Here in PA, we're ever so fortunate (sarcasm) to be headed into a new era deregulated electricity. Our utility provider (PPL Electric) has announced that they expect most residential electric bills such as ours to rise about 30%-32%! Somehow, this is supposed to be a help to our electricity cost. We've not figured that out … Continue reading Tips for reducing your electric bill by up to 30%
Utilities
Why water-saving shower heads are a good investment
Many people might not think to look at their showers as being a source of potential energy and cost savings. That's unfortunate, because there's money to be saved in the shower along with natural resources too. Consider the following scenario: Here's the simple math for a family of four each taking a 7 minute with … Continue reading Why water-saving shower heads are a good investment
The specifics of moving from Verizon (with DSL) to Ooma
When we signed up for Ooma and decided to port our phone number, we could not get a consistent answer from either Ooma or Verizon regarding what would happen to our DSL service once the number was ported. Ooma was pretty sure that our DSL service would be dropped and we'd be without internet until … Continue reading The specifics of moving from Verizon (with DSL) to Ooma
Converting Verizon Contract Phone to Pre-Paid
For months we've been trying to discover a way to reduce our mobile/cell phone service without compromising on the quality of service, etc. The issue is that one of us uses 200+ minutes per month minimum, the other maybe 50 at most. We've been using a Verizon Family Plan for a while that had a … Continue reading Converting Verizon Contract Phone to Pre-Paid
First Impressions: Ooma
Yesterday, our Ooma Hub and Scout package arrived just three business days after purchasing (not bad for Amazon's free super-saver shipping). Opening the box was reminiscent of opening an Apple product. Those who own Mac's and other Apple products will know what I mean. Most manufacturers simply see packaging as as way to get products … Continue reading First Impressions: Ooma
Reducing the Cell Phone Bill
Amount Saved: $445.01/yr As posted previously, I had been considering entirely dumping our Verison Wireless service in exchange for prepaid service through Boost Mobile. I spent several hours analyzing the true cost of doing so by evaluating the cost of the new phones (required for using Boost, optional to stay with Verizon), the monthly cost, … Continue reading Reducing the Cell Phone Bill
Reduce Refrigeration Power Consumption up to 95%!
We're Saving About $135/yr As I've been researching ways to reduce power consumption, I've been measuring the annual power use of each appliance in my house (see my post on the Kill-A-Watt for details). When I measured my refrigerator, I found that it used 2.17 Kwh in just 13:22. That means that at our average … Continue reading Reduce Refrigeration Power Consumption up to 95%!
Eliminate Local and Long Distance Bill for Good!
We're Saving $444/yr If you could pay between $200-$250 one time and never pay for local and long distance calls again, would YOU do it? We had to ask ourselves the same question when we found out about the ooma Core VoIP Phone System with No Monthly Phone Service Bills. We spend a LOT of … Continue reading Eliminate Local and Long Distance Bill for Good!
Audit Heat/Cooling Loss to save up to 20% on heating and cooling cost?
I spent some time today using our utility company's online self-help portal to determine some areas of cost saving measures. Without a doubt, heating and cooling is the #1 area of energy use in our home - and probably most homes. Some of their tools show a savings of up to 20% by fixing areas … Continue reading Audit Heat/Cooling Loss to save up to 20% on heating and cooling cost?
Audit your own electricity usage for $35
A few months ago, I purchased a P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor! This nifty device allows you to see what kind of electricity your plugged-in appliances use. Simply plug the Kill-A-Watt into the your outlet and your appliance into the Kill-A-Watt and let it sit. It will show you the … Continue reading Audit your own electricity usage for $35
The Intrepid Homestead 