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Astonishingly, Americans generally spend $1600 or more a year on their utility bills. Not only is much of this wasted energy, but more carbon dioxide is emitted into the air from one home than two average cars. The following tips will help you save energy costs both at home and in the car.
*Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system.
* Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
* Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
* Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
* Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
* Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
* Take short showers instead of baths.
* Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
* Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline.
* Look for the ENERGY STAR label on home appliances and products. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy.
Energy Auditing Tips:
* Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors, and crawl spaces.
* Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.
* Check for open fireplace dampers.
* Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling systems are properly maintained. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended maintenance.
* Study your family’s lighting needs and use patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen, and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls - like occupancy sensors, dimmers, or timers - to reduce lighting energy use, and replace standard light bulbs and fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.
Insulation Tips
* Consider factors such as your climate, building design, and budget when selecting insulation R-values for your home.
* Use higher density insulation, such as rigid foam boards, in cathedral ceilings and on exterior walls.
* Ventilation plays a large role in providing moisture control and reducing summer cooling bills. Attic vents can be installed along the entire ceiling cavity to help ensure proper airflow.
* Recessed light fixtures can be a major source of heat loss, but you need to be careful how close you place insulation next to a fixture unless it is marked IC.
These tips, and more, are provided to you in a larger PDF file by the US Department of Energy.
Filed under Home by miniwash
It is more important than ever to save energy. The cost of energy is on the rise while the economy is at a new low. Fortunately, some changes around the house can mean savings on the monthly electric bill. Remember, the more you change, the more you save.
In the average home, more than half of the energy used is for heating and cooling. A few simple steps can make your home more efficient in this area.
It is important to make sure heating and cooling systems are properly maintained and insulated.
Choose a programmable thermostat if possible so that the temperature can be set according to your schedule. Keep it set at a reasonable temperature, as close as possible to the outdoor temperature without being uncomfortable.
Never place a lamp or television near the thermostat. It will sense the heat given off by these items and not run efficiently.
If you don’t have ceiling fans, consider installing them. They keep the air circulating and allow the air conditioner to work more efficiently. When ceiling fans are operating, you should be able to raise the thermostat 4 degrees with no discomfort.
Last, get a home energy audit. Most energy companies offer them and you will be made aware of any leaks, bad insulation, and appliances that may need to be replaced.
Appliances and home electronics account for about 20% of the average household energy bill. Cutting energy in this area requires just a few changes in habits.
Some appliances such as televisions, computers, etc. continue to draw electricity even when they turned off. Plug your electronics into a power strip and just turn off the power strip when the items are not in use.
Laptops use less electricity than desktops. Screen savers don’t save energy. Choose sleep mode instead, or better yet, turn your computer off when it’s not in use.
Always wash and dry full loads of laundry. Keep towels and heavier items in separate loads from light weight items. Clean the lint filter on your dryer after every load and don’t run the dryer longer than necessary. Or, if you’re willing to go the extra mile, line dry your clothes.
Run your dishwasher only for the wash cycle. Then, open the door and let your dishes air dry.
Replace traditional light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs. They use a quarter of the energy and last ten times longer.
Take advantage of daylight. Let in the sunshine instead of turning on the lights.
Dimmers, timers, and motion or occupancy sensors can also help cut lighting costs.
When replacing old out of date appliances, look for those that have earned an Energy Star rating. This means they have met strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Department of Energy and the EPA. The Energy Star rating is not just for appliances. Heating and cooling systems, windows, even entire homes can be Energy Star rated if they meet the requirements.
Willing to go even further to save energy? Demand for energy is only going to rise. So is the cost for the consumer. There are alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, but they are not used to their full advantage. Find out more
Filed under Home by miniwash
In this article we will cover some easy and simple things you can do to save energy and help reduce your monthly energy bill. Think Green!
Green Investments:
A good place to start is with your light bulbs. If you’re still using incandescent bulbs, you should switch to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs or regular fluorescent bulbs. Many cities in the United States have an exchange program, where your city will replace your incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs -at no cost.
Green Power Save gadget:
This handy gadget will help to monitor the supply of power to your home and regulate the usage. It will use the minimum needed to supply all your power needs.
Green Usage:
The first thing you need to do is become aware of the extra energy your using. When you go to another room, be sure to turn of the lights. Even if you are gone for only a few minutes, this will help to get yourself trained to continually turn off unneeded appliances.
Your Green Perception:
What do you perceive as an electronic appliance? Would you turn off a TV or a
radio, but not the reading lamp? These small and simple tasks will help in a huge
way to reduce your energy usage.
