Posted by
Scott on
28 May 2010, 3:01 pm
Significant savings is available by programming your thermostat to schedule your air conditioning.
The largest fixed cost in your ComEd hourly electricity bill is usually the “Capacity Charge.” The Capacity Charge is a fixed monthly cost based on your electricity usage during the ten hours in the previous summer where the system-wide and ComEd-area load was highest.
By pre-cooling your house by a few degrees you can avoid running your air conditioner during these peak hours, which will reduce your fixed Capacity Charge every month next year. Additional savings comes from avoiding higher rates during the summer that typically occur between noon and 6 pm.
For more information see Introduction to ComEd hourly electricity pricing. Continue reading to learn how much you can save and how to program your thermostat.
Continue reading ‘Program your thermostat for ComEd hourly electricity savings’ »
Posted by
Scott on
17 March 2010, 8:44 pm
Is low cost a high priority? And high-tech features a low priority? Then TracFone may be a good solution for you.
TracFone has cell phone plans that cost as little as $5 or $10 per month including all taxes and fees. Although the phones don’t have all the features of a smartphone you can still do texting and limited web access.
Aside from low cost, one other big advantage of TracFone’s prepaid plans is that you only pay for the minutes you use. Any unused minutes remain available as long as you keep the phone active. Continue reading ‘Simple cell phones at a low cost’ »
Posted by
Scott on
18 February 2010, 5:47 pm
An update on Illinois Cash for Clunker Appliances…
… the last day to buy a water heater was February 21, 2010.
… the last day to buy a furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or boiler is April 5, 2010.
Posted by
Scott on
17 February 2010, 11:37 am
ComEd has two electricity pricing plans: (1) the standard plan that is based on a fixed rate, and (2) an hourly pricing plan.
ComEd is northern Illinois’ electricity utility and the hourly pricing plan is more formally known as the Residential Real-Time Pricing (RRTP) program, which began in 2007.
You can probably save money by selecting the hourly plan. And you will be more aware of the real-time cost of electricity, which is related to the environmental impact of electricity generation.
Continue reading ‘Introduction to ComEd hourly electricity pricing’ »
Posted by
Scott on
27 January 2010, 4:50 pm
In addition to the rebates mentioned in my Illinois Cash for Clunker Appliances post there are also rebates available from natural gas companies.
Continue reading ‘Illinois Gas Company Rebates’ »
Posted by
Scott on
25 January 2010, 4:55 pm
The money could run out quickly… Illinois’ Cash for Clunker Appliances program runs in two phases.
The first phase is January 31 through April 5, 2010, and is for furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, boilers and water heaters. Rebates range from about $350 to $1200. Water heater rebates ended February 21st.
The second phase is April 16 through April 25, 2010, and is for appliances including refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers and room air conditioners. Rebates will be 15% off the purchase price from participating retailers. In addition a mail-in rebate of $75 will be available if you recycle your old refrigerator or freezer.
Continue reading ‘Illinois Cash for Clunker Appliances’ »
Posted by
Scott on
11 September 2009, 12:18 pm
Tech Alert: Medium
Want to save money on your home phone service? Then switch to a “Voice over IP” (VoIP) telephone service. VoIP uses your Internet connection to connect your telephone calls to the normal telephone network.
Continue reading ‘Cheap home phone service: switch to VoIP’ »
Posted by
Scott on
1 September 2009, 12:15 pm
Please comment with your ideas for topics.
