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Cut Your Electric Bill

June 21st, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

It takes both natural gas and coal to make electricity.  Both of these resources have seen a dramatic increase in price in the last year which unfortunately means that electricity prices are also increasing.  It is anticipated that electricity costs will increase an additional 9.5% in 2009.  Here are just a few tips to help cut your electric bill.

Replace Light Bulbs:
Incandescent light bulbs are energy hogs and you need to replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).  Your initial cost for CFLs will be higher at $2.00 to $5.00 per bulb as compared to $1.00 to $2.00 for incandescent light bulbs, but CFLs are far more efficient.  Initially, CFLs cast a harsh bluish type light, but the technology has improved in recent years.  There is now a wide variety of CFL bulbs to choose from.

Unplug and Turn Off:
Another excellent way to cut your electric bill is to unplug all those electronic gadgets that you don’t use every day.  Standby energy use accounts for 5% to 10% of all home energy consumption and will cost the average household approximately $125.00 per year.  There are some items in your house that are just too annoying to unplug all the time, such as the microwave, kitchen appliances, and TVs.  You can plug these items into a power strip and then switch off the power strip before you leave the house each day before work.  You can also save approximately $75.00 a year simply by shutting off your computer every night.

Buy Energy Efficient Appliances:
If you are shopping for a household appliance, look for the Energy Star.  Buying appliances that meet the Energy Star criteria can save you up to $400 a year.  Refrigerators are the biggest energy guzzling appliance in your house, so if your refrigerator has been around since the early 1990’s, then it is time to replace the appliance.  If you can’t afford to replace you refrigerator right now, keeping the coils clean can increase the efficiency by 30%.

By taking just a few simple steps will help you cut your electric bill by hundreds of dollars each year.

Energy Star Windows

May 5th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have developed an Energy Star designation for products that meet certain energy savings performance criteria in various climates.  This designation allows energy efficient products to be produced and recommended for commercial and individual home owners.

The Energy Star Windows program is a partnership between the window industry and the U.S. Department of Energy to introduce and sell energy efficient windows, doors and skylights and is an excellent opportunity for homeowners to review their options for replacing their existing windows with energy efficient windows.  Windows that carry the Energy Star seal have been approved to help reduce cooling and heating costs while also reducing pollution.

In colder climates where there is a longer heating season, windows have represented a major source of unwanted heat loss, discomfort, and condensation problems.  Because of recent technology developments, it is now possible to install Energy Star windows that will minimize heat loss and air leakage.  In colder climates, upgraded your windows to more energy efficient windows will reduce your overall heating expense as well as increase your comfort level inside your home.

In hotter climates where your main concern is keeping cool, in the past windows have represented a major source of unwanted heat gain.  Energy Star windows will reduce solar heat gain and also improve the comfort level in your home while providing clear views and daylight.  Replacing your old windows with Energy Star windows means that you can have sunshine and daylight without great energy penalties, although it is recommended that shading techniques remain important.

Water Heating Energy Saving Tips

March 18th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Water heating is typically the third largest energy expense in your home. It usually accounts for approximately 13% of your utility bill. There are basically four ways that you can cut your water heating bills; use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, unsulate your water heater, or buy a new, more efficient model.

• Water Heating Energy Saving Tips:
  Install low-flow faucets and showerheads
• Repair leaky faucets; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time
• Lower the thermostat on your water heater; a setting of 120F provides a comfortable hot water temperature for most uses
• Take showers instead of baths; a shower will use less hot water than a bath
• Insulate your electric hot water heater with a water heater insulation blanket
• Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater
• Drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every 3 months to remove any sediment that has built up; this sediment will lower the efficiency of your heater

If you use electricity to heat your water, have high electric rates and have an unshaded, south facing location (such as the roof) on your property, you might want to consider installing a solar water heater. The solar water heating units are environmentally friendly and can now be installed on your roof to blend with the architecture of your house.

Solar Panels For Your House

January 8th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

You are probably familiar with calculators that have solar cells.  These calculators don’t have batteries and appear to work forever as long as they have enough light to keep them generated.  Maybe you’ve seen larger solar panels on emergency road signs or call boxes, or even in parking lots to power lights.  Although these larger panels aren’t as common as solar powered calculators, they are out there.

Solar panels are instruments or devices that convert light into electricity.  The devices are called solar panels because the most powerful source of light is the Sun.  A solar panel is a collection of solar cells.  Lots of small cells spread over a large area can work together to provide power or electricity.  The more light that hits a cell, the more electricity it produces.  On a bright, sunny day, the sun shines approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet’s surface, and if that energy could be collected we could easily power our homes and offices for free.

Being able to provide electricity to your house isn’t as simple as just slapping some solar panel modules on your roof, but it’s not extremely difficult either.  Not every roof has the correct orientation or angle of inclination to take advantage of the sun’s energy.  If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the solar panels should point toward true south.  They need to be angled to absorb the maximum amount of energy year round.  The solar panels should never be shaded by nearby trees or building, no matter the time of day or the time of year.

