I am pleased to report the programmable thermostat has helped us to save money on electricity for the month of June. In June 2007 we used 3410kwh and last month we used 2775. Since our air conditioner is our biggest electricity hog I am sure using the programmable thermostat, plus everyone in the family becoming willing to withstand 81°F in the daytime has helped our usage to go down. CURRENT MONTH – JUNE 2008 1230kwh on peak 1545kwh off peak… Read the rest

We had a reprieve from the heat over the weekend, but now the summer is upon us. We have experimented with the thermostat and it seems we can tolerate 81°F during the day but no higher. Here are a few numbers for comparison; we are consistently using less kilowatt hours, so there is improvement in that regard. February 2007 1553kwh $143.51 February 2008 1494kwh $160.29 March 2007 2041kwh $191.88 March 2008 1927kwh $212.06 April 2007 2831kwh $260.10 April 2008 2401kwh… Read the rest

It's time to tackle our electricity bill. Our monthly electricity bill is rather high – $334 per month year round. It's to be expected during the summer months, when the temperatures are searingly hot and air conditioning makes life bearable – as long as you stay indoors. However, we have never used our heater, so one would hope the cost would go down during the so-called “winter months” here in the desert of Arizona. When I was a stay at… Read the rest