A Fall Checklist

It is always time to save energy and money but the coming of Fall prompts us to take a check on where we might be letting heat or air slip past us. Here is a short list of what should be checked and remedied.

Check the weather stripping around door and windows.  If it has become loose or worn, it should be replaced.  It is a simple, inexpensive fix that will save you money.  

Check all of your electrical outlets and install insulation pieces.  A lot of heat or air can escape through these little suckers.  There are inexpensive packages of this type of insulation available at home improvement stores or you can diy using solid insulation.

Check both attic and basement doors for their level of insulation.  Aside from weather stripping the doors themselves can be insulated with rigid insulation.

Clean, clean, clean refrigerator coils.  With dust and dirt build-up on the coils, the cooling efficiency drops way down.  A quick vacuuming does the trick.

Think about getting a programmable thermostat.  Having one of these allows you to personalize the heating or cooling patterns in your home. 

Check out your house and get going on saving energy and money.

Meanwhile .... keep it simple and make it real.

Jeanne

Stop Wasting Electricity and Money!

I am thankful for my friends without whom my world would never be as happy and full of love.

CH and I have had on ongoing battle about electricity usage since we were first married 21 years ago.  He leaves every light on in every room.  He has told me over and over that more electricity is used if one continually turns a t.v. on and off, so it is o.k. to leave it on.  He also thinks that keeping the electric heat on at 74 degrees is just perfect.  I say turn the heat down and put on a sweater.

Lately I have been reading up on how to save money on electricity and have found a very simple thing to do that is simple and cost saving.  It was very revealing to find out that roughly 10% or more of our electric bill comes from appliances that we have "turned off".  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75% of appliance energy use comes from when the appliance is turned off!!  Take a look ......

Electrical items that are "remote ready" continue to use energy while turned off because they have to be ready to receive a signal.  Here are some examples of the amount of energy used while "off":
                                 TV's 48.5W
                                 Stereos 24.58W
                                 Cable box 33.6W
                                 Garage door opener 7.3W

Electrical items that do not use remotes are also culprits:
                                  Cable modem 8.62W
                                  Answering machine 2.55W
                                  Cell phone charger 1W
                                  Computer LCD monitor 3.5W
                                  Coffe maker 2.7W
                                  Gas range 1.7W
                                  Computer Stereo Speakers 5.6W

There are a number of energy monitors that can be attached to these devices to record enery usage and then convert to money wasted.  I think that just knowing that these things are costing money is enough

The solution to all this waste is pretty simple - Unplug!  Would it be soooo inconvenient to have these devices unplugged while not in use?  I think not.  Give it a shot and see the difference in your electric bill. 

Have a wonderful day and keep it simple.