If you have a house with an unshaded, south facing roof, you will need to decide the size of the system that will work best for you.  You will need to store the energy that you capture on sunny days in batteries so that you can have electricity on cloudy days.  This will be an additional expense and may require some maintenance.  One way around this problem is to connect your house to the utility gird, buying power when you need it and selling power to the utility company when you product more than you need for your house.  Using this method, the utility company acts as a storage system.

While it’s true that sunlight is free, the electricity generated by solar panel system is not.  You have the cost of the hardware to set up the system and you also have the maintenance on the panels as well as the batteries, if that is how you are storing the power.  Costs are coming down as more research is being done.  Demand for more environmental friendly methods of producing electricity are making solar panels for your house an attractive alternative to conventional energy.

Basic Energy Saving Tips

November 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Energy Saving Tip #1:
Maintain Your Heating System:

• Have a qualified technician service your heating system
   once a year to help improve the overall system’s efficiency.
• Clean and/or replace your furnance filter once a month during winter when you are using the system.
• If your heating system is old, you might want to consider replacing it with a newer, more efficient system.  You could save between 15% to 24% on heating costs.

Energy Saving Tip #2:
Turn Down Your Thermostat:

• Turning down your thermostat by 10% to 15% for eight or more hours a day will save you 10% per year on your energy costs.
• Set your thermostat between 65 degrees F and 70 degrees F during the winter.  If you have elderly people or children in your home, you will need to set your thermostat
  to a warmer temperature.
• Purchase a programmable thermostat for greater temperature control.

Energy Saving Tip #3:
Make Windows Work For You:

• Open drapes and blinds on sunny days to let in the sun’s warmth.
• Close draperies and blinds at night to insulate against cold air.
• Install storm windows during the winter season when you are using your heat.

Energy Saving Tip #4:
Stop Drafts and Air Leaks:

• Use caulking and weatherstripping to seal leaks when you are winterizing your house.
• Be sure the attic and basement have recommended levels of insulation.
• Adding extra insulation
  can help youu reduce energy use and save on your future fuel bills.

Energy Saving Tip #5:
Keep Warm in Winter:

• Warm air rises, so use heat registers to direct warm airflow across the floor.
• Keep hot and cold air heat registers free of dust and do not block them with carpet or furniture.

Energy Saving Tip #6:
Showerhead/Faucets:

• Install water flow restrictors in showerheads and faucets.
• Repair leaking faucets. A leak that fills a coffee cup in 10 minutes wastes 3,280 gallons of water a year.

Energy Saving Tip #7:
Washer/Dryer:

• Run washing machines and clothes dryers with full loads only.
• Consider washing with cold water.
• Replace old, outdated appliances with high efficiency models.

Cut Your Energy Costs

October 5th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

With winter right around the corner and energy costs on the rise, it has never been a better time to make your home more energy efficient and cut your overall energy costs.  Here are some tips to cut your energy costs:

• Install a thermostat that can be programmed to reduce the temperature during the night and when you are away from home.  You can reduce your heating costs by as much as 10 percent by simply reducing the heat.
• Insulating your water heater with a water heater jacket can keep heat from escaping.  A water heater jacket is easy to install and can save hundreds of dollars on your energy bills over the lifetime of your water heater.
• Make sure that you have adequate insulation in your attic; this can reduce your energy heating needs by up to 20 percent.  You need at least 19 inches of batt or 22 inches of blown insulation.  Make sure that your attic is properly ventilated.  If your insulation gets even slightly damp, it can lose as much as one third of its ability to insulate.
• Clean or replace your furnace filters before you need to start using your furnace.  A clogged or dirty filter will reduce the airflow in your heating system.
• Check your heat ducts.  By sealing your heating ducts, you can reduce the amount of warm air that is lost from poor fitting duct joints and cut your energy costs.  Use either foil-backed tape made for this purpose.
• Check the caulk and weather strip around your windows, outlets, doors and light switches.  If it is showing signs of wear, replace it.  This will prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from entering your home.
• Keep the drapes and shades on the south side of your house open during the warmest part of the day to capture as much sunlight as possible.  The sunlight will help warm your house and cut your energy costs. Close all your drapes and shades at night to keep the warm air inside your house.
• Use long lasting compact fluorescent bulbs in your house.  They require less power and can save you money on your electric bill.
• Shut down stereo systems, TVs and computers when you are not using them.  Most of these systems will continue to draw energy even when they are idle.  Install a power strip to easily shut down these systems and cut your energy costs.

By using all or even a few of these energy saving tips, you will cut your energy costs and save yourself some money.

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Copyright © 2008 Best Energy Saving Tips

Credits: Work From Home | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund