How an Energy Audit Can Save You Money

The Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative provides electricity for Torrance County and surrounding area. One service provided by Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative is a free energy audit to members of the cooperative. If you use electricity in central New Mexico, you are probably already a member of the local co-op.

I had an energy audit done on the ranch in the late 1990's. Two specialists from the Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative came out to the house. After interviewing my family and I and reviewing our electric usage, they went through the house and outbuildings and provided us with tips we could use to lower our electrical consumptions.

One of their first recommendations was to get rid of our waterbed. The heat used to keep the waterbed comfortable is one of the largest contributors to a high electric bill. Once we converted to a standard bed, we found our electric bill immediately dropped by $30 per month.

Another suggestion that the energy audit made was to turn off electronics when not in use. While you may shut off the television, do you also turn off the satellite dish? Do you turn off your entire computer system, including printers, modems and internet access? If not, the idle components are often the culprit of consuming electricity and raising your bill when you are not using them. It is actually better to power off your electronics and to also shut them off with a power bar or unplug them from the wall. This will help you to save money on your electric bill and will also save your equipment from surges and spikes during thunderstorms. You will also find your electronics will last longer when allowed to power completely down. It may be a hassle to have to wait an extra few minutes before you can use your favorite electronic device, but it is well worth the few minutes to save money and extend the life of your favorite product.

One way to figure out if something is using electricity is look at it closely in a dark room. If there is any light at all, or if there is any heat coming from the device, even when turned off, then it is using electricity in some way. If possible, turn it off, or unplug it, to save you money on your energy bill. Some things you may want to leave on, even though they are consuming electricity is your microwave oven with the digital clock, your alarm clock and your refrigerator. If a device has to be reprogrammed if it is unplugged, you may want to consider upgrading the item.

The folks at Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative were very friendly and helpful during the audit. Though they made suggestions, they did not try to tell us what we had to do. The energy audit took less than half an hour to complete and, when we followed their suggestions, we cut our overall usage and saved nearly 18 percent on our electric bill monthly.

More from this contributor:

Teach Your Child Financial Responsibility

Refocusing Life's Work For Retirement

Escaping Abuse: The Long Walk across the Pasture