Consumer Tips

Beware of unlimited phone plans that aren’t really unlimited

Beware of phone companies that offer “unlimited” calling plans that aren’t unlimited at all. Most local and long-distance companies are marketing flat-rate, all-you-can-use calling packages that sound too good to be true. But most of these plans only cover basic local calling. They don’t include local toll calls or monthly taxes and surcharges, which can add another 20% to your phone bill. And, they only apply to one phone line. The bottom line? Read the fine print and make sure you understand what you’re getting before you sign up.

Budget billing (“equal pay”) plans can ease handling of winter bills

If you’re having trouble paying your winter utility bills, ask your gas or electric company about entering into a budget-billing plan. Many municipal water/wastewater utilities offer equal pay options as well. For some companies, enrollment can also be done online. Budget-billing plans allow customers to even out their monthly utility bills and avoid drastic, month-to-month fluctuations in the payments they make. Instead of a fluctuating amount, you pay the same amount (or nearly the same amount) each month, year-round. NW Natural, PGE, and PacifiCorp all offer such payment plans under the name “Equal Pay”, or “WARM” in the case of NW Natural.

Check your thermostat!

Be careful not to overheat or overcool rooms. In the winter, set your thermostat at 68 degrees in daytime, and 55 degrees at night. In the summer, keep it at 78. Lowering your thermostat just two degrees during winter saves 6% of heating-related CO2 emissions. That’s a reduction of 420 pounds of CO2 per year for a typical home.

Don’t pre-rinse your dirty dishes

Giving your dishes a quick rinse before washing them by hand or in the dishwasher can waste 15 or more gallons of water per load.

Leave lights on or turn them off?

There’s a myth that says you expend more energy by turning lights on and off so it’s better to leave them on even if you leave the room. Not true. For regular incandescent lights, it’s better to turn lights off when you leave a room. For energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs, turn them off if you won’t be back in a room for more than 5 minutes.

Only Run a Dishwasher That Is Full

Make sure your dishwasher is full when you run it and use the energy saving setting, if available, to allow the dishes to air dry. You can also turn off the drying cycle manually. Not using heat in the drying cycle can save 20 percent of your dishwasher’s total electricity use.

Remember: Blackouts can knock out cordless phones

During a power outage cordless phones won’t work. So, unless you have a cell phone, you’ll need to have a hard-wired phone with a cord in your home to make calls during a blackout. If you’ve got an old phone, consider keeping it for such an emergency.

Share the ride!

Whenever possible, walk, bike, car pool, or use mass transit. Every gallon of gasoline you save prevents 22 pounds of CO2 emissions. If your car gets 25 miles per gallon, for example, and you reduce your annual driving from 12,000 to 10,000 miles, you’ll save 1800 pounds of CO2.

Unplug when possible

Did you know that many appliances and electronic gadgets use electricity even when they are turned off and not in use? Just being plugged in is enough to create a small amount of electrical draw. For some appliances, this use of “standby power”  is deliberate and serves some purpose, like running a clock but, more often than not, it’s simply the result of sloppy engineering or the use of cheap electrical components. Also referred to as “phantom load”, this leaking electricity can really add up, especially given the proliferation of digital lifestyle devices in the average American home. In fact, in older devices this leaking electricity can be as high as 10-15 watts per device. Consider unplugging some of the less essential or less commonly used gadgets in your home to reduce your electricity use.