The Family that Eats Together... Saves!

Yup you read it right, "The family that eats together... saves!". Really, they do. Have you checked your electric bills lately? How much is a kilowatt per hour where you are?

My last electric bill cost me P3,200++ ($1 = P48). It is summerime here in the Philippines so a big chunk of that bill can be attributed to our constant use of electric fans and air-conditioning. But if you are counting pesos and cents like me, I'm sure you will also be wracking your brains thinking of ways to cut-back. Maybe not on fan and air-conditioner use, but on some others that you can do with out. That is what I did.

I simply cannot bear not using the fan and the air-conditioner especially during midday when it is at its hottest. I pity my 16-month old son as he drips of sweat at the slightest movement or even when just taking a nap.

Then it occured to me, we were using the microwave way too much to re-heat food. Actually, depending on the amount of food to be reheated I use either the microwave or the gas stove to heat our food. Now I'm using an American Home 800-watt microwave. So you'd probably say I'm nuts bacause the energy expended is supposed to be 800 watts per hour.

Would you reconsider your impression of me if you can monitor just how many times and minutes you use the microwave in a month? Woudn't it add up to 800 watts at some point if you continue to use it regularly?

The point is every electrical appliance we use contribute one way or the other to our electric bill. If we limit their use, wouldn't it contribute to shaving off our electric bill or enable us to enjoy our favorite appliance some more without the guilt come meter-reading time? To compensate for what we could not live without is what I'm driving at, if not to save by limiting use of electricity all together.

If families eat together when it's meal time, then we don't have to constantly re-heat whenever a family member chooses to eat at his convenient time.

Imagine the impact this would have on a typical family of four or five and each one eats on his own. You would have to re-heat at least 3 times every day. How much electricity would that eat up in a month?

Aside from the money-saving benefits, you get to limit your carbon footprint too. Carbon footprint is what is left after energy is used up. It is what causes greenhouse gases to be trapped on the earth and alter our climate. This is why we have been having torrential downpours when we are still supposed to be enjoying the heat of summer. But more on carbon footprints in my next entry.