Non-Business Thread But Its Kinda Biz Related Also LOL

So a few months back i decided it was time to change all of the lightbulbs in the house and office to those energy saving ones and today i just saw our first electricity bill....

It looks like we actually saved $30 in electricity by just swapping out the regular lightbulbs for these energy efficient ones.

I must admit i was very sceptical of whether there would actually be any savings that were noticable but it looks like we'll end up saving about $140 a year in electricity costs :)

Im wondering what else we can do to save power (and money) now LOL

Regards,

Lee

How about a water heater timer or a tankless system?

Or unplugging all your zombie electronics like vcrs in guest rooms or other crap that you don't need plugged in all the time.

Jimmy

Here's what I did

-- All "wall warts" for phone chargers, MP3 player, computer speakers, etc are on one power strip which I turn off every night before going to bed

-- TV, cable box, VCR, DVD player, and stereo are also plugged into a power strip which is turned off except when in use.

-- I had a demand hot water thing on my sink that delivers boiling water instantly. I drink tea about once a week or less. I unplugged it.

-- I put computers, monitors, etc on power strips also, and turn the strip off at night.

It seems that almost nothing actually turns off these days when you hit the power switch. Almost all appliances still use a small amount of power when off. By unplugging or putting on a power strip with all these appliances, I did make a substantial dent in my power bill. Probably not as much as replacing all the light bulbs did, but it definitely helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gaybucks_chip

It seems that almost nothing actually turns off these days when you hit the power switch.

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I work for a power company as a call centre agent as my main job.

Obviously im talking from a uk perspective but id guess its all the same.

Keeping things on standby is the big mistake people make. If its on standby its using power! Leaving your cell phone charger plugged in, for example.

Most people could save 30% of their bills according to training i had from our energy efficiency people. Thats without major work - just simple stuff. Turn the heating down by a few degrees, change timers to come on later and switch of earlier. All adds up.

Lee contact your power company. They should be able to offer advice.

You can buy good rooftop solar water heaters from China for $300-$450. They include the tank and everything. Domestic solar water heater installations usually cost $3500 and up, so the Chinese ones are a lot cheaper.

I'm impressed by how the US change about power conservation - I truely mean it.

Here I only know on-demand-water heaters - up until I met my current BF - he has a hot water tank which he turns on before he needs hot water, then he turns it off again (the tank is insulated and keeps the water warm).

We exchanged lightbulps for the energy conserving ones. The hot water radiator (standart here in DE) is on medium setting when we are at home and turned to zero when gone for a longer time and at nights. This gives us about 62F to 68F (17 to 20 Celsius).

TV, receiver, DVD and that jazz is all on a powerplug like at Chip's. The only thing which is on standby (in the WHOLE apartement) is the radio. Microwave has a clock (seems there are none without) and the fridge.

DEVELISH

Water Heaters are the #2 power user. If it's in a cool area, insulate it. Turn if off entirely if it's not needed continuously. Setting it to 120 degrees is usually fine (most are set to 140 by default).

Or as someone else suggested, replace with a tankless system. Leaky faucets also put a ding in the hot water bill.

LCD monitors consume 1/2 to 1/3 the power of an equivalent CRT monitor (the larger your screen, the more you save).

If you're otherwise indifferent, LCD TVs consume less than Plasmas.

If you have an AC, install it on the best-shaded side of the home. Improving ventilation in HOT attics also helps cool the entire house.

you only need one light to brighten your work area.
heating? wear more clothes if its cold, and open a a window if its hot! People in africa dont have air-con, just as santas elves dont have heating, just good clothes. Yeah sure, unplug stuff, or why not go green? Get a windmill in your garden (yard) or solar pannel your roof!!!!!!!!

Why thing about how to pay your suppliers less, when you could go green and pay them nothing ever ever again? No this isnt impossible, many people are doing it these days!

And if you cant go green, and really do struggle to pay your power bills, maybe you should be looking for a part time job.

And as a final note, i am in full support of going green. Generating you own power is the future!

I am all for this green stuff but don’t go nuts man, I am from TX I am not sure where you live but if you think you can making thought the summer without air-con then I would really like to see you do it.

air con is a huge electricity waster, if you need it, try to only use it in the rooms you are in and not the whole house. Fresh air is much better for you anyway.

I personally hate the blue-ness of those energy efficient lights, but you can go out and buy the miser lights, which use something like 52Watts instead of 60, with no noticeable difference in brightness.

In Australia, we had a rooftop solar hot water system with an electrical override, we only used the override 4 or 5 times a year. Those things work well and save too. Here in Panama, all hot water is heated by gas with one of those tiny "heat as you go" type heaters, it warms the water only when you need it. Gas is way cheaper here so that saves a fortune every month.

cheers,
Luke

Max - lots of folks in Texas make it without AC. Sheesh.

Sides, in Texas you can get a swamp cooler, which is much much cheaper.

As to not going nuts about going green... Im not sure you noticed, but the earth is sort of on the brink of destruction?

we have a big victorian house in Boston and wear three layers of clothes in the winter to cut the thermostat a few degrees and I don't think we're any worse for wear. small change for big savings