Even worse than the fridge is the front door. It was 19 degrees here today, you would think that my kids would remember to shut the door, nope. You know how they have cards that sing a song or give you a message each time it is opened? I'm thinking I need some sort of device like that installed on my front door. Each time it is opened, a recording of my voice saying "Please shut the door!" would play. Now that is a money saving tip right there.
So, what are your REALISTIC energy saving/money saving tips?
~marisa
15 comments:
My children do well with doors. But lights? Do you think they can remember to turn off a light when they leave a room? I hadn't heard the fridge tip, thanks for that one.
Judy
Oh, yes, my battle with lights on and doors not closed goes on and on. I have eliminated the forgotten light on in the laundry room by installing a motion light switch that will keep the light on for about 10 minutes then shut off. So far no complaints as no one takes longer than 10 minutes to accomplish laundry room activities. I'm not so sure the refridgerator thing would work for me as it doesn't get opened all that much and by the time I made a list of what to get out of the refridgerator that would be big enough to justify opening the door, the day would be over. For me other things like 65 degrees in the winter and 80 degrees in the summer household temperatures will save me more energy than 50 cents a week. I respect those that are truly making a effort to save energy in an energy hungry world.
Nebraska Dave
Planning meals for at least a week at a time. Do not throw away leftovers, make packed lunches or use them for dinner the next day.
Me and my friends are giving each outher clothes that we don´t use anymore. I´ve got som pretty dresses and cardigans this way and my friend´s got some "new" clothes from me than were fine but I don´t wear them anymore.
Also, make sure to swich of lamps whenever leave a room.
/Johanna
We also set the thermostat low in the winter. I just have to wear a sweater and slippers at all times :) A programmable thermostat can take the temp even lower at night (or you can do it manually) when everyone is snug in their beds.
Draw the curtains or shades at night to help insulate windows, but don't forget to open them up when the sun is shining on them to help warm up the house! One of those draft-blocking snakes under the doors really seems to help too.
Honestly the biggest energy saver we have in our home is we heat with a woodstove. We installed it in a fireplace that is in the living room. Our home was built in 1951 and leaks heat like a strainer. $350 a year for wood and our electric stays quite low! The stove was new and paid itself back in two years.
I used to have some friends that had some type of devise attatched to the door that played music as long as it was open!
We keep our thermostat low too. About 63 during the day and 52 at night. My family lives in Texas, and they turn their furnace completely off a night! I like to dry clothes on a rack or hangers to save running the drier.
Get a programmable thermostat, and program it to drop the heat a few degrees lower (not too low for your pets or your pipes!) when you are either away at work or sleeping.
Then add an extra cover to the bed.
Over the past two years, we've been making an effort to reduce our electricity usage, doing things like changing to CFLs, using power strips to plug in computers and televisions (and turning everything off when not in use), and not using the dryer - at all
The result has been a reduction in our electricity usage by an average of 8 kWh per day.
These are all great ideas! Keep them coming. I'm going to look into installing some motion sensor lights, programmable thermostats, and I really want the singing door!
Yeah...I have completely given up on the whole keep the fridge door shut thing. My kids just laugh at me now! LOL
Lets see, some energy savings tips my family has found useful are: *Line drying our clothes during the summer
*Using solar powered outdoor lighting
*Using only compact florescent bulbs in all our lighting fixtures
*Keeping computers and/or monitors turned off when we aren't using them
*Putting lids on pots when cooking heats the contents quicker and thus uses less energy to achieve the same results
*Keep your deep freeze or refridgerator full (even if you have to stuff it with water filled 2 liter bottles) to make the appliance run less to keep the contents cool
*Instead of using our central air conditioning system in the summer - we make use of a swamp cooler and several ceiling fans which saves us tons on our electric bill!
A woodstove-yes I know its bad for the environment. I was told by a friend that the coffee pot is the most expensive appliance in the house so I unplug it everyday.
PS I like your blog and have added you to my favorites
One thing we have tried that does not work yet is diode lighting. We bought diode light bulbs from Sams Club. They take very little electricity 3-7 watts. But the 3 watt bulbs are so dim they are worthless. The 7 watt bulbs are very deceiving. They put out a bluish color light. When we put piece of paper under the diode light and under the flourecent light there appeared to be much more light reflected on the paper from the diode light. But I swear the room is not as bright as with the flourecent light. I think diode lighting is in our future but the technology is not there yet.
Perhaps this one is a little extreme for some people - but changing our hygiene habits can save energy, and water too. A daily shower is self-perpetuating, stripping natural oils that help protect hair and skin. Even showering every other day can make a difference. Navy showers are also a good way to help conserve hot water. Installing an on-demand water heater is a big energy saver when it comes to hot water.
Laundry is a huge energy user - even if you line dry. Try doing less laundry. Natural fabrics such as wool and bamboo can be worn longer than synthetics because they breath. Small messes on clothes can be spot-washed and that worn-clothes smell can be aired out of otherwise clean clothes.
Kirsten jogged my memory about when I was station in Germany while serving in the Army 40 some years ago. My wife and I rented an apartment from a German lady. We shared the kitchen and laundry facilites. After a couple months, the lady asked why we washed our clothes so often and didn't we know that would ware them out. In Germany they have the habit of airing out clothes and bedding. Every day they take the bedding off the bed and hang it up to air out. Sometimes they hang it out the window. But then again the women there didn't shave armpits or legs and didn't use deoderant. I wouldn't recommend that to save energy.
I'm fastidious about unplugging electrical items which are not in use. I was shocked to hear about the phantom draw from "off" appliances and how costly this unseen usage can be. Power strips are very helpful in managing pc's, tv's etc, where lots of appliances are in the same area. We also try to buy used items vs. new where possible. We also do a lot of our food preparation from scratch using garden ingredients if we have them!
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