SAVE $$ BY TURNING OFF YOUR HOT WATER HEATER!!

Yes! Many of you already know this: If you have access to the CIRCUIT BREAKERS for your rented apartment, house, or flat...TURN OFF the circuit breaker for your HOT WATER HEATER. It's like turning off a light switch, no different. It is only necessary to keep your hot water heater ON only perhaps 2 hours a day, often less. This will provide enough hot water for showers, etc for at least 24 hours! If you have roomates or live with others, then obviously more hot water is needed BUT YOU STILL DON'T NEED TO KEEP THE HOT WATER HEATER GOING 24/7. Give it a rest. Experiment and see how long you really need it ON to provide the day's hot water. Chances are you will only need to keep it going a few hours a day. When you turn it off, the water remains HOT for many hours so it all depends on how much hot water you're going to need. If you live alone or with one other person, YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE IT GOING 24/7!! Just a couple of hours a day will do it. Turn it OFF on your way out to work in the morning, for instance. No one is home all day, right? So why keep the hot water heater going? Would you keep your air conditioner or stereo going all day while you're gone? Of course not. Same with HOT WATER. Its costing you plenty unnecessarily. I easily save at least $25 a month this way. My hot water is on only 2 hours a day. I live alone, of course. TRY IT! If you don't know where your circuit breakers are, then find out. They are usually located in the basement or garage area -- that gray metal box. There is no danger, no risk!! And its perfectly legal, even recommended by PG&E, believe it or not, if you get them drunk enough to confess. NOTE: There will be several circuit breakers for your apartment, and they should be labeled. One of them will say HOT WATER HEATER. (or there will be a chart on the metal box). Flip the switch to the OFF position (or the "VACATION" position). Thats all there is to it! When you come home late in the day, the water will still be HOT, I guarantee!!! Take that shower, you need it. You may want to wash dishes in lukewarm or cold water which helps conserve the hot water for showers. But you will realize substantial savings. If you have no access to the circuit breaker box, ask your landlord or building manager where it is. If its in a locked part of the basement, see if you can get a key for this purpose. YOUR HOT WATER HEATER IS THE 2ND BIGGEST ENERGY HOG...your refrigerator is #1. And there are many folks who disconnect the refrigerator all day and food remains fresh, especially in the freezer. But make sure its a frost-free model if you do this!

ALSO...those low-wattage flourescent bulbs (11watts = 60 watts) work great! The cheapest source for them that I have found is IKEA, where the 11 watt bulbs are $3.99 each. I even saw them once On Sale at Home Depot for less than $1 each! Basically, an 11Watt flourescent will give off the equivelent of 60 Watts on a "regular" (incandescent) bulb. A 15Watt = 75 watts, a 20watt = about 100 watts. The savings are HUGE when you see your electric bill! The only minor difference is that you may need to wait literally 2 seconds for the light to come on when you flip the switch. It will gradually get brighter and in about 2 minutes will reach full capacity. You'll get used to it. They all have standard screw sockets, will fit most any lamp or ceiling fixture. You can't tell the difference between these and regulkar bulbs. Plus they last at least 10 times longer and run much cooler!! DON'T PAY MORE THAN $5 for one of these. Walgreens is not the place to buy them. I have seen them go for as much as $15 each at hardware stores. Ripoff! Go to IKEA for the best prices on these.