More Ways Restaurants Can Save Money on Electricity

Though not everybody has access to a contraption like the Vegawatt just yet, there are many ways for restaurants to save on electricity. Especially true in state's like Texas where deregulation makes it possible to switch electricity providers to find a better rate, a recent article struck me as good advice for restaurant owners looking for a bit of relief from high utility bills. It never hurts to call your current electricity company and see if you can switch to a Time-of-Use service rate. Not every company offers said program, but it gives customers like you with high electricity usage the ability to control your bill by shifting use to mid-peak and off-peak periods. Food for thought nonetheless, and you can always shop around for a lower fixed rate to lock in your low price and avoid price spikes if the Time-of-Use program is not available in your area.

Here is the article:
Operator’s Corner: Are you on the most economical electric rate?

Eco-Friendly New Year's Resolutions

I don't know about you guys but I really need to be more green. I mean sure, I take advantage of my neighborhood curb recycling program but I know there's more I can do. So for my New Year's resolution I'm making a list of all the things I can do to be more Eco-friendly in 2009.

Being green for the new year. Here are my ideas:

• Stop buying bottled water and use a water filter syster that attaches to my faucet.
• Look into using clean energy for my home.
• Purchase some renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset my carbon footprint.
• Start using a power strip for my electronics so I can turn the power switch off and avoid wasting energy.
• Buy cotton grocery bags so I can reuse them instead of the paper or plastic bags at the market.
• Learn to ride the bus or carpool to work at least 3 days a week.

Do you guys have any other green ideas I can incoorporate into my 2009 plan? Please leave me a comment.

Happy Holidays from WhiteFence

Everyone here at WhiteFence wants to wish our loyal readers a very Happy Holiday season!

We hope your:

• Table is filled with yummy food and desserts. Mmmm turkey and stuffing, or tofurky if you're veggie and pumpkin pie, no wait, apple pie, or any pie you like.
• Holidays are filled with friends and family. The more the merrier!
• House is warm and cozy with the power of natural gas.
• Holiday lights are nice and bright and humming with electricity.
• Home phone is connected so you're able to contact friends and family that are far and near.
• TV services like cable or satellite are working perfectly so you can enjoy your favorite holiday shows.
• Pocket book isn't empty from buying presents. But if you spent too much, just click on over to WhiteFence and enter in your address to shop and compare rates to find a lower rate on your home phone, Internet, utilities and more and begin saving money in the new year!

Reliant Puts the Cost of Electricity in the Palm of Your Hands

Have you ever been slapped with a $300 electric bill and wondered how you could have possibly used that much electricity? What if you could tell how much electricity you were using at any given time of the day? Would you change your habits to lower your bill?

Reliant has recently set up a house in Houston, Texas to test their new communication device called Insight. It is a new handheld product that communicates wirelessly to the utility meter and updates information every 10 seconds.

Insight will display the dollar amount of what you're spending per hour and how much the bill is so far. From there you can calculate how much your bill will be if you keep spending the same amount. This can truly help you manage your usage. I mean if I knew it would cost me $8 an hour to use the dishwasher at 2 pm as opposed to $1 an hour at 8 pm, well I would certainly be doing the dishes after dinner.

To read more about Reliant and their new Insight device, you have to read the article A House That Thinks.

Have a Green Thanksgiving Holiday

Yea! Turkey, family, friends and pie — oh my! I do hope all of you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, but just because it's a holiday doesn't mean I don't have some green tips for you.

I know that energy conservation and being green is hard to keep in mind when your house is filled with relatives, there's food to prepare, kids to corral and merriment to be had, but it has to be done, for the sake of our planet. Um.. yeah, no pressure.

Don't worry it's easy. You can do simple things like carpooling with relatives or friends when going to Thanksgiving dinner, bring your own re-usable plastic containers for leftovers instead of using foil or making no bake dishes so the only energy being used is the whirling power of the spatula in your hand.

For more easy green holiday tips read Don't Let Thanksgiving Ruin Your Carbon Diet.

Cutting Back this Christmas Season

Don't feel bad — you are not the only one out there pinching pennies. According to Consumer Reports, consumer spending is down significantly. The article Americans look forward to a happy, but less plentiful, holiday season states that, "With the economy in a shambles, 76 percent of those surveyed say they’ll cut back this season. Specifically, they’ll buy fewer gifts; travel, entertain, and tip less; send fewer greeting cards; and scale back on charitable donations."

Are you in the same boat? Let us know what you'll be cutting back this holiday season...and if you've found ways that can help others save a little too.

Saving Money Doesn't Necessarily Mean Spending Money

Thought I would impart a quick tip on a relatively easy way to save money without having to... well spend a bunch of money. If you're like many Americans suffocated by credit card debt, there are two simple and immediate solutions that can save you money.

First, contact your current credit card company and negotiate an interest rate decrease. Be prepared to do some leg work and don't give up easily without speaking to a supervisor first. Faced with the possibility of losing your business to a lower interest credit card, credit card companies will be more inclined to listen.

If resistant, then consider transferring your higher rate balances to a new card with a low intro APR. This will allow you to focus on making small, manageable payments every month without being sucked into the vacuum of finance charges. According to an article from MSNBC, it's entirely possible to save up to $730 if you transfer a $2,000 balance from an 18-percent card to an 8.25-percent card and then pay off your balance at a rate of $50 a month. Now the math is a rough estimate that could change depending on many variables, but it does illustrate that a low interest rate credit card goes a long way in helping shed some of that pesky credit card debt and save money in the process.