Energy Saving ~ Tips & Tricks

[YouPdWhat]

Post Your Hot Tips & Tricks Here!

[phlack]

No push mower for me in 95 degree humid Florida summers :).

-Mike

[niftyneon99]

I agree, we have a little over an acre, no push mowing here!!

[too-old-now]

Don't pay any electric yourself, use the computer at the library.

[MaineSuse]

If you have a large home but aren't using all rooms, close the doors to unused rooms and use space heaters in those you frequent most often. And, like your mother always told you, you can always put a sweater on!!

[kurlisola]

My personal feeling is that we (most all people, incl me) waste too much energy and natural resources. Lets face it, there's no air conditioning out in the veggie fields & field workers are still working away. Up until, what, 50 years ago, most people didn't even have air conditioners. We look at carpooling as the new 4 letter word & throw out mounds of garbage and debris every week. Maybe things won't change until we start having to pay the "true" cost of using these resources (not just the cost to get at them & profit for companies; but the cost to replenish & the cost to the environment).

As for mowing the lawn (enormous lawns excluded)...I was raised in Vegas & I remember in the late 60's & 70's that alot of people used push mowers. Plus, most grass doesn't grow in the summer anyway. It usually goes dormant from about late June til early September & requires very little mowing. The heavy growth times (for fescues) is Sept-Nov & March-May.
I would consider a push mower for our front yard because it is small. The backyard is an entirely different story. However, once it is fully landscaped & if we go ahead with the inground pool idea, a push mower might be something to consider.

Wear socks around the house in the fall & winter. Have a couple throws on the couch for those chilly autumn nights. Use an extra blanket during the winter & even wear socks to bed if you want.

Line dry your clothes.

Re-use your bath towels for a week before washing. (each person can have their own).

If you go to a gym, then take your daily showers there, after your workout, instead of at home.

Prepare more fresh foods, as opposed to foods that need alot of cooking. In china, there is a notorious shortage of fuel (think wood for cooking). So, historically, the Chinese have cut up their meats and veggies so that they cook quickly. I make chinese food a bit & 95% of the work is prep work...the cooking time is very very short compared to american meals.

Lower the temperature on your water heater.

Use water saver shower heads & faucets

Turn the tv off when not in use. Silence is golden & allows us to think a bit on our own.

Goes without saying to keep lights off when room is not in use.

I read a few years ago about the power loss from small appliances & electronics that are kept on all the time. If someone wants to truly "step into the ring" so to speak, then address this issue.

Reduce, reuse, recycle whenever possible. I once met this lady who recycled. All of her food waste (except meat & bones-which went to her dog) went into her compost pile. Paper rolls went into bins for craft projects. Bits of paper were burned in her wood stove. She refused junk mail; recycled the paper directly back to the newpaper, ect... Cans and bottles were recycled (this was before recycling was manditory & a bin was left & the city charged a fee...instead she collected this stuff, in an orderly fashion, in her garage & went to the dump once a month...because there were recycling bins set up for these items).

Anyway, it was absolutely amazing. She had dedicated part of her life to trying to produce as little waste as possible.

I think one of the biggest drains on gasoline are drive thru windows. Look forward to the day they disappear.

Another way to conserve gas, would need to support and vision of the business sector. But, if companies opened/closed at various times, instead of the traditional 9am; then traffic would lighten up & probably significantly reduce traffice jams. At my previous job, I was doing accounting work, so I didn't have to be there at a set time. I'd leave my house at 5am & get to work at 6am & get off at 2-2:30. Completely missed all of the traffic. It was great. I remember once a few employees were standing around b'ing & moaning about me leaving at 2 in the afternoon. I piped up and said that the first one who starts showing up at 6am, can then give me all the grief she wants for leaving at 2pm. Never heard another word, nor did any of them show up before 8:30-9:00.

Set your AC/Heater 5 degrees lower (or higher). Your body will adjust & you'll get used to it.

This is just off the top of my head. I wish I could say I follow all these suggestions...but I'm just as wasteful and comfort driven as the next person-lol! But I still dream of the day when I can recycle everything:-)

[queenofthehivemomof5]

DH has been riding his bike to work for the past month. We have saved about $15 in gas a week. Our budget is about $20 a week with most driving done to get him back and forth to work. And a little bit more by me running errands and what not.

Now come winter bike riding wont be an option, but while the weather is nice why not?