Green Appliance Usage:
If we start thinking green when it comes to using our major home appliances, we can eliminate the myth that the more gadgets we have, the higher our power bills will be. Some of the typical high energy usage appliances include:
Washer and Dryer- Try do laundry only when you have full loads, and if possible, try switching to a gas dryer.
Water Heater- Set the water heater to be on the minimum amount of time, and if possible, switch to a tankless water heater.
You might think that purchasing these new appliances defeats the purpose of saving money on your energy bill. However, you will find, most of the time, that you will get an energy credit on your taxes for making this purchase, and saving energy in the long term.
Heater & Air Conditioner- By setting these appliances to only the minimum amount required to be comfortable, you can greatly reduce the energy they use.
Computer- By turning off your computer monitor when you take a break can make a huge difference. It only takes a second to turn it back on… think of it as a light bulb.
You must stick to this energy saving lifestyle to reduce your energy bills and help save the world. We need to stop thinking about ourselves, and think of the next generations to come!
Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill.
Get our complete guide at Earth4Energy
Do your part to provide a environmentally safe future for the next generation! Peace
Filed under Home by miniwash
With rising energy costs and depleting fossil fuels becoming more apparent, as well as the increased impact of global warming, many people are starting to look for ways to reduce energy usage. While some things, such as turning off appliances when not in use, are standard knowledge, there are many things consumers can do that may not be apparent to them. Today we will look at some of the various ways to conserve energy within the home.
In addition to adding proper insulation to your home, there is much you can do to increase your energy efficiency. One small and inexpensive step that consumers can take is to replace carbon filament light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They fit into existing sockets and generate equivalent light while generating only a fraction of the electricity. Caulking or weather stripping around doors and windows is another excellent way to reduce energy use. In many homes, especially older homes, a great deal of heat or cool air is generated in an attempt to compensate for air entering the home through drafty windows and doors. By preventing this airflow, you greatly reduce your energy use.
When it comes to heating and cooling devices, the use of an energy efficient model is the best way to save on energy use. Taking care to not overheat or overcool your home is another excellent energy saver. Keeping your thermostat at 68 degrees during the day and 55 at night is the median temperature for winter energy efficiency, and the median summer temperature is 78 degrees in summer. By replacing the air filters as needed in your heating and cooling system, you can also raise energy efficiency by as much as five percent.
The purchase and use of energy saving appliances is highly recommended for all homeowners and renters, as these appliances can use less than half of the energy needed by older models. Other ways to save money on appliance usage include such things as washing clothes on the cold or warm cycle rather than using hot water. Heating water is one of the biggest users of energy within a home. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater and wrap it in an insulating jacket. This simple change can save significant amounts of energy.
In truth, there are many ways to conserve energy from within your home. The two most important things to do are to block outside air from entering your home and to turn off appliances when they are not in use. These two things result in large amounts of wasted energy annually. When combined with energy efficient appliances and appliance settings designed to use minimal energy, you can significantly lower both your environmental impact and your energy costs. Following these tips can reduce your annual carbon dioxide emissions by thousands of pounds, which makes a significant change for the better in the environment. As more people begin to take these steps, we can begin to truly move forward in our fight against global warming.
Renewable Energy Today is devoted to providing individuals with up-to-date information and resources on renewable energy and sustainability. Through articles, videos and other content, you can learn how to implement renewable energy in your home as well as what the government is doing to help the environment.
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The power bill… ugh. Every month or two you are greeted with this nasty little bugger. If you are like me and your enormous power bills have you overwhelmed, there are some steps you can take that are very effective and quite simple and can reduce or eliminate your monthly costs.
This article will give you some simple things that are easy to do, and they’ll reduce your power bill right away.
Limited use: Begin with the room you’re in right now. If you headed to the dining room to eat with your family or went to the phone in another room, would you just leave this room without thinking about the electrical appliances there? If so, stop and look around you. Turn off every appliance, even if you’re coming back in a few minutes. Yes, just that small step will help. Every water drop contributes to the ocean.
Another thing to pay attention to is what constitutes an electronic appliance. Would you turn off the fan and the TV, but leave the light on? You need light, of course, but not when you leave the room. Taking care of little things like this really makes a difference on your power bill. If you have a forced air HVAC system and a basement you can turn off the air conditioning and turn on the furnace fan (usually a setting on the digital thermostat or a button in the furnace itself). This can cycle the cooler basement air to the upper levels of the house. You can also seal off the cold air returns on the upper levels of the house to force the unit to pull primarily from the cooler basement air and distribute it throughout the house.
