rebates. However, the last time I did the calculation the payback was seven years and we plan to sell our house before then. Our heat and hot water are gas, and our gas bill is much lower than our electric. I do the usual things like turning off lights, running the dishwasher when full, doing laundry before the day heats up. One thing I won’t give up is my big new bathtub. I love to soak in it.

Gas heat here in MN, and at the moment it is running. We use heat from October through, often, April and May. Highest winter heat bills for my 1500 sq ft 100 year old home average $225.00/month. On the flip side, although I have central air conditioning, I probably use it only 1 or 2 weeks during the extreme dog days of summer. So summer utility costs are very low. Electricity costs are low, as is water.

To save on heat, a set-back meter is high priority. It is way down at night (sleep with lots of blankets) and down during the day when we are at work.

I would love to have solar panels and our city does have some rebates. However, the last time I did the calculation the payback was seven years and we plan to sell our house before then.

One calculation to look at is the cost of solar panels on a cash flow basis. If the amount you will save on electricity is more than the financing costs for the purchase of the solar panels, then on a cash flow basis you will be saving money every month so it makes sense to add them.

The other thing to consider is if the solar panels will add to the value of the home -- which they should as they lower electricity costs to prospective buyers too -- then the fact that you may sell your home in a few years means you can ask a higher price for the home.

I'm in Minnesota and do the same as Emory. We have setback thermostats that go down at night and during the day when we're at work. We use very little use of AC in the summer - only when it's really hot and humid.

I have reached the stage of life though where I'm no longer sacrificing my comfort to save energy/reduce costs. If I'm cold I turn up the heat. If I'm hot I turn on the AC. We moved to a different primary residence and second lake home a couple years ago. Both are now 2x6 construction, one with SIP panels and far more energy efficient than our old 70's built wind tunnel.

There was a time long ago when I put that shrink wrap plastic on the windows - never again.

I am sad to read of anyone who doesn't try to conserve. Sort of an "I got mine, the heck with the rest of the world" attitude, I think. Glad that is not true here for the most part! Yay for us!

We keep the heat down and it is set even lower at night (50-55 F). We only run the dishwasher when it is full and do the same with laundry (we have a European front-loader that uses very little water per load). We have low flow toilets, turn off the water when we brush our teeth, take short showers, and use soaker hoses in the garden during droughts in summer rather than sprinklers that waste water. We looked into solar panels, but we have so many large trees, we were told it would not be worth it. We have added insulation. The trees help with AC costs as well. During the day, the AC is set very high-we only need it cool at night to sleep. We have double or triple pane windows, too. We do not turn on lights if we are not in the room and we do not keep a light on all night long. Almost all our bulbs have been switched over to LED. Our HVAC is newer and will be replaced with even more efficient units when they die. Our cars get good mileage and we use them as little as possible by combining errands and walking or using the metro whenever we can. We have very little grass left-mostly garden now with native plants (except for the azaleas and hosta). That cuts down on costs for lawn care while also avoiding the use of chemicals.

Well...we only run the heat at a warmer level 65-68 during the morning while we get ready for work and the evening before we settle down for the night. The rest of the time, the thermostat is either at 60 or off. To be honest, we also avoided buying a house that faces east/west to avoid the heat in summer or with high cathedral ceilings so we could better control our utility costs.

It’s just the two of us, so the dishwasher is only used once maybe twice a week, our washer is also a European front loader and laundry is done during off peak times. We have well water so no bill there. Our windows are old and leaky as well, so new windows are on our to do list as well adding thicker insulation in the attic. Our gas bill during peak winter months has been fairly consistent from year to year and low when compared with others in the neighborhood. I’ve heard of the cellophane window coverings but haven’t ever considered using them; maybe we should!

ETA: I forgot to say that I agree with 3Katz in that during the summer months, I’m less willing to sacrafice comfort over cost. BUT as crazy as it sounds, we like to sleep in colder conditions so during summer months, we turn the a/c way down at night (during the off peak hours). And because we face north/south we get limited sun from the windows which keeps the house cool for a larger part of the day. On the weekends, we usually don’t turn the a/c back on until mid afternoon and the house will stay incredibly cool until then. The only exception is when it’s very humid. Then the ac will go on whenever we need it to.

For a few years, I've been getting periodic notices from my gas & electric company (they do both) that I'm using more than my neighbors. Well, many of my neighbors are two-income families, no one home during the day; I'm nearly always home. I have an energy efficient furnace, good insulation, Marvin windows that are about 5-6 years old, I turn down the furnace to 65 on the first floor, when I go up for the night. I sleep with NO HEAT on at all on the 2nd floor unless it's in the single digits.

In AC season, I use my awnings, I pull down blinds on west windows in the afternoon, the 1st floor HVAC is set at 72°, the upstairs is set at 64° (just can't sleep in a warm room). I'm comfortable, pay my bill in full each month, and frankly, it's not for LG&E to compare me to my neighbors.

I cannot just open windows - very severe allergies - believe me, I'd love to do so. I keep the house so I'm comfortable and will continue to do so.

I don't conserve water as I don't think it makes any difference in my lifestyle for this part of the country. I do not have irrigation, have a bosch low water dishwasher and if I want to take a long hot shower, I will. What would I conserve? If it's yellow it's mellow lol?!

We spend way more than that, so you're spending not that much I would say. I agree it's always better to keep as much money as possible in the pocket but it's not always possible. We replaced our windows and our roof recently, we opted for more quality materials to save money on the heating bill. We're thinking about some solar panels, but this requires investments so we're not ready yet. We try to save every way possible and we recently got a recurring invoicing software. I think it's a great addition to our household and business and it will save us at least time.