Time of Use

Not all power is created equal. It cannot be stored, saved in a warehouse, or bought on sale for next season. There are ways to be frugal with your household power consumption with a Time of Use plan.

A Time of Use plan gives your household a cheaper per KWH (kilowatt hour) rate for using the bulk of your power during non peak times.

A peak time is when most customers are using power. For example power in the North Carolina area peaks in the morning when folks are running hair dryers, using hot water for showers, watching TV and turning on the coffee pot. Folks are also getting to work, turning on computers, and overhead lights. Another peak occurs in the late afternoon between 4-7 pm. Workers are getting home using the stove to cook dinner, the TV and computers are on.

A non peak time is any other time. In NC, these times are between 1-4pm and after 9pm-9am from September through March. During these winter months the afternoon is the warmest part of the day (among other reasons) thus heaters are working less hard to warm us resulting in lower energy demands. The evenings are an off peak time as most office buildings lights are off, at home we are turning off the TV, done with the cooking and going to bed. (Summer peak hours are from 10am-9pm)

As a Time of Use customer, I pledge to use my high power appliances during these off peak times in return for a cheaper rate. I run the dishwasher after lunch or set the timer to run it in the middle of the night. I do laundry while my little one naps. Or I start a load of laundry before bed and put it the dryer when I wake up and it is done before the 9am cutoff. I also try to vacuum during these off peak times.

I still have power 24 hours a day to use at my discretion. However, I will pay a slightly higher rate for the power used during peak hours.

Does this work? It has saved me $120 in my power bill since we started the Time of Use plan. Every little bit helps!

It is more than helping your wallet, it helps the environment too. More on that in future postings.

To find out if Time of Use is available to you search your utilities website for "time of use." You will most likely have to call your utility company and ask to sign up for the service specifically. It did not cost me anything to join with Progress Energy in NC.

Do you think Time of Use is something you could benefit from?

Look who's walking

Feel like I'm moving in...

This is just a quick realization I've come to.

I feel like I am moving in to the the Grocery Store! I make my way in with my reusable shopping bags, the cart cover for MC and then MC and her 20lbs self in tow. Oh and don't forget my purse.

Who says shopping is not exercise. Shew, I'm beat.

Upside: Using the reusable bags results in much fewer bags which leads to fewer trips to unload the car. We aren't going there today.

Air Filters

We change out air filters in the house quarterly. Being an accountant by trade this is an easy recurring time frame for me to remember.

That being said 12/31 was the end of the last quarter thus off to the home improvement big box store to retrieve air filters. Thinking along the way, "What a waste to just throw these filters out every time."

Lo and behold there are reusable air filters. They read my mind.

This filter is plastic and is comes with a plastic gird like sheet that filters the air. Now each quarter I'll rinse it off and put it right back. Best of all I don't have to keep remembering to go to the store to get them!

They cost about $20 each and we have 2 air returns in the house. So I figure in 5 qtrs I'll have recouped my investment and kept 10 air filters out of the landfill. We always spend too much when we go into those stores anyways. I don't think we have EVER left the store with just what we went in for. I digress.

See about putting the reusable air filters in your house too.

Healthy Plants

I just love when I find out something I am already doing happens to be good for me! That is what happened when I came across a "Healthiest Plants" article in Health magazine.

The article highlights five hardworking houseplants that remove harmful chemicals from your home.

According to the article, indoor air becomes toxic from building materials and air fresheners.

Here is the list in no particular order:
1. English Ivy

• clears out formaldehyde
• climbing vine, super versatile

2. Bamboo Palm

• clears out formaldehyde
• low-maintenance; needs a few hrs of sunlight, water regularly

3. Lady Palm

• clears ammonia
• highly resistant to insects

4. Rubber Plant

• clears formaldehyde
• tolerates cool temps and low light, just keep watered

5. Peace Lily

• removes acetone, benzene, alcohols and ammonia.
• the only plant listed that flowers

I have had a peace lily since my grandfather passed away in 1999. Who knew it was providing these great air quality benefits all along!

Congress may ban sale of homemade Children's toys

There is disturbing legislation pending that increases the amount of testing for lead and phthalates in products intended for children under the age of 12. Stemming from the tainted toys that were produced in China this year.

On the surface this seems like a good idea. However, it blankets all items including homemade toys and clothes. Large manufacturers say the cost is minimal but for the individual these tests would mean certain death of their business.

There has to be a better middle ground. The current proposal is not it!

Read and LA Times article here.
Help Save Handmade Toys

Playing Catch Up

I have been gone a while, huh?! Well the Christmas holiday was great. Thankfully, we had good visits and safe travels.

This was our first Christmas in our home. In the past we have gone to either of our family's for the holidays. This year was all ours. With that excitement came the ability to make new traditions. A new tradition might as well be a green one, right?!

We took our tree and our wrapping paper and greeting cards to be recycled. I cringe at the thought of having more trash than will fit in our city issued bin. So taking the extra bags of paper to be recycled kept us from overflowing our bin into the street!

The new year has started off w/ a nasty bug going through our house. Hopefully it is gone now and the focus on the new year can begin!