Saving Tips On Utilities

[jeffrey]

How To Save Money On Utilities:

1. Call your local utility company to see if they offer energy audits. Many offer free or low cost inspections and free information booklets on home energy savings. They will also recommend inexpensive ways to cut energy costs that will more than pay for any costs involved.

2. Change regular light bulbs to fluorescent (or halogen) bulbs where appropriate. Fluorescent bulbs cost about 5 times more than regular bulbs, but they're 3 times more energy efficient, 4 times brighter, and last 10 times longer meaning that you'll save money in the long run.

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.

4. Decorate your walls with light colored paint or wallpaper. Light colors make the light in the room appear brighter. This will allow you to use bulbs that emit up to 50 percent less light, but still get the same lighting results as a dark colored room.

5. Don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth, shaving or doing the dishes by hand. You can see just how much water (and money) you are wasting by plugging the sink and letting the water run while doing these activities.

6. Get that dripping faucet fixed. If you have a faucet leak that drips one drop every second, it will add up to approximately 2,700 gallons of water over the year.

7. If you aren't using an electronic device, unplug it. Electricity trickling out of dormant electronic devices wastes approximately $3.5 billion every year and accounts for anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent of the average home's electric bill.

8. If you have a choice in the way you prepare your meals, choose to use your microwave instead of your conventional oven whenever possible. Microwaves save up to 50% in energy costs for cooking meals compared to ovens.

9. If you have a dual hot and cold faucet, make sure that the faucet is always all the way to the cold side. If you turn on the water with it to the hot side, it will fire up the water heater wasting energy even if you have the faucet on for only a short time and the warm water never reaches the faucet.




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.

11. Make sure lamps and appliances are not near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat can sense the heat from these appliances making the air conditioner run longer and harder than necessary.

12. Purchase an inexpensive motion activated security light for outside your house. The savings you gain from not leaving a light on all night should pay for the security light in about half a year.

13. Reducing your energy bill can be as simple as changing the time of day you do things around your house. Contact your energy company to find out their off-peak hours. Then simply make sure that you run major appliances such as your washer, dryer, oven and dishwasher whenever possible during these times to significantly reduce your energy bill.

14. Save water by watering your yard when the sun will not evaporate it. Watering in the early morning or evening will do the same job with less water than doing so in mid-afternoon.

15. The average family wastes 40 gallons of water down the drain each day just waiting for hot water to reach the faucet head. This not only wastes your time waiting for the hot water to arrive, but also water, energy and money. Consider installing a rapid-delivery hot water kit. After installation, you should get hot water to your faucet in less than 15 seconds.

16. To get the best heating results from your fireplace, consider installing a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. This will keep the room much warmer meaning you can lower your thermostat and save money.

17. Use cold water when operating your garbage disposal. Not only does this save you money by not heating the water, it will also extend the life of your disposal, sink and pipes. Cold water is recommended since grease solidifies in it making it easier to grind-up and keeping your drainage system clean.

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.

19. When cooking for yourself, use small electric pans or toaster ovens for meals instead of your stove or oven. Toaster ovens only use one third to half as much energy as a full sized oven.

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.

21. When doing major house cleaning, don't forget to dust off light bulbs and fixtures to improve light output. Dusty light bulbs give off up to 50% less light.

22. Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater a few degrees. Not only will it save you money on your monthly energy bills, it will also help to make your water heater last longer.

23. It is common in some areas to pay a deposit on your utilities when you move into a new home or apartment. If you have been there a year and have made all your payments on time, check with them to see if you can have your deposit money refunded. While this money is usually kept until you move, some utility companies will refund it after a year of on-time payments.

[kashi]

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.

is this true for gas ovens? my oven takes at least half an hour to heat up to 350.

[PrincessPerky]

I dunno but mine is electrc and it takes 15 or 20 minutes to heat up to 350. But when I was a kid my gas stove was hot in 5 minutes or less. still neeeded to preheat for cookies, but we never did, the first batch was just 'gooey' . I am guessing i depends on your oven or something.

[jeffrey]

Originally Posted by kashi

is this true for gas ovens? my oven takes at least half an hour to heat up to 350.

This is a general rule and you'll need to adjust to the particulars of your oven. The thing to remember is that you don't need to preheat the oven to the cooking temp before putting in the dish. You can put it in before it reaches that temperature and also use heat left over after you turn off the oven.

[aeromama]

I have a programable thermostat in our house,and I think it's great!

[daveo]

Originally Posted by jeffrey

This is a general rule and you'll need to adjust to the particulars of your oven. The thing to remember is that you don't need to preheat the oven to the cooking temp before putting in the dish. You can put it in before it reaches that temperature and also use heat left over after you turn off the oven.

Additionally, leaving the door open on the oven after cooking can warm the room, sometimes by 3 - 5 degrees. When the gas oven is used in my house, at 400 degrees, it warms the kitchen and living room by 4 degrees just by leaving the oven door open for 20 minutes.

[daveo]

Originally Posted by aeromama

I have a programable thermostat in our house,and I think it's great!

It's great but you have to remember to use it wisely. Taking the time to set it to the optimal temperature takes patience, as well as a ton of trial and error. This becomes even more difficult if you're living in a household with more than 1 person in it. You have to find a compromised, energy preferred setting.

