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Of my $26.06 bill , only $6.25 can be affected by my use. I look at things like standing pilots on my older furnace and my fairly new water heater and I think maybe if I bought units with igniters it would save gas and thus money but in fact with only a $6.25 pie to slice up , maybe I could save $2 if I get rid of the pilots. Now at $2 potential monthly savings , my payback period for any equipment investment goes into the next century. So there is no option there worth pursuing. It seems like there is nothing to do about the gas except in the high demand months where usage becomes a bigger percentage of the bill vs delivery charges.
Now the electric is even worse. I already use all compact fluorescent bulbs and turn off everything non essential. I seldom leave a room without turning off a light. I do have 2 refrigerators but that seems to be the only area I could save any money by reducing demand. I think (just looking at check register ) my total electric bill is about $700 per year. Now take away the uncontrollable $33.69 per month (delivery charge) ($404) , that leaves roughly $300 in usage charges I may be able to reduce. Again , a $300 pie is not much to slice up. Lets say by some miracle I save 40% (impossible without sweating out the 99 degree days but just a number for reference) I can save $120 a year or $10 a month. How much does $10 a month justify in higher efficiency equipment or sitting in the dark or doing away with my extra refrigerator? So really there is nothing to do once you take the initial steps like new bulbs and turning down your thermostat.
So when you decide to figure out how much you can save in energy costs by investing in new equipment or conserving by doing without lights and heat , remember the pie is less than 50% what you think it is for electric and as low as 20% what you think it is most months for natural gas.
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