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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

I Am Such a Reliant Geek


I recently changed from my previous electricity provider to Reliant Energy. I love this company. I have lived in my house since 2000 and have done more energy conservation in that last few months based on Reliant's weekly emails by following its tips therein than in the years previous combined. Go green!

Over the last week, I've staged my different electricity needs to fall on separate days so I could see the impact of each, again per a tool within Reliant's weekly emails. They always come with a graph (noting noontime each day) comparing this week's usage to the prior seven days. It's wonderful. Plus our high/low temps are given. Totally brilliant.

And they weekly estimate your monthly bill based on your current usage. Talk about a boon for us freelancers. Plus they "energy compare" my home to others in my area and also to truly efficient homes. Since becoming a Reliant customer, I am now not as efficient as some, but better than my area. I used to exceed the KWH usage of both groups. Thus I'm making improvements overall. Some of that may be blamed on my old HVAC system, recently replaced as well.

So what did I learn about my dishwasher, oven and dryer? First, my electric dryer sucks the most energy as proven on two nonconsecutive days. I'll call it a 7.5 on the 010 scale (but only as comparing this trio of appliances). Second, my dishwasher pulls only about 2.5. Third, my oven pulls ~2.5, whether roasting a chicken over 105 minutes or reheating the meal in about 30 minutes (both times include the 15 minutes of preheating).

Based on this test, I'll be first air drying a lot of my clothes and towels and such before throwing them in the dryer. If my washing machine was working (spinning dry the clothes first), then my drying time would be less. Still I can work with this data.

Did I say how much I love Reliant? Besides saving me money per KWH, they just have a mind-set that works with mine. They seem to be truly out to help us and our planet.

Note: I don't get paid or otherwise compensated for my posts regarding Reliant and other such companies (like Aldi's) which I happen to enjoy and use. Just like to share the good news with others.


"If your vocation isn’t a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)



What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don’t give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra

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