Smart investments: Replace any incandescent bulbs with CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. These bulbs are a perfect investment to save power.
Buy a Power Save unit. This gadget monitors your power supply as it comes into your house, and uses only the minimum required.
Home appliance usage: It’s common to complain about sky-high electricity bills due to the amount of electrical appliances we have. But your electricity bill isn’t proportional to how many appliances you have, just how you use them. Let’s look at how to avoid typical power-wasters.
Adjust your fridge to be slightly less cool and if you have a deep freezer consider buying less frozen food in bulk and using the fridge freezer only (save about $30/month). Only use your washing machine if you have a full load to wash, and use a clothes line rather than a dryer. Turn you computer monitor off at night. Unplug appliances when not in use as all electrical devices still draw power, even when not in use. Unplug toasters, toaster ovens, rice makers, blenders,un-used tvs, etc. Use the plastic barriers that are taped over windows that are not often used. I did this last winter for the first time and I am still amazed at the amount of air that was coming through the patio doors and a couple of windows. Check the weather stripping around exterior doors. If they leak spend a few dollars and replace them. Here is another one that shocked me. Some windows were very drafty due to dried caulking. So spend a couple of dollars and re-caulk around exterior window frames and inside in the cracks between the window trim and frame. Check all receptacle outlets on exterior walls (and interior walls on older homes as you would be amazed at where a serious draft can be hiding) for drafts with a lighter. There are inexpensive foam insulation kits that can be purchased at any hardware store just for this use. If you have a fireplace make certain that it is closed tight and check for drafts. If it is still sucking heat out of you house then stuff insulation up inside, but make certain to remove it before lighting a fire! Open curtains in the winder to let in the sun’s heat and close them in the summer. Yes, you need to keep doing these strategies to save power, for you and the whole world. If you have an attic it is likely a cooker in the summer. If you have fans, vents, windows, etc. that lets the heat escape you can improve the air flow by opening the attic hatch or ladder and your door to your basement if you have one. Since hot air rises the hot air exiting the attic vents will draw the cooler air up into the house by giving the attic a supply of air to allow movement. Remember, cutting down your electricity bill saves power, and therefore helps the people of the world have power for the future.
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Filed under Home by miniwash
With concerns about global climate change and rising energy costs, saving electricity is a big deal. Most people are trying to find ways to reduce their energy consumption without significantly changing their lifestyles. Fortunately, there are a lot of simple steps that can be taken to use less energy. Here are just a few ways to reduce your power consumption and your global footprint.
The biggest culprit in most homes when it comes to excess energy use is the heating and cooling system. Out of date furnaces and air conditioners use more electricity than they should. Replacing them with more efficient models can make a big difference. If you can’t replace your heating and cooling appliances, be sure to have them services regularly and keep filters clean.
If you’ve got an efficient heating and cooling system, keeping that comfortable air from escaping is your next job. Drafts, leaks, and cracks in your home can let heat enter and leave your home when you’d prefer it didn’t. Try holding a lit stick of incense or a candle next to windows and doors to detect leaks. If the smoke or flame moves erratically, you may need to seal the area. Check the attic, too.
Turn the thermostat up a few degrees in the summer and down in the winter. You could save as much as ten percent for a change of five degrees. Most people don’t even notice a small change in temperature. Use fans to move air throughout the home in the summer, and you won’t have to sacrifice comfort for energy savings.
How long have you had your appliances? Refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and other major appliances may be big energy hogs. Now that Energy Star rate appliances are available, consider replacing your old ones with new, more efficient models. Be sure to dispose of your old ones responsibly, though.
Turn down the temperature on your water heater. Most water heaters are set above the recommended temperature of 120 degrees. By turning them down, you’ll save money and reduce the risk of burns. This is an especially big concern if you have young children.
Turn off your computer and other electronics when they’re not in use. Keeping them on doesn’t actually make them last longer, and it can cost you a lot of money over time. If you have electronics with Energy Star features, make sure they’re enabled, or you won’t see the benefits.
Replace light bulbs with new compact fluorescents. These are a little more expensive per bulb, but use a lot less electricity and last a lot longer, so in the end, they’ll cost you less. When disposing of compact fluorescent bulbs, be sure to take appropriate measures, as all fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury.
Find out how to earn an income by teaching others how to inform people about reducing their utility bills at: Ignite and Stream Electric and explore the possibilities that energy de-regulation has created.
Filed under Home by miniwash