Home › Forums › Around the House › 6 Simple Ways To Save Energy At Home
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October 20, 2009 2:14 pm at 2:14 pm #590627Y.W. EditorKeymaster
Make a few easy changes around the house for substantial savings.
Seal sneaky leaks
Seal electrical outlets in the exterior walls of your house. Foam insulating gaskets (less than $1 each) “act as a barrier so conditioned air stays in, rather than leaking out,” says Jonathan Passe of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Just unscrew the outlet cover, install the gasket, and replace the cover.
Go with the flow
Swap out bulbs
Replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs).
A $10 CFL uses about a quarter of the wattage of an incandescent bulb, which amounts to more than $30 in savings per replaced bulb over the lifetime of the CFL (which averages 10,000 hours or 416 days).
Be cool
Wash clothes in cold water.
You may already know that this saves energy, but do you know how much?
“Up to 90 percent of the cost of washing clothes comes from heating the water, so use hot water only for very dirty clothes,” says Adam Gottlieb of the California Energy Commission.
Another tip: “Match the water level to the amount of clothes, or wait to wash full loads,” suggests Clement. “The water savings can be enormous.”
Close (or open) your blinds
Leave blinds down on south-and west-facing windows on hot summer days to keep your space cool.
“This prevents the sun from warming your home and making your cooling system work harder,” says Clement. “In winter, leave blinds up to allow the sun to help heat your home.”
Upgrade your heating (and cooling) system
Install (and properly program) a programmable thermostat. The average household spends $2,200 annually on energy bills, and about half of that is for heating and cooling, says Vargas.
A programmable thermostat costs $50 to $80, is easy to install, and can save about $180 a year.
You can shave 2 percent off your heating (or cooling) bill for each degree you lower (or raise) the thermostat for at least eight hours a day while you’re away from home or asleep, says Amanda Korane of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/20/rs.energy.savings/index.html
October 20, 2009 3:07 pm at 3:07 pm #663154mepalMemberAnd while you’re at it, dont do laundry either. Saves so much time, electricity, water and more! Just fold it up and put it right back in the drawer.
October 20, 2009 3:29 pm at 3:29 pm #663155squeakParticipantYes, mepal, we all remember your particular quirk. But not all of us are yekkes, so following your example might have bad repurcussions.
October 20, 2009 3:48 pm at 3:48 pm #663156mepalMemberLike what? Bodily odors? You’re not taking showers anyways, so what have you got to lose?
October 20, 2009 8:40 pm at 8:40 pm #663157ronrsrMemberIn addition to not showering and not cooking my food, I save energy by using only large denomination bills.
A $20 bill has 20 times the purchasing power of $1 bills, yet uses only the same amount of paper and energy to produce.
also:
Crush a Third World economic development movement: One of the most pressing threats facing our environment is rising incomes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A generation ago these eople were happily frolicking in the rain forest, foraging for organic foods amid the wonders of nature. Now, corrupted by wealth, they are demanding environmentally hazardous consumer goods like cars and air conditioning and malaria medicine. You can do your part to stop this dangerous consumer trend by supporting environmentally aware leaders like Robert Mugabe and Fidel Castro to foster an economy of sustainable low-impact ecolabor camps.
October 20, 2009 8:56 pm at 8:56 pm #663158ronrsrMemberOctober 20, 2009 10:12 pm at 10:12 pm #663159mybatMemberOctober 21, 2009 4:17 am at 4:17 am #663160sunflowerMemberomg! thank g-d i dont smell any of u guys! new revised version of 6 ways to save energy or just 6 ways to live life that hashem has granteed u”
i think the 6 ways to save nrg st home is:
1: stay calm
2: stay cool 3:stay collective(whatever!)
4: remeber the most important word is thank you
5: davening to hashem for anything and anything at anty given time because life is a gift treasure every moment and thank hashem for everrysecond- shsould be #1
6: by helping and encouragin others u ar ehelping urself
hope this is the way people live in some places
October 21, 2009 4:28 am at 4:28 am #663161JaxMembersqueak: and there’s always the chill the beer/soda can trick in toilet tank like we learned from that camp thread! 😉
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