[Kristen.C]

My husband and I are actually switching vehicles because of the gas prices. I have a small Ford ZX2 which gets pretty good gas mileage. He has a Jeep Grand Cherokee which stinks. Since I mainly stay in town during the day and run errands up and down the road that we live on, and he commutes to work it makes sense. Not to mention I will have more space to load all of the free stuff into the Jeep lol! In fact, I can't imagine why we didn't do this sooner! OK ok, I was reluctant to give up my awesome stereo system to him! But with the gas prices what they are I think that we can start saving maybe 15-20$ a week by switching!

[YouPdWhat]

We had the power company come out & do an energy survey on our home. He was telling me some of the areas that give people the most problems.


1. The return unit were your filter goes. Most of the walls inside the return are not finshed off so air is sucked in between the walls causing higher bills.


2. The vents from the ceiling. In the attic or whatever you may have the a/c ~ heating tubes connect to the vent by what is called a cap. If you notice that dirt is collecting on your ceiling it is because the caps are not secure. What happens is hot air from the attic / etc. is being pulled in from one side of the cap into your home thus the dirt, then cold air is being sucked out through the opposite side thus causing higher bills.


3. Coffee pots: Those little pots actually pull more power than a frig or freezer.


4. WIndows that need new caulking


5. Doors that have a gap at the bottom or side ( not properly hung )


6. Cheap doors made out of metal & are not insulated well


7. Improper use of ceiling fans. fans actually raise your elec. bill if you turn down the a/c & use the fan. the proper way is to turn the a/c a little lower than normal then use your fan. Do not do the opposite.



There were a lot more things he shared with me. It was very interesting.

[YouPdWhat]

Frugal alternatives to paying higher energy prices
What if the price of gasoline goes to $5.00 a gallon? What if the price of propane or natural gas gets so high we can't afford to stay warm or cook with it? What if heating oil prices go sky high? What if more people turn to electricity as an alternative, pushing those energy prices even higher? What if we can't afford to buy the energy to use our air conditioners in the summer heat?
What if... hot water, cooking fuel, electricity and home heat became more like luxuries instead of necessities?

With energy prices growing like weeds after a good rain, it's time for every frugalite to face it: Prices are not going down to stay any time soon. They'll probably continue to go up, maybe gradually, but maybe suddenly.

What can we do to keep from going bankrupt over the energy bill?

In lieu of outfitting our homes with passive solar power panels, we can use our own hands, feet and heads.

We don't have to always plug it in to turn it on. We don't have to always buy the gas to go from place to place. We don't have to work several days of each month just to pay for energy to keep our homes comfortable and safe.
Here are a few ways to do it, and you'll probably think of more when you get started:

Hand cranked generators can run a radio, charge a cell phone, and give you emergency lighting - all with a little manpower on your part. That's quite the savings over plug-in radios, lamps and phone chargers!

Propane powered outdoor grills have become popular because they're more convenient than charcoal, but you may find yourself paying a premium price for that convenience. It would be wise to have a real charcoal grill or outdoor cooker. Get one as a backup if you don't want to use it now. The small ones are inexpensive and can be fueled with scrap wood, too, which may be the most important aspect in the overall picture. But... if you're where you can, a hole in the ground with a grill or piece of expanded metal over it works just as well, or even better for some things.

A human powered push lawnmower is frugal any time and if the price of gasoline goes much higher, it will be even smarter to own one. You may not want to mow an acre with one, but for a normal sized lawn, it takes the frugal prize. You'll also get good exercise and a peaceful time of it - good for the soul and the body as well as the pocketbook.

Bicycles, motorcycles, buses and human feet are a lot cheaper than automobiles.

If you don't know how to ride a bicycle, get one and learn.

A motorcycle may be a good option if you're in the right place and can ride one.

Vote for city transportation and use it whenever you can. Even if a bus pass goes up in price (and it will), unless you have unusual circumstances, it will cost less than operating a car.

Walking is a good health practice as well as good transportation. Don't decry the cost of good walking shoes! They're cheaper by far than a set of tires.

It can be fun to use candles sometimes instead of electric lights. Use a fan instead of the air conditioner; a blanket instead of the heater. If you have a fireplace, learn to cook on it and do it now and then in cool weather. Read a book instead of watch TV. Sing, even if you can't, instead of listening to the radio or stereo.

There's a lot more you can do if/when you're interested. If you look around at the things you do that cost you money in terms of paying for the utilities to operate them, work to find ways to substitute for less commercial energy use, at least part of the time.

Who knows? You might find the substitutes are so enjoyable that you don't need sustenance from the utility umbilical cord as much as you thought you did.



( borrowed from ff thanks to turtleangel )