Hello! I just received my first electric bill in Florida and was wondering your thoughts

[notadmblnd]

33. Unplug things you don't use at night.

I unplug my microwave and coffee pot, no night lights. If I'm just watching tv, I shut off the lights. I only turn porch lights on if someone is coming over or at the door. One of the most important things I think though is having a programmable thermostat. In the winter, I set mine down to 60 at night when we are all in bed and under the covers and set it to come up to 68 about 7am. I go to work and my son comes home and he goes to bed, so it's back down to 60 again during the day, and it's back up to 68 at 5pm. If it is chilly or damp, I'll sometimes set it up to 71 til it feels comfortable, then shut it back down.

If someone complains that it is cold, I tell them to just imagine that it is 90 outside, get under the covers or put on some flannels. My goal is to keep as much money in my pocket that I can. Also if you can afford it, (and it really isn't expensive if you do it yourself), is to blow insulation in the attic. At least a foot but better if 18-24 inches. My house is 1265 sq foot and the material was under 50.00 a bundle. I want to say it was around 40.00 for a big bundle and I think I used 11 of them. It helps keep the heat in in the winter and the cool in in the summer. Oh, and you can use the home improvement stores blowing machine for free.