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conserve energy

Household

An Energy Saving Tip – Use Window Plastic

About this time every year I buy a roll of window plastic from Home Depot and cover the windows in my home. It doesn’t take very long to apply the plastic, and it helps to prevent cool drafts coming from our windows. Heating your home in the winter is expensive enough; there’s no point in letting your heat escape.

If you apply the plastic properly and then blow dry it, most, if not all of the creases will disappear and you will hardly even notice that the plastic is there. If this is your first time purchasing window plastic, I would recommend that you first measure your windows to ensure that you buy enough plastic to cover them. I prefer buying the large rolls as opposed to the smaller window kits, but it really depends on the size of your windows.

It’s also important to note that most often the window plastic is double-layered and all you need to use is a single layer on each window. Be sure to separate the layers and your window plastic will go twice as far.

Window plastic kits aren’t that expensive, and they are well worth your money if it means you will be able to save on your winter heating bills. When spring finally comes, simply remove the plastic and rip off the tape. So far, I have never had any trouble with the tape causing any damage as it is specifically designed for window frames.

If you buy the larger rolls, you may have enough plastic for next winter as well. Be sure to hang on to the leftovers as the plastic may come in handy for other tasks as well such as to cover furniture while painting, etc.

Stay tuned for more energy-saving and money-saving tips to get you through the winter.

November 5, 2009

Book Reviews

Discover Great Tips in The Home Energy Diet

The Home Energy Diet: How to Save Money by Making Your House Energy Smart by Paul Scheckel

Paul Scheckel wrote The Home Energy Diet and he is obviously a firm believer in what he is talking about. He drives a car powered by vegetable oil and lives in a solar-powered home among other things. His book contains some really great information on how to make your home more energy efficient. The book includes all kinds of graphs and charts to explain energy consumption and he provides explanations that are easy to understand.

Paul provides great tips on using the appliances around your home to maximize energy efficiency. He answers frequently asked questions such as whether it’s more energy efficient to wash your dishes by hand or use a dishwasher. According to the book, a study was conducted at a university in Germany. Volunteers washing dirty dishes in a sink used an average of 27 gallons of water and 2.5kWh of water-heating energy to wash a 12-place dinner setting. A dishwasher handling the same number of dirty dishes used only 4 gallons of water and about 1.5kWh of electrical energy. After all the dishes were washed, about half of the dishes washed by the volunteers were still dirty whereas the dishes that were washed in the dishwasher were clean.

For more interesting facts about energy efficiency around your home, check out The Home Energy Diet and do your part in making your home power smart.

September 20, 2009

Book Reviews

Cut Your Energy Bills Now – A Book That Will Save You Money

Cut Your Energy Bills Now: : 150 Smart Ways to Save Money and Make Your Home More Comfortable and Green by Bruce Harley

Cut Your Energy Bills Now is full of easy and practical ways to make your home energy efficient. The author provides tips on insulating your home, fixing leaks, taking care of your water heater, how to improve your lighting, and much more. It is full of illustrations and simple instructions so anyone can make these improvements with little time or hassle. The author also provides good explanations for each suggestion and discusses the impact on your home, your energy bills, and the environment.

If you live in a hot climate where you rely on air conditioning to make your home bearable, I would recommend reading the section on big appliances. There is also some great information for those with swimming pools or spas.

You might be surprised by some of the myths that are busted throughout the book as well as at the amount of money that can be saved by having an energy-efficient home. You will likely find that your home becomes more comfortable as you make it more energy efficient.

Here are some interesting tidbits found in the book to get you thinking:

1. Heating an aquarium can cost a lot more than the price of the fish – $100 to $300 per year. Select fish species that don’t require heated water.

2. Ceiling fans actually generate heat so only turn them on when you are in the room.

3. When you buy a new fridge or freezer, don’t keep the old one running in the garage or basement. If you do need the extra capacity, consider buying another energy efficient one instead. You will save tons of energy and money,

4. Screen savers on desktops use a lot of energy and can cost you up to $100 per year. Instead, simply turn off your monitor when you aren’t using the computer.

5. Insulate your water heater with a tank wrap and insulate your water pipes.

6. Refrigerators use the most energy of all household appliances and freezers use just slightly less.

August 1, 2009

Money Saving Tips

Use A Programmable Thermostat

I highly recommend buying a programmable thermostat, as it will pay for itself in less than 2 months. These devices will save you a lot of money in both the winter and the summer. The first winter we spent in our home we decided not to buy one because we thought we wouldn’t save that much money and it might be complicated or time consuming to program. During the coldest winter months our heating bill was about $140 to $160. Our second winter, however, we decided to try out the programmable thermostat to see if it would work better for us. We bought a Honeywell thermostat that you can program for each day of the week. It turned out to be simple to install and easy to program, and we paid about $30 less per month, so the device more than paid for itself. Programmable thermostats can also be beneficial in the hot summer months as you can use them to program your air conditioning. I look forward to seeing how it works for us this summer. Programmable thermostats are great gadgets that conserve energy and lower heating and cooling costs. I think using one is a super way for us to do our part and “go green”. You know you’re doing something right when you can save money and be environmentally friendly at the same time.

May 19, 2009