i was wondering if you guys had any suggestions or tips or advice on lowering bills i've recently had insulation installed in my attic and fixed my doors and windows so no or little air leaks a little over a month ago and saw a nice difference on my gas bill, a $15 dip during a cold december is pretty good to me i was wondering what else could be done to help lower bills further
Get a black box cable or a illegal satellite dish. Saved me about one hundred a month. There's also the famous book called the 'The Richest Man in Babylon.' which might help. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...93964/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-4843704-6808032
Check out different electricity providers: www.powertochoose.org I switched from Reliant to Entergy Solutions and I save about 15% on my bill. You can also find cheaper phone bills going through someone other than SWB.
This is so true. I remember when I used SBC and was charged so much bull I didn't know what it was then I moved into a house with Sage Telecom and it is only about 35 a month with options and rollover long distance.
Just drop the home phone entirely and use only a cell. In Austin, you need to keep water usage at a minimum during this time of year because it effects you charges for the entire next year; don't know about what they do in Houston. Have your AC checked for coolant. Replace your air filters often (you'd pe surprised how much this can help).
I'm planning on going with Time Warner Cable phone once the service is available in my area next year. $39.95 a month for unlimited local and long distance calls. I need to look into changing electric companies as welll.
I agree about the Electricity costs. If you're still with Reliant, there is a 99% chance you can save money by switching.
are there any disclaimers or negatives on switching to another power company say Gexa or Starlight? like maybe certain myths like the power will go out more often, etc etc.
The only thing I've heard about switching power is that if you have a problem, you contact Gexa, etc. first who in turn will contact Reliant (since they manage the transmission and distribution network). For a commercial account, this time lag is an issue. But for res customers, its probably worth the savings.\
I currently work at Direct Energy which ironically is the official power provider of the Rockets. To answer your question....it doesn't matter who you switch to, power providers like us, Gexa, Reliant, Starlight, etc don't handle that. Centerpoint energy handle all the power outages, customer service type issues. Centerpoint is the monopoly utility in the greater Houston area no matter which provider you are with.
Use Energy Star appliances (dishwasher, fridge, stove, washer, dryer, etc.). They cost a little bit more to purchase, but you'll save a whole lot in the long run. Also, they type of air conditioner your home uses is a big factor. I think it's called Energy Star, too, but whatever the one is that uses a lot less electricity is the way to go. In my last house, we had to replace the A/C. We had a choice between getting a free one from my home warranty company or paying $1200 for a energy-saving one. GET THE ENERGY SAVING ONE! My electricity bill was running $600+ with the original one...I paid $1200 up front and my electricity bill was down to under $400 instantly.
Get a cable modem and a cell phone and lose your land line. I did it last month and I'll be saving about $60 a month.
If you have a manual thermostat, replace it with a programmable one. Since it's so much more expensive to be cooling your house all day long, you can program the new thermostat to keep the place warmer at home during the day (if you're not around), and have it start cooling a little before you get home. Oh, and use ceiling fans and then raise the thermostat setting by a few degrees... that helps save money too.
