happy at home

ENERGY REDUCTION CHALLENGE, ONE MONTH IN

Our power bill came today and I was soooo excited. It was a little weird to be excited about a bill, but I couldn't wait to see how my energy-reduction attempts had gone over. Our energy usage from Oct. 2007 was 1456 KW, and I was trying to cut that in half in November. Also, our usage in Nov. 2006 was also about 1450 KW, so I felt like I had a good idea of what a normal power bill for our house at this time of year was. Well, my first month of the (self-imposed) challenge wasn't a smashing success, but it wasn't a failure either.
Our usage for November was 1049 KW, or a reduction from last month and Nov. of last year of about 33%. Our bill was $95, down from $127 last month/last year, for a savings of $35+. Add that to my monthly grocery savings of $200, and I am saving about $235 a month, just by being more conscious of our choices and excess. I had no idea I was so wasteful!

I don't think I will be able to cut as much energy use this month without some creative ideas. With Christmas lights and colder weather, our energy use is bound to go up. Last month, we used the heat/air almost none (and kept it turned down to about 63 degrees), used the dryer less (more clothesline), turned off lights when we weren't in the room, and unplugged things that weren't being used, such as chargers.

So now I am curious...do you have any ideas you can share with me to further reduce our energy use this month? Maybe there are some things I haven't thought of. Please let me know! I really want to at least match last month's use, if not beat it.
Also, can you think of other areas that I could challenge myself to make cuts? I have enjoyed pushing myself to find new ways to reduce our output, save money, re-examine our lifestyle, etc. I would love to find more! It is so fun to "find" money! If you have any suggestions for either, please tell me!