Your Questions About Save Energy Tips

adminsta answers:

You have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T. What kind of cutbacks can you make? For example: I drink bottled water. Paying $1 a bottle on something that covers over 65% of our planet is not smart. So I bought one of those water filters that screw into your faucet. I have bottles that I refil over and over again. This doesn’t take much time and you will reduce your carbon footprint as a bonus. Do you have a lot of small appliances around the house that are always on? Televisions, subwoofers, sterio equipment and microwaves use the most energy when they are left plugged into the outlet, even when they are turned off. Plug all your plugs from entertainment system into those 6 prong outlet plugs with the switch on them. When you are not using these items shut the switch off. I noticed a huge difference on my electric bill just by doing this. I also bought some of those florescent bulbs that look a lot like a regular bulb. These things use 80% less electricity than regular bulbs. Ave 60Watt incalescent bulb (old school) runs you 2 cents per hour. Ave 60Watt energy bulb averages 0.5 cents per hour. Wanna be creative? Find yourself leaving lights on? Buy a motion sensor switch, the lights will turn on when you enter the room and will turn off (by a set amount of time) when you leave the room. I have one, they cost $15 at HomeDepot. You would be surprised, but these small things add up. If you really need the money right away start cutting back on your food costs. Romain noodles cost a dime and they taste just as good as campbells chicken noodle that costs over $1 a can. Ok no chicken in romain noodles, but you are probably just missing about 4 tiny pieces of chicken. Adjust your toilet to use lesser water. If you don’t know how to do this then put a brick inside your toilet ‘chamber’. You will use a less water each time you flush, this adds up over time people. Before you know it you will be ahead. Need new windshield wipers for your car? Who says you have to buy 2? You only need the new one on the drivers side, leave the old wiper on the passenger side. Are you an impulsive buyer?? Listen here’s what you do……always save the receipt. Find a place to save all the boxes, packaging, etc. Try to get obsessed with folding all the packing materials, making them neat and tape the receipt onto the box/package. Make a game out of it. And get yourself into a new habit called “impulse returning” I once bought a shampoo rug cleaner to scrub my carpets. After I was done I didnt need it anymore so I returned it to the store. I like to think of it as free rental. So remember you have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T! Yours truly seahorsehawrey.

adminsta answers:

Keep your thermostat at 68 during the winter and 76 during the summer.

Better yet, install a programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature while you’re gone and/or while you’re sleeping at night (cooler during the winter, warmer during the summer).

Make sure your windows are all properly sealed. Your window coverings can also make a difference: Letting in more light during the daytime in the winter allows the sun to naturally warm the interior, causing the heater to go on less often. Conversely, at night one or two good layers of curtains(like sheers layered with thick opaque drapes) or a sturdy set of blinds will help create an insulating layer between your windows and the interior, preserving your home’s heat longer. In the summer, shades and thick curtains keep sunlight out, keeping the house cooler longer.

Consider landscaping. A strategically placed plant or tree (or two or three) will offer shade during the heat of summer and a windbreak during the chilly winter when the winds blow.

Replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs… You will use MUCH less energy and, during the summer, generate a lot less extra heat… You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll save… As a side note, I’ve also noticed that many newer homes in the town that I live in have been fitted with MULTIPLE light fixtures that hold MULTIPLE light bulbs… Which in some cases seems completely unnecessary. Granted there are usually one or two key locations where a fixture with multiple sockets is ideal (like a dining table)… But for EVERY fixture of the home??!?!?! Consider eventually replacing multi-socket light fixtures with single socket fixtures down the road (that can accomodate fluorescent bulbs).

Something as simple as washing with cold water, rather than warm/hot, can save tremendous amounts of energy over the long run… And detergents are starting to be formulated to offer effective cleaning, even for whites, in cold water.

I’ve also heard that many hardware places offer special insulating covers for water heaters now, in an endeavor to prevent radiant heat loss… Which means it kicks on less frequently to maintain its set temperature… And that brings me to my last idea: lower the temperature on your water heater (if it’s not already low). Don’t make it so that your water’s luke warm, but just lowering it a tiny amount can save a significant amount of energy.

