What are some simple things I can do in my house to reduce energy waste?
Answer:
Insulation - doors, walls, windows, ceiling, water heater, pipes.
Make sure the filter in your heater/airconditioner is clean.
Set hot water heater at a lower temp.
you should buy new technology buld lightness you know . it can help you save your reduce bills. i guess i am wrong or right. i am human however.
Put in Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs
Put your TVs and computers on a power strip. Turn the power strip off when not using them.
Plant trees to shade your house.
Close the blinds and windows on the south side of the house when the sun is hitting it. Only open it up when the temperature outside is less than the temperature in your house (if you don't have a/c).
Turn your a/c up to 70 in the summer
Turn your heat down to 60 in the winter and wear a sweater.
Drive less or ride your bike instead.
Cook your food with a microwave oven it doesn't waste heat like a gas or electric oven or range does.
not talk as much
1. CFL's for light bulbs. ( the funny curly looking bulbs. ( walmart) mo, start with the main lights you use most and slowly add re as your old bulbs burn out. My lite bill went down a solid 10.00 a month just doing this.
2. CAULK your windows and doors
3. canned insulation foam, do EVERY THING that lets wind in.
4.turn out lights
5 lower your thermostat in winter or raise it a couple of degrees in summer. this alone will save you some big bucks.
6,replace old furnaces if at all possible, my heat bill went form 200 a month PLUS to less then 90.00 the coldest moth of the year before we changed to wood heat.,
7 plastic over windows in winter.
8 aluminum foil over south east and west windows in summer .
9 get one of those 3 mode air conditioners. i only use the dry feature and my sumer cooling bills only raise my light bill 10.00 a month for running it 24/ 7 during the hottest part of sumer in sw oklahoma. ( 100 degrees is not unusual here)
10. if your in an old house with drafty windows, stuff paper towels., rags or something in between the windows,.
11. if it is your house. EVEN IF YOU HAVE to do it one wall at a time. get it insulated! most sellers will loan a machine for a day or two with a deposit or you can rent a machine to blow insulation in your walls and attics. If you can't afford to do the whole house at once. start with attic and NORTH wall.
12. get motion detectors with day /night feature if security is an issue, if you have small children one of these could save money in rooms like a bath room or kitchen
Hi,
I went through this exercise a few years ago and basically turned everything I owned off. I then really thought about what I was doing and why I was doing it before switching it back on. It was a really good learning curve for me, I had some terribly wasteful habits. I hope that some of my learning will help you.
*switch lights & all appliances off when not in use. If you look around you will see clocks on everything, they all run on power.
* swap out electric bulbs for the energy saving ones and try a lower watt
*watch how you cook E.G. Pasta, do you fill the pan up with water which you then have to heat to boiling point when you only need a cup. Only heat what you need Etc
* use the microwave to reheat food/cook if possible
*if you are cooking try and double up so that you freeze some food cooked and only have to reheat
*turn the thermostat down a few degrees on your hot water tank, you will not know the difference
*turn the thermostat up a few degrees on the AC, you wont even feel it
* take a layer of clothes off, put the ceiling fan on before you turn the AC on or up (keep it decent though :)
*wash your clothes in cold water, they are never that dirty and you can buy soap made specially for this purpose.
* unless you can adjust the cycle accordingly, never run the washing machine for a few items, wash them at the sink!!
*Use your clothes/dishwasher of a night when demand for power is not so great and it is cooler (helps with AC costs)
* Buy a clothes horse/washing line and restrict how and when you use your tumble dryer
*turn the tap OFF when you brush your teeth, water is more valueable than gold!! Oddly enough that was one I found really hard to do.
Just a few to get you started. It is always a good idea to talk to the power companies as some of them offer free assessments in your property.
Of course you must also assess your use and change it during winter months E.G
*heat the rooms you use and not the whole house (depends where you live I know).
*turn thermostat down a few degrees
*put a sweater on before you switch the fire on
*run your tumble dryer when you are in the kitchen to make more use of its heat
*put a blanket on your knees when you watch tv
*heat rises, make sure your loft is insulated
*ask for an inspection from the power company
There are so many things we could all do and these are just a few of the small things. It is also a good idea to read your own meter once per week and monitor the energy you have used. It is a great feeling to reduce what you are taking from the earth and of course your own pocket!!
Check out Greenpeace, they are an environmental organisation dedicated to saving the worlds resources. Very educational.
Always check the energy usage on any new electrical appliance you purchase.
Go to the Grocery store with your own re-usable bags. Get Solar Panels Installed or a wind Turbine, or geothermal energy. Start a compost pile. Unplug electronics when not in use. Use newspaper as wrapping paper, I do it and no one has ever had a problem with it. Recycle carboard, Newspaper, Magazines, Glass bottles, Plastic Bottles, Aluminum cans, Tin Soup cans, return plastic shopping bags to return bins at grocerie stores, Sell old clothes and stuff at yard sale or donate to Salvation Army.
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