How I Crush My #OhmHours When My Home Is Already Energy Efficient

My Home Energy Profile

• My boyfriend and I live in a two bedroom apartment in San Francisco.  
• We have all energy star appliances and LED lights, don’t have air conditioning or a microwave, and are away from home during the day and sometimes get home late.  
• As a result, our #OhmHour baseline tends to be below 0.3 kWh and is often around 0.04.

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My General #OhmHour Strategy

We started off by making sure we are not running our washer dryer or dishwasher during #OhmHours and charging and unplugging devices with batteries, like laptops and phone.  

Next we started using smartplugs for our appliances that draw energy in standby mode and our device charging station to automate savings when #OhmHours happen when we are away from home.  By setting these on schedules for when we are asleep or on vacation we have also lowered our already low energy bill.

I keep a small set of devices charged in a kitchen drawer so we're always ready after dark:  my camping headlamps, a usb backup battery for my phone, wireless headphones and speaker for entertainment.

If we can be home near the start of #OhmHours we sometimes shut the circuit breaker off.  That helps us maintain our platinum status and streak when we have a particularly low baseline.

Since we usually know about #OhmHours a day in advance we sometimes plan to be away from home during that time, eat dinner later, do candle light yoga or read during that time.

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My Toughest #OhmHour Challenge: Hosting Book Club During a 2-Hour #OhmHour

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I once had an #OhmHour scheduled for when I was hosting book club.  I didn’t want to loose my streak or status, so I made sure I had enough ice for beverages the night before, prepped and laid out food and drinks right before it started, lit a few candles throughout the living room, kitchen, hall, and bathroom, opened all the windows, and shut off the circuit breaker.

It made for a fun topic of conversation and I made $80 on referrals that night!

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My Biggest #OhmHour Fail

During our first big summer #OhmHour we unplugged everything besides the fridge, prepared a picnic and headed out to the park.  Unfortunately by refilling our ice cube trays and letting warm air into the fridge and freezer right before the #OhmHour they ended up having to work harder during the #OhmHour, resulting in us exceeding our baseline use and killing our hard earned streak.

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Related Posts:

• Cash Out Your OhmConnect Points as Target or Amazon Gift Cards
• How I Crush My #OhmHours When My Home Is A One-Bedroom Apartment
• What Are These OhmConnect “Power-up Cards” I Keep Hearing About?
• Never Break Your Streak Again: Our Best Tips For How To Succeed At Even The Most Inconvenient of #OhmHours
• These Devices Mean You Can Crush Your #OhmHours Without Lifting A Finger

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