Regarding unplugging appliances…. My understanding is that plugged-in appliances (except refrigerators) use miniscule amounts of energy… Such an inconsequential amount, that it hardly seems worth going through the trouble.

That having been said, if you DO have an extra refrigerator, even a mini fridge, consider getting rid of it (if you can live without it). My in-laws have a mini-fridge that they only plug in during family gatherings (for more cold storage space). Otherwise, they leave it unplugged. An extra refrigerator can add close to $30 a month extra in energy costs to your bill….

Hope even one of these ideas/pointers proves useful to you. Best of luck!

adminsta answers:

1. Use cfls (compact fluorescent bulbs) instead of incandescent bulbs. Read the packaging and labels. SCE and other utility companies are offering instant rebates as incentives for consumers to replace their inefficient incandescents. The energy companies in turn get government incentives and rebates for decreasing overall energy usage and increasing conservation. Though the upfront price of CFLs may be more than incandescents, you will save money over the long term in decreased energy costs and the life of the bulb. CFLs are brighter and consumer less wattage than incandescents and can last 7 times longer, saving money in replacing burnt out incandescents.
2. Drive slower and less aggressively. Optimal MPG is around 45 mph for most mid-size cars. Dump the extra cargo in your car/truck if you’re not using it (extra weight = higher fuel consumption). Ensure proper tire pressure. Under-inflated tires increases friction and therefore unnecessary fuel consumption as well as being unsafe.
3. Turn off/unplug ALL appliances you are not actively using. Even the empty phone charger you leave in the socket or the computers in sleep mode still consume energy. If it’s plugged in or even in “sleep/energy conserving” mode, it’s STILL consuming electricity (albeit at a lower rate than in normal mode).
4. Wash laundry loads in cold water and in full loads.
5. Turn off lights when you are not using them.
6. Lower your water heater temperature.
7. Set your thermostat according to when you are home and when you are not: sleep temperature, awake temp, away at work temp, return home from work temp, etc.
8. Think global and act local = minimize traveling away from home for anything: i.e. Grocery shopping, errands, work, commuting, etc.
9. Use public transportation.
10. Drive a hybrid or NGV. Better yet, bicycle in your neighborhood instead of driving.
11. “Tighten” your house so cold air doesn’t escape indoors during the summer and minimize cold air from getting in during the winter. (i.e. Door/window frames/jambs, HVAC ducts, garage, etc.)
12. Use rechargeable batteries.
13. Re-use, re-use, re-use.
14. Stop hoarding/using plastic bags. Use canvas ones for grocery shopping and eco-friendly bio-bags (corn based) for trash bags if you insist on using them.
15. Compost with worms.
16. Xeriscape. Plant native, drought resistant hardy plants. Lose the turf grass for mulch. Turf grass is a black hole for water use.
17. Reduce and recycle. Re-using is best as mentioned before.
18. Don’t use one time use plates, cups, etc. Stop using plastics unless you plan to use them forever over and over again.
19. Minimize travel away from home. Patronize local businesses for house repairs/work as opposed to gargantuan multi-national corporations.

adminsta answers:

Solar panels. GREAT INVESTMENT!

adminsta answers:

If your question is how to save money with ceiling fan, then the answer is to cut your AC thermostat up in the summer. The air movement makes you feel cooler at the higher temperature. The raising of the thermostat setting will, however, lower your power bill.

Reversing your ceiling fan’s air movement in the winter ( discharge toward the ceiling) at a lower fan speed, will push the hot air from the ceiling to the area where it warms the area requiring heat. This will allow you to set your thermostat just a bit lower, again saving energy costs.

TexMav

adminsta answers:

-turn the thermostat back 3 degrees.
-weather strip windows or even roll up a towel to block drafts
-buy a clothes rack(12$ at walmart) instead of using your dryer
-close vents to all rooms except one & make that your main living space
-wash clothes in cold only,always
-cut your shower in half

adminsta answers:

Here’s a guide to different ways to save money by adopting eco-friendly habits in your house. Good luck!

Http://www.mysears.com/Refrigerators–3925/guides/Keep-Your-Green-By-Going-Green-A-Room-by-Room-Guide-to-Making-Your-Home-Eco-Friendly