Someone once said you can really only improve that which you measure.  The thought is that unless you take regular measurements, you won’t have the feedback necessary to make improvements.  One of the things we did when we first started making improvements to our energy usage is to track our electricity usage.  For a couple of weeks, I read the meter on our electric meter each day and recorded it to get a feel for how much energy we were using.  

What did I learn?  I learned that we use much more electricity on the weekends when everyone is home.  We do more laundry on the weekend, stay up later, cook more, etc.  

Once we started using the strategies that I write about here at EnergyTipoftheDay.com, we were also able to track, in real time, our electricity usage.  Merely receiving a bill at the end of the month is not enough information to empower you to make a change.  You need to track your usage more often in order to learn what works and what doesn’t.  

It doesn’t take anything more complicated than a sheet of paper and a pen.  Each day, write down the number from your electric meter and then subtract the previous day’s number from it.  That is your electricity usage for the previous day.  

The next step is to experiment by making changes to how you consume electricity.  Small changes will be difficult to track using this method because of the natural ebb and flow of your energy usage.  However, just by tracking your daily usage you will become more conscious of how much energy you consume.  You’ll find yourself turning off that extra light, taking a shorter shower, adjusting the thermostat, etc.

Cost:  $0

Monthly Savings:  varies

Payback:  Immediate.

Photo credit:  potatofamine