For example, my wife would love nothing more than to have the thermostat set at 68 - 70 degrees in the winter. I would prefer it to be in the 63 or 64 degree range. Our compromise was 66 degrees when we're home, and 61 when we're away for the day.

[daveo]

"14. Save water by watering your yard when the sun will not evaporate it. Watering in the early morning or evening will do the same job with less water than doing so in mid-afternoon."

Also, make sure you water when it is not windy. Wind will carry the water away from its targeted destination (your garden, lawn, or wherever) and make you use more water. If it is particularly windy on a certain day, refrain from watering.

In addition, if you use a sprinkler system make sure it does not go off when it is raining, or it has rained! No sense in watering soil that is already saturated.

[Razzy]

I also use ceiling fans and regular fans in the summer to cut down on the use of my a/c. I also refuse to use my dryer while the a/c is on. If I have to use the dryer while the a/c is on I try to use it during non peak hours and I will hang as many of the clothes to dry on a line or on hangers so my dryer does not have to be in use for a long period of time.

Razzy

[daveo]

Originally Posted by Razzy

I also use ceiling fans and regular fans in the summer to cut down on the use of my a/c. I also refuse to use my dryer while the a/c is on. If I have to use the dryer while the a/c is on I try to use it during non peak hours and I will hang as many of the clothes to dry on a line or on hangers so my dryer does not have to be in use for a long period of time.

Razzy

Excellent advice! A Ceiling Fan uses about the same electricity as a 100 watt light bulb (for the most part) and the benefits are pretty tremendous. They are very versatile, and can be used in the warmer and colder months by just reversing the direction of the blades.

[Razzy]

They will also last longer if you keep them clean. I know we clean ours every 2 weeks in the summer and not so often in the winter. Also if you want to get the most of your central a/c or window unit you need to keep the filters clean. I know I have had window units and opted to use the filters that you cleaned yourself because it saved me money from having to buy disposible filters every so often.


Razzy

[daveo]

Originally Posted by Razzy

They will also last longer if you keep them clean. I know we clean ours every 2 weeks in the summer and not so often in the winter. Also if you want to get the most of your central a/c or window unit you need to keep the filters clean. I know I have had window units and opted to use the filters that you cleaned yourself because it saved me money from having to buy disposible filters every so often.


Razzy

I'm curious, what do you use to clean your fans with? Do you use a solvent or just a dustrag or mop with a bendable arm?

[Razzy]

Just use a step stool and old damp rag. All you do is wipe the blades off and your done. Now if you to clean the part of the motor that is exposed then get some canned air and use small sprays and you can get those hard to reach area's. I also used canned air to clean my stationary fans too as well as use a paint brush to clean the grill.

Razzy

[daveo]

It's also worth mentioning that you'll have to clean the globe on the fan, both inside and out. It can get quite dirty in there. A dirty globe can reduce the light output coming from the fan light. If this is the case, you may need to turn on another light and waste electricity needlessly in the process...

[Razzy]

I totally agree.


Razzy

[PRICEPLUS]

I just installed a programmable thermostat. I put insulation inserts behind all the electric outlet and switch plates. I use a little snake to cut off drafts
at the bottom of the kitchen and entrance doors. Two years ago I added insulation to the attic and one of the eaves clostes. I have yet to upgrade the insulation on the other eaves closet.

I have installed super saver bulbs everywhere I possibly could. We have an attic fan and a house fan. The house fan removes heat in the attic. We use the attic fan in the evening to draw cool air in during the summer. I try to do cold water washes as much as possible. I hang clothes to dry. Showers are kept to less than 5 minutes. The heat goes down to 63 at night and up to 68 during the day (winter).

We try to cut usage wherever and whenever we can!

[mjrube94]

Does anyone know which direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) the fan blades are supposed to go? I know that if you switch them in the winter, it actually helps to keep the warm air in, but I always get confused.

[Razzy]

I know one of the first things we did when we moved into our current home, we rent from relatives, is to change all the light bulbs in the in the light fixtures to lower wattage bulbs. The renters before us had light bulbs in the fixtures that were sometimes over a 100 watts. We also put insutaltion inserts behind the outlets.

As for the outside lights we have replaced both of them and use halogen lights but use a lower wattage for those. Yes we pay a bit more for the name brand on halogen but they last longer than the generic and they don't cost anymore to use then regular light bulbs.


Razzy

[daveo]

I'm sure you already know that a mirror's purpose is to reflect. When you look into a mirror, you expect to see a reflection staring back at you. We rely on mirrors everyday when we drive, for personal care like brushing our hair or putting on make-up, and maybe even for looking in hard to see places.

But they can also help reduce your electric bill, if placed correctly.

Since mirrors reflect, if you position a light source correctly near a mirror, the mirror will reflect the light outward. This can in a way "emulate" a second light source without actually physically having another light there. (Think of it as a virtual light).

You can prove this to yourself. If you have a mirror, place it across from a decent light source, like a bigger lamp. Turn on the light. Play with the positioning of the mirror until the room "brightens." Of course, hacing lighter colored walls certainly helps the experiment, but even with darker walls, the difference is noticeable. The room seems brighter, since the mirror is simply reflecting the light. It's acting like a light source, even though it is not actually producing any light.

[cicy33]

If the blades on the fan are turning clockwise it is pushing the air down, if it is turning counter clockwise pushing the air up. Ours is pretty much always pushing down.