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How I shaved off ¥9,000 a month from our electricity bill

By on June 17, 2013

Tokyo summer is here again with many households cranking up their air conditioners to beat the heat.

Starting in September last year, TEPCO has been charging consumers 8.46% more on the use of power caused by the nuclear reaction shutdowns in Japan. So unlike previous summers, this year means record electricity consumption.

I had no idea how the rate increase was going to impact my family’s finances until our first bill arrived.

We did the math. We figure our bills will only cost us thousands of yen more in future if we don’t take steps to cut costs.  After some arm twisting, I was able to get my tweens and hubby to agree on new house rules – effective immediately.

Call it ‘penny pinching’ but being able to slash down 9,000 yen a month on power bill means the family has 108,000 yen more a year to spend elsewhere more important. Here’s what we did.

1.  We downsized our circuit breaker amp from 60 to 40

We called TEPCO’s customer center to have out breaker changed to a lower ampere, free of charge. TEPCO charges a fixed basic fee every month based on ampere size. That fee is separate from the actual consumption. The only downside to having a lower amperage means not being able to run two airconditioners, convection oven at the same time or the breaker goes off. 

2.  We switched off breaker in rooms not using power

We unplug all electric appliances from the wall (TV, humidifier, video, air conditioner, games, washing machine, desktop computers, oven, coffee maker) when not in use.

3.  We switched from desktop to laptop

Here’s the hardest habit to break – turning off the pc after use.  Depending on CPU load, habitually leaving the computer and home server on eats up power that could cost 2,000 yen a month. We gave our desktop a break because it was consuming twice as much power as a laptop. A laptop uses only 20-50W while desktop uses anywhere between 100 and 250 watts.

4.  We replaced our inefficient air conditioners

A less efficient AC unit costs more to run. We have three installed in our super sunny rooms in our apartment that take a while to cool even with full curtains. When everyone is at home most days in summer, all air conditioners are at work. Our power bill easily soared to 70-80% of our monthly average use in July and August. To pre-empt high energy charges in future, we invested in energy-efficient air conditioners that are not too big for the room and automatically switches off.

Setting your AC temperature to 24C degrees and putting it to timer at night can help you reduce your power bills by around 20%.

5.  We kept refrigerator door shut at all times

Our tweens have an annoying habit of opening the fridge for a long time wondering what snack to grab. That translates to a higher energy bill. No electric appliance uses more power at home than when fridge doors are left open for a long time.  The compressor has to work harder as it takes in warm air to get the cooling temperature back to its regulated state.

About Gayle Ishikawa