Saving Tips On Utilities

[Razzy]

If you use fans remember to clean them at least once or twice a month so they run efficiently ( they will also last longer if you clean them) and remember to clean the filter in the a/c too.


Razzy

[Bluezy]

In summer, turn off your air con while you are gone during the day. In winter, use your fireplaces.

[cicy33]

We were told by our air guy (he is also our cousin) that if you turn off your air, it actually takes longer to recool your house than if you left it on during the day at a higher temp. We usually put ours on 80 while we are gone and then turn it down to comfort when we get home.

[Razzy]

That is what we have started doing I hope our electric bill does not go up.

Razzy

[sonj]

Not attractive but effective...aluminum foil on the windows that the sun rises and sets on.


Curtain off doorways that you don't want as warm (winter) or cool (summer)

[PrincessPerky]

slightly more attractive than foil, but less effective, is a black curtain. hmm well I guess that more attractive is relative, I like black .

[Razzy]

I am actually thinking of making a window blanket for our windows. One side would be a dark fabric the other side a light fabric and inbetween a layer of batting for insulation.


Razzy

[PrincessPerky]

We actually have a blanket on our livingroom window, (folded over at the top to stay with safety pins) did great to help keep the living room warm in the winter, I would like to look into actually making a curtain like you mentioned, but well I don't sew straight!
might ask my mom to do it, she sews a bit straighter than I do, and would love to make something I want.

Thanks for bringing that up!

[Fern]

In adidtion to programmable thermostats, get a programmable thermostat for your electric hot water heater.

Most people don't need to have their hot water heated 24 hours a day cus it stays heated for hours. I am single and work during the day and do just fine with only heating my water 3 hours a day, in late afternoon, so the water tends to be not as hot in mid day to mid afternnon and it's most hoti n the evening, when i need it. (I shower at night.)

[cercis]

You need to look at your particular fan to see which pushes air down. The info posted above is a general rule, but we had a great fan which was opposite that (thankfully it had a remote which told us with arrows which way the air would move).

When watering, use soaker hoses as much as possible. Cover them with mulch (more attractive), this will greatly cut down on evaporation.

Try to get used to a warmer house in the summer and a cooler house in the winter. The bonus (besides lower energy usage) is that you are more likely to actually do things outside if there isn't a huge difference between indoor and outdoor temps. We keep our house at 87 during the day and 84 at night. It's 100F outside, this means that outside is still 15 of so degrees warmer than inside, hot, but doable. Even DH (who would prefer to live in CO) has been able to adjust to the temps. In the winter, well, we only ran it once this year, but we do live in the subtropics. We keep it set at 62 or so.

Don't forget to change filters often.

[momma2nathan]

We also have a programmable thermostat and my dh and I have a challenge that once in a while, the other person will change the settings to increase or decrease the temperature to see if the other noticies. We started our summmer with the a/c set at 73 and now we keep it at 77. Neither of us has noticed it being hotter in the house. I may knock it up to 78 and see if he notices. The key here is not to let the other person know the temp has been changed to see if they notice.

[Razzy]

That would never work at our house because both me and my dh do notice when the other has changed the settings on the thermostat. But I am finding out that I can handle the thermostat at 78 during the day ( with fans on) and 80 at night (also with a fans on) so I am getting there.

Razzy

[debanden]

New to the site but wanted to say hello and mention that when I was little and visiting my Granny (who never had a/c) when I was complaining about being hot she would pull my t-shirt off and wet it, wring it out and put it back on me. She said when she was washing, cleaning house, ironing , etc. she did this to keep cool. (With the breeze coming through the house it was really cool and being a kid I thought it was fun.) Our a/c was out for a couple of days and I did this to my boys and myself and they quite complaining and thought it was fun also.

[rdhill007]

We installed retractable awnings around our windows and our electric bill has gone down considerably in the summer. Home Depot sells them and they are easy to install.

[pennywise]

I have just learned that flurescent lights cause cataracts due to the fluctuating light waves. The remedy is to wear tinted glasses. So the choice, save money on utilities and pay the doctor later or leave the regular bulbs in. I say leave the regular bulbs in but lower the wattage. To your health.

[cercis]

Penny, can you cite your source for that?

[flash]

Heat rises, so you want it to do DOWN in to the room during the winter and UP out of the house in the summer.

[flash]

Originally Posted by jeffrey

How To Save Money On Utilities:


3. Check for window air leaks and repair them. If at all possible, install double-pane windows in your house. Single pane windows or windows that are improperly insulated can account for up to 15 percent of your heating and cooling costs.

We did this last year, and I was shocked at the savings! Our house is fairly new, but the caulk sealant around the outside of the windows (Exterior) was cracked. We stripped all the old caulk out and recaulked ($50 on sale), and our heating bill dropped 40%! Or as my husband says, the average refill rate on our fuel oil tank went from 29 days to 47 days. In addition, the electricity to RUN the fuel oil tank and air conditioner went down (hubbie could quote Kw's) by about $700 over the year!

[flash]

Originally Posted by jeffrey

How To Save Money On Utilities:

10. If you never use your fireplace, have the chimney flue plugged and sealed. Even with the flue closed, most still leave plenty of space to let heated air escape. If you do use your fireplace, check the seal on the flue damper and adjust so that it is as tight as possible.

18. Use your ventilating fans in the kitchen, bathroom and other areas with care. Accidentally leaving one on can clear out a houseful of warmed or cooled air in about an hour. Be sure to turn off these fans as soon as they have done their job.

20. When cooking, it is often unnecessary to preheat the oven. For cooking times less than an hour, 5 minutes of preheating will usually do. For cooking times over an hour, there is no need to preheat.
.

Fireplace is really deceiving, especially if you life in a multi-story house. I love the cozy warmth by the fireplace, but upstairs gets COLD. Hubbie says this is because the fire pulls air OUT of the house up the chimney, and this pulls cold air down through the upstairs bathroom fans, or any other exhaust point. We are arguing now - he wants to seal up the fans for the winter, I think he'll burn the house down!

Ovens, this is a great way to save money. If you use the oven in the winter ALWAYS leave the oven door "cracked" open afterwards to allow the heat you've already paid for to warm the room. In the summer, bake in the morning or late at night, and keep the door closed tight.

[cercis]

MJC, mythbusters explored the idea that a fireplace sucks heat out of the other rooms and found it to be simply a myth.

You do have to watch leaving exhaust fans running because they send the warm air out, but generally that's it.