I finally got my electric bill under $100 a month by doing one weird thing with my water heater

My problem was that my electric bill was always over $200, and I knew my old water heater was a big part of it. I read about turning down the temperature, but that didn't help much. Then I saw a video from a local energy group in Portland about adding an extra insulation blanket to the tank, even if it already has some. I bought a specific one from the hardware store for about $35. Wrapped it around the heater, sealed the seams with foil tape, and honestly forgot about it. When my next bill came, it was $98. The heater just doesn't have to work as hard to stay hot. It's a simple fix that actually made a real dent. Has anyone else tried this and noticed a difference, or found another small change that added up?

4 comments

4 Comments

jadej503mo ago

My apartment in Seattle had that same old groan when the heater kicked on. It's wild how much energy we waste just keeping things on standby, like TVs and phone chargers.

roberts.leo1mo ago

But isn't that standby power just a tiny drop in the bucket compared to heating and cooling costs?

ivan_murphy803mo ago

My old place in Portland had that same heater noise. I got a smart plug for my TV and game console, set it to turn off at 2 AM and back on at 5 PM. Honestly, it cut like 15 bucks off my bill the first month. You can find those plugs for under twenty bucks and they just plug into the wall.

finleyl393mo ago

Smart plugs seem like more hassle than they're worth.