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Energy Diet Anyone?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Lugnuts, May 10, 2008.

  1. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    Living in a four-season climate, it's hard for me to compare power bills month-to-month. I've been as low as $40 in the spring and fall, when I don't need either A/C or heat, but as high as $100 in winter, when it doesn't get above 30 for days. (I did wait to turn the heat on until the lows got into the single digits, though.)
     
  2. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    1. Turn off the computer whenever you're not using it.
    2. Don't run the dishwasher until you absolutely need to use it (no more dishes, space); same with doing the laundry
    3. Only use one light at all times, though it's much easier when you live alone.
    4. Set the television on a timer if you watch pre-slumber.
    5. Unplug your microwave when it's not in use; you've got a clock elsewhere in the house.
    6. Go outside more often. Unless you leave the lights on in the house, this will force you to cut costs.
    7. Only use the heat or A/C in spurts. Once the room gets hot of cold enough, turn it off. Or don't use them, like me.
    8. Open the blinds during the day to let the sunlight inside.
    9. Get a car charger for your cell phone and only charge your piece in the car.
    10. Take your laptop, if you've got one, into work for a charge.
    11. Again, if you've got a laptop, use that instead of your desktop computer; it only needs to be plugged in for an hour and a half for every five hours' use.
    12. Read more, watch less.
    13. Listen to your mp3 player instead of your home CD player.
    14. Take an extra day between vacuums.
    15. Go to bed earlier.
     
  3. Rough Mix

    Rough Mix Guest

    Sorry, the library I was posting from was closing.

    Had energy audits done by the utility company on two houses. It cost a couple of hundred bucks each time but was worth it. The do a blower-door test and use an infrared cameras to show where the house leaks and needs insulation. They also check things like the HVAC system, water heater, appliances, windows, doors, attic insulation, shower heads, etc. and make recommendations and in some cases estmate potential savings.

    This library is closing so here are some things not mentioned above:

    Look into an energy saving switch for your AC unit, unless it's a window unit. The utility company will cycle it on and off during peak usage times and you get a credit on your bill. Have had one on three houses and never noticed it except the savings.

    Use a hose and flush clean the grill on the AC unit. If it's clean it runs much more efficiently.

    Install ceiling fans in bedrooms. They will be cooler at night so you can set the programmable thermostat higher.

    Check the ducts in the basement for any leaks or gaps. Seal any you find with foil tape, not duct tape. Clean the area where you place the tape. Make sure any registers have a tight fit where the meet the ceiling basement/first floor. You can also wrap the ducts in insulated foil wrap, but make sure any leaks are sealed first.

    Change the furnace filters monthly. Don't buy the expensive filters.

    Insulate between the ceiling joists in the basement.

    Check the rim joist in the basement and seal joints/spaces with silicone caulk. I looked into the closed-cell insulation but it was cost-prohibitive where I live, so I cut pieces of two inch polystyrene and glued and caulked those in place on the rim joist. Also seal with expanding foam any openings like where the water line goes to an outside spigot.

    Flush sediment from the water heater. The manual should tell you how.

    Fireplaces and attic access doors lose a lot of heat. Insulate, caulk and weatherstrip the attic door. Fireplace lock-top dampers are the way to go.

    You can look into buying wind power for your energy needs from the utility company. It will most likely cost you more, but if you want to be 'greener' that's a way to do it. Although I hear it's not very bird-friendly, so who knows.

    This branch is closed. Gotta bounce.
     
  4. ArnoldBabar

    ArnoldBabar Active Member

    I nominate this for ironic post of the year.
     
  5. Angola!

    Angola! Guest

    I thought it was cheaper just to leave it at a certain temperature, because when the AC or the heater has to turn back on and cool or heat the house up/down it costs a lot more?

    I don't know, maybe that is an urban myth. I tend to keep mine off until it is absolutely necessary, but when it comes on I don't do a lot of turning on and off, I just set it at a comfortable temperature and let it do it's work.
     
  6. bagelchick

    bagelchick Active Member

    At the company I work for, they actually turn on the equipment in a certain order and at a certain time. Something about if you turn it all on at the same time, that's the usage they use to calculate your average kilowatt per hour usage.
     
  7. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    I thought that as I was writing it. But there are times, like from 1 to 2 a.m. when George Lopez is on Nick at Nite, when my television is off. I'd rather spend an hour listening to music and posting inane messages on here.
     
  8. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    I've heard that, too, but don't necessarily subscribe to it. I rarely use my A/C or heat. I lived in Pennsylvania a couple years ago, and I went an entire winter without using the heat; I worked two full-time jobs and was only in the house to sleep. No one wanted to visit me, but I was used to that.
     
  9. Sxysprtswrtr

    Sxysprtswrtr Active Member

    What is this "basement" of which you speak? [/southernerswithoutbasements]

    :)
     
  10. Rough Mix

    Rough Mix Guest

    I can tell you how to clean, prep and apply UGL and polystyrene to seal out moisture and insulate basement walls, too, if you want.

    :)
     
  11. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    What, is there a field trip to this thread or something?
     
  12. Dirk Legume

    Dirk Legume Active Member

    I have 2 A/C units for my house. One for the house proper and one for the extra room we added a couple of years ago. We have programmable thermostats for both units and after trying to find a way to make them work to save us any money, we finally gave up. We generally only turn on the one for the room we are in. For example, we spend most of our evening time in the new family room, so that's the only one on. About half an hour before I go to bed (much earlier than my wife) i turn on the one in the rest of the house. Both thermostats are set at 78 or so all summer long. Where I live, we will be between 90 and 100 from about 2 weeks from now through mid October. The way we do this does save us some money, but since I live in California, which is "Crazyville", my bill will be on the order of 400 dollars a month this summer. It is usually 200 or so in the winter. As I tell my wife: "you can always put on another sweater in the winter, but I can only get so naked in the summer before the neighbors complain.

    An energy audit will help, but the savings might be offset this year by what you spend on their reccomendations.

    Also, round these parts, solar is becoming a big deal. Large initial expense, but zero dollars sent to the power company most months.
     
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