Two months in a row, my electric bill went down. Now that’s almost fascinating, especially since it’s autumn and the electric bill usually goes up this time of the year.
My little electric company (Tanner Electric, a utility co-op, which is unheard of to most people in metropolitan areas across the country) has been consistently increasing rates since we moved into its coverage zone 13+ years ago. Our bills have almost tripled since we started getting bills from Tanner.
But then something weird happened two bills ago. The last two electric bills have been about $10 less than the previous months’ bills. I thought it was strange but couldn’t do the math. (I admit I’m a writer and not a mathematician.) I didn’t think we were doing anything different to cause this bonus in our pocket.
It Was the Iron
And then this morning I looked at our ironing board. It was quiet, lonely, and unappreciated, and it triggered something in my head. Aha! It was the iron! My husband stopped using the iron two months ago when he changed jobs. He no longer has to wear nicely pressed shirts. Wash-and-wear is all he needs now.
I almost couldn’t believe it myself. Not turning on our Rowenta has put a little green back into our pockets. When I reflect on all the years that we used the iron, whenever the iron would kick on, the lights would dim. I didn’t realize how much of an energy sucker our Rowenta was.
Do you really need your clothes pressed? If I’m doing my math right, a few wrinkles in your clothes could save you about $120 a year!
Our Rowenta might just get a new life as a paperweight.
lucygreenclean 