Our first utility bill

I remember almost having a stroke when I visited the City Offices about two months ago.

In order to connect our water, sewer and electricity, we were required to pay a deposit based on the residence's prior utility usage. We dropped nearly half a mortgage payment just to get it all connected.

The thought of high deposits didn't bother me. We came from a history of renting, and almost anything you do is subject to deposits in the renting world. What really scared me was the idea that each month, we would face similarly outrageous utility bills.

We received our first bill in the mail yesterday.

Covering a little over a month, I was fully expecting a $250 bill. I even budgeted $400 just in case.

It wasn't that bad. Our water and sewer was around $30, and our electric was around $100. Definitely manageable, and definitely near what we were spending when we were renters. Crisis averted.

So that got me wondering if it was our lifestyle that kept us from high utility bills, or if some of the crisis-averting measures we put into place could be credited. What were my measures?

Fluorescent bulbs: The bulk discount warehouses have big packs of the compact fluorescents. Although these warehouses don't exist in Statesville, I stopped in Hickory just before we moved. The bulbs put out the same wattage as incandescents, but use 25 percent of the electricity to do it. That means a 100 watt fluorescent puts out what looks like 100 watts, but only uses 25 watts. Once you replace all the bulbs in your house (they come in varying wattages), you can really start to see the savings.

Heating and cooling: My dad is an HVAC repairman, so during our housewarming cookout he gave our system a checkup. He showed me how to keep the outside unit's coils clean and free of debris so it wouldn't have to work as hard. Then we installed a digital thermostat. The thermostat lets us control what times throughout the day we want the unit to work harder. There are four key times: when you wake up, when you leave, when you return and when you go to sleep. Although I would like to say the new thermostat had an affect on the current utility bill, we won't know for sure until the next bill because it was installed two weeks after the bill ending date.

Weatherproofing: I inspected all the windows and doors for proper weatherstripping. I noticed two areas for concern: where the previous dog tenant chewed through the weatherstripping on the door from the interior to the garage, and small drafts from the front windows. I got a tube of window caulk and a replacement weatherstrip from the home improvement store, and easily took care of both. Next on my list is to check the amount of insulation in the attic.

Ceiling fans: Speaking of drafts, we leave our ceiling fans running on low constantly. The air flow helps the heating and air system work less, and running the ceiling fan takes almost no energy. We can also use less air conditioning in the summer with the fans running. For instance we keep our home around 75 in the summer, but with fans it feels closer to 70.

Window treatments: As much as I love sunlight, during the summer it wreaks havoc on the inside temperature. I installed faux wood blinds (it was a hard decision since I try to avoid all things vinyl) on all our windows and patio door to cut down on midday sun. In the winter we will let the sun in to help us warm the house.

Front-loading washer and dryer: Not only do they look cool and you can stack them to make a small laundry room feel double the size, but front-loaders have an added bonus of saving water. I've read that the traditional top-loading machine can use 30 gallons of water in a wash cycle. Front-loaders use around six. If that's true, imagine how many loads of laundry you do in a week or a month. Now imagine that the same water usage can be translated into sewer usage, and the difference is huge.

Our first utility bill puts me more at ease about our consumption, and makes me happy to know that maybe we're doing something right for our environment. Plus we won't be in the poor house after each bill is due!