Archive for the ‘Ceiling Fans With Lights’ Category

At certain times of year your electric bill can soar out of control. It might be in winter as you need to keep warm or in summer as you’re trying to cool off, but many people want to pay less for their electricity. Finding ways to cut this isn’t always easy.

One of the most obvious things to do is to get a programmable thermostat. This allows you to control which temperature will activate your heater or air conditioner at different parts of the day. You want one that can be set for morning, daytime, evening and nighttime temperatures. These will allow you to program it to go with the usual flow of your day.

If you can get used to setting the temperature a little lower in winter and higher in summer you’ll also do better. This is relatively simple in winter, as you can just pile on an extra sweater when you’re awake, and an extra blanket at night. It’s a bit more challenging during the summertime, but you can get used to warmer temperatures if you don’t spoil yourself with the air conditioner.

Take advantage of your ceiling fans. These do work winter and summer for circulating air. Contrary to popular belief, fans don’t so much cool air as they do move it, which makes it feel cooler. If you put the ceiling fan into the reverse setting in the winter it will circulate the warm air which rises toward the ceiling.

Many dishwashers allow you to just drip dry the dishes instead of using heat on them.

Unplug electronics when they aren’t in use, unless the clock needs to remain set. Most people can get away with unplugging the coffee pot as well as other electronics. Similarly, things that charge up such as electric toothbrushes can get by for several days or even weeks (depending on usage) before needing to be plugged back in. The charger keeps using electricity even when it’s not actively charging. I plug mine in once a week for about a day and it does just fine.

As a matter of fact, if it’s plugged in you can assume it’s using electricity, even if only a tiny amount. Decide what feels reasonable to keep unplugged when not in use.

Switch your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. This can be a small savings, but not only do they use less electricity, they last longer than incandescent bulbs, enough so be to worth the extra cost in most cases. In some places the electric company may even provide free ones for you to try.

Do I need to state the obvious? Turn the extra lights off! Also turn off the computer and monitor when you don’t need them on.

Keeping your refrigerator in good shape helps too. If you clean off the coils (either behind or beneath it), the refrigerator can operate more efficiently. Check the temperature settings. If you’re keeping things colder than necessary you are using extra electricity.

Good insulation also helps. This includes the insulation of your window coverings. Heavy curtains do best for many people, as they help keep the heat in during the winter and out in summer. However, in some places you may be able to warm things up a little bit naturally by letting the sunlight in, even if things are slightly (not extremely) cool outside. Natural sunlight also means you don’t have to turn the lights on.

With these tactics you can save some good money around the house. All it requires is a little effort and occasionally a little extra money spent to save in the long run.

anonymous
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/cutting-the-electric-bills-108247.html

The fan is stuck on the low setting with the lights on. How do i fix it please? When i pull on the chain nothing happens, it will not shut off the light or change the speed of the fan. It stays on all the time now!

thank you to all!!!

Probably a bad switch in the fan that the chain connects to. They can be replaced. There are usually two chains connected to switches – one of them for the light, the other for the fan.

Anyone out there know about electrical crap? lol. My one ceiling fan (with 3 bulbs) won’t turn on. All the other lights in the house work. It’s not the bulbs, I checked. It’s not the breaker either. What can I do myself to try to fix it or is that completely out of the question? Electricians are very expensive around here. Any thoughts please?
Thanks, I’ll be doing that now. I’m gonna try everything I can to avoid calling an electrician. :) Thank u!

First check to see if it is on a 3 way switch. Can you turn on this fan from two locations? If so sometimes a switch gets stuck in the halfway position.

Make sure this is not the case before removing the fan and checking for a loose wire-nut in the junction box above it. (turn power off at breaker)

The movement of the fan may have worked one loose. This is most likely the cause.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, you can use a tester to check for power at the J box and eliminate the breaker, switch, and wire as a problem. If you have power at the J box and the wire-nuts are tight (take them off and look). The it must be the fan. This is very unlikely.