Saving Energy at Home, Part 2

Welcome back! As I said in the first article, "I'm just getting started!" So, where do we go from here?

In this article I have again put together a list of low or no cost things to do that can save you money. Now, each one on its own probably will not make much of a dent in your electric and/or gas bill but when combined and added to what you have already done based on my previous article:

"Save Up to 50% or More on Your Home Electric Bill Almost for Free!" (Of course, you have done all of that, haven't you?) You should see a substantial reduction in your monthly energy bill the next time around.

Ok, where do we begin?

Let's start in the kitchen with the dishwasher. Your dishwasher uses very hot water to clean your dishes. A common fallacy is that you must set your hot water heater to 145 Deg. F in order for the dishwasher to function. In actuality, most dishwashers built after to late '90's have built-in water heaters to bring that water up to the required temperature so check your water temperature and set it at no more than 125 Deg. F. If it is higher, you are wasting money! Also, remember to run your dishwasher during "off-peak hours".

You will need to go to the store and get a good thermometer, look at the inexpensive digital units. Once you purchase one check to make sure it is accurate. You say, "how do I do that?" Very simply, take a glass and fill it half full of water and the rest with ice. Water and ice can only co-exist at one temperature and that is 32 Deg. F., or freezing, let it sit in the 'frig for about 5 to 10 minutes, put your new thermometer in the glass, it should read 32 Deg. F. Oh, by the way, this is not the only time we will be using the thermometer so keep it handy!

Now, where else can we make use of your new "toy"?

Lets' go back to the refrigerator, again, pulling out your trusty "calibrated" thermometer (You did calibrate it, didn't you?) place it in a glass of water that has been standing on the middle shelf of the 'frig for a good half hour or more. You should be in the range of 35 to 38 Deg. F. Any lower you are wasting energy (Money!). CAUTION, do NOT set it above 38 Deg. F. trying to save more money! Food may spoil and food poisoning could result.

Now, lets' move to the freezer section. Again, using your thermometer, place it in the freezer section of your refrigerator and leave it there for at least 15 to 30 minutes. You should have it set for between 0 Deg. F. and 5 Deg. F., any lower and you are wasting energy and money!

Still in the kitchen, lets' look at the faucet in the kitchen sink, and of course, it doesn't drip, does it? If so, FIX IT! Hot water causes the seals to eventually fail causing a drip. Most newer faucets use a simple cartridge that can be easily replaced, DO IT NOW!

Does your kitchen faucet have an aerator nozzle on it? If not, GET ONE! It retards the flow of water (saving MONEY!) and yet helps do a better job of rinsing items. Again, many little grains of sand make a beach; don't over look the small stuff!

While we are on the subject of good old H2O, lets' talk about usage. Do you have low-flow shower heads in the bathrooms, if not GET THEM. I just bought new ones at Wal-Mart for about $13.00 USD! Also, get a cheap egg timer and time your showers! I have it down to 2 minutes!

Do you have low-volume toilets? If not, don't rush out to replace them! First, as always, make sure that the level control is not allowing the unit to leak through (you will hear dripping in the water closet if it is), if it is, FIX IT RIGHT NOW! And if they are not low-volume units you can simply displace some of the water in the tank by using bricks. Now this one you will have to play with to get the level right for a complete flush but in the end you will save water (MONEY!).

If you live in the country, check to see that your well expansion tank has the proper amount of pressure in it, if not, it could be "short-cycling" your well pump and wasting energy as well as shortening the life of the pump (mark this as VERY EXPENSIVE to RELACE!).

Make sure that none of your faucets are dripping; this includes your outdoor faucets! If they are, FIX THEM RIGHT NOW!

Now lets' go to the laundry room and check out your washer and dryer. Now, you can't usually adjust the actual temperature settings (A qualified service technician can) but you can do a couple of things starting by doing all laundry at night during off-peak hours. Where ever possible wash using cold water detergent and dry on as low a setting as the fabrics will allow, also wash and dry like fabrics and colors together. ALWAYS make full loads your goal to help cut down on electric and/or gas usage! And on the dryer make sure your dryer vents are free and clear of lint, fires have been known to start because of excessive lint buildup!

There are two last items that I want to cover, one is cheap, the other you will have to play with to determine if it will work for you.

The first item is what I call "a no-brainer" but is usually overlooked by most people.

Your outside lighting is our next stop. You cannot use efficient fluorescent light bulbs in areas of the country because they do not function below certain temperatures. However, a simple little thing like simply reducing the wattage of the bulbs can make a big difference! Example:

I have 5 standard outdoor fixtures designed to use 60 watt bulbs. By reducing these to 40 watt bulbs I have lowered my usage by 100 watts and you can not see much of a difference at all! If you are located in a low crime area, put a timer on your outdoor lighting circuit. Get one that uses a sensor to turn them on at dusk and off at say 9 or 10PM (what ever works for you!), this way you will not forget to turn them off (which I almost always did!). Or, if not needed, LEAVE THEM OFF entirely when ever possible!

The last item on this free or at least "cheap" list concerns your furnace. If you have a forced hot air system and central air conditioning this could save you a LOT OF MONEY during the cooling season! Now, please understand, this may not work for everyone and it will not work under certain outdoor air conditions such as high humidity especially if your furnace draws fresh circulating air from outside (Please note: this usually pertains to older furnaces only!). Newer furnaces have a "closed circuit" in which they simply recycle the indoor air while using a separate circuit for combustion air that is drawn into the furnace, heated, moved across a heat exchanger and then exhausted to the outside, this way you retain maximum efficiency in your furnace with out wasting what you have already heated, and always remember to change the filter on a regular basis.

During the evening hours if the outdoor air temperature drops below the temperature inside the house and the humidity is relatively low you can reduce your cooling costs considerably by opening a few windows and turning on just the fan switch on your furnace and let it run constantly at night. This will promote a cooling effect in the house without running the air conditioning and "pre-cool" the house. In the morning simply close your windows, continue to allow the fan to run but activate you air conditioning.

Buy doing this and setting the air temp to above 75 Deg. F., even 78, you should be able to save on your air conditioning bill during the cooling season, once set point is reached set back to "auto" mode, but this is one you will have to play with to determine your optimal settings and, again, it may not be for you depending where you live.

So there you have it, the second installment of how to cut your energy bill "On The Cheap" as they say. Again, I highly recommend getting "The Energy Savings Manual", see the attached link and stay tuned for "The Rest Of The Story", my final chapter before getting really serious about getting you "OFF THE GRID".

To get your copy of the "Energy Savings Maual" please go to; [http://www.villagemediaproductions.com]

P.S. I'm now down $85 to $100 a month and my utility thought something was wrong with my meter!

Jay is an "EX" utility company employee where he taught power plant maintenance for WE Energies and was head of Customer Service Training for Alliant Energies. Jay also taught building automation and environmental controls installation and operations for companies such as: Johnson Cotrols, Landis & Gyr, Invensys and was head of training in North America for Cleaver-Brooks, Division of Aqua-Chem for several years.

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