Greening Your Home - Single, cheapest, easiest thing to save energy

Single, cheapest, easiest thing to save energy. I think it's a uninsulated water tank to preheat water entering the water heater. Especially if it's summer and not in the basement. What do you think is the single, cheapest, easiest thing to do to save energy?:thinker:

What do you think is the single, cheapest, easiest thing to do to save energy?:thinker:

Turn off the lights.......

Single, cheapest, easiest thing to save energy. I think it's a uninsulated water tank to preheat water entering the water heater. Especially if it's summer and not in the basement. What do you think is the single, cheapest, easiest thing to do to save energy?:thinker:

This would only (help) if you are in the deep south.

In my house, aside from turning off the A/C which will never happen, it would be to stop using the clothes dryer and hang clothes outside. 5000 watts for an hour = 5 killowatt hours per load (roughly). 2 loads a day and .15 cents per KWH = around $45 per month + the air conditioned air it sucks out while running.

My water heater is in the hot attic and in the summer our gas bill runs between $10 and $20 each month. We also cook with gas, stove and grill, so I don't think adding a tank to pre heat the water, although it's a great thought, would save enough to make it worth it.

Doug M.

I would like to add a few things to this list.
First, because I am a plumber, I would say keep those darn annoying water savers in your faucets and shower heads, and check to make sure there are no water leaks in your house. Especially if you are on a well, any of the above causes your pump to come on more frequently. And wastes a LOT of water.

I believe in the turning off the lights and replacing the bulbs with the new low energy bulbs, BUT, do not just go and replace them until they need to be replaced or you are just causing an energy waste footprint in other ways, ie: the energy used to produce, deliver, and market the new bulb, and disposal of the old bulb.

Turn the A/C to fan as often as possible, in hot weather.
Shut off the computer...Oops, then I couldn't be here helping out...
Here is a good one, how about going outside for a walk instead of using one of these !
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_141.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNfox000)

1. If you have a pool, build an inexpensive solar heater for the pool. I did one for around $125.00 and it raises the temp of the pool over 10 degrees during the day (without a cover) . It took some PVC pipe, a few fittings and 3,000 feet of 1/2" Poly pipe. It takes about a 10' diameter area for the Poly coil but I put mine on a flat section of the roof and it works great. (my pool is 90 degrees, I like it hot):)

2. If you have a pool and the AC exterior unit is nearby you can put together a cheap heat exchanger to take the heat from the AC and transfer it to the pool. It takes 10' of 2" PVC, 2 caps, 2 T's 2 90's and 12' of copper tubing. Because the copper tubing has to be placed into the hot line from the AC it is best to do this when you are replacing the exterior unit. In addition to providing free heat to the pool, it will also make the AC more efficient by dissipating the heat into 70-80 degree water rather than into 90 degree air.

I think that replacing regular fluorescent lightbulbs in your house with energy star approved/efficient light bulbs. Yes, they may be a bit more expensive, but they do last a lot longer!!! I think I have the same bulb in my lamp from four years ago still illuminating my desk at night.

For the winter, insulating your house and making sure that any cracks or holes in the house are patched up to keep drafts out and heat in. Even rolling up or stuffing towels under the door and between cracks helps tremendously. Buying an inexpensive heater/heat lamp is great for heating individual rooms, and to get the hot hair circulating, small fans that can be attached to doorways can do the trick.

During the summer, the A/C is probably the number one energy drainer.

Other simple options would be using cold water to wash your clothes, or hanging them up to dry. If that gives you starchy, stiff clothing, try tumbling your clothes as you normally would in the dryer for half the time you usually do and then try laying them out in the tub or the shower as the second half to your drying procedure.

mandarin.mint

A couple of personal opinions that may apply, depending on your location/climate -

If you are in a variable climate, you could be wasting time and money by insulating a cold water heater. First, most heaters are quite well insulated. Second, most heaters are within the conditioned living space, so during or near the heating season, the small amount of hest lost is really not lost, but is uncontrolled heating of the conditioned space. It just contributes to the internal temperature. If you have reasonable circulation, it actually reduces the load on the heating plant.

If you are air conditioning, look at the 7 day forcast and decide if you want to close up the house for a while or not. Because removal of humidity is a big part of the load to get comfort, opening up and then closing requires more power than continuously operating with a low interterior humidity that permits higher thermostat settings. If you have a DC variable speed fan, you can operate the fan at a very low cost.

It never hurts to have a programmable thermostat.

We typically go from -20F to +100F annually, so you just have to think with the seasons.

Dick

I think the best way to save energy is to turn off all appliances/lights when you are not using them, as well as use as little energy as possible (such as taking shorter showers).

I'm only saying this slightly tongue-in-cheek...

but, if you are single, Sell that gas-hog SUV that doesn't really impress anyone and buy a motorcycle, or at least a smartcar of some kind.

I'm 57 and ride an old 1979 Yamaha XS-650 and love it! I have saddlebags and even use it to do my grocery shopping. And...um... er... the ladies ~are~ impressed by leather chaps.

Every since our home energy audit last fall I have been collecting different energy conservation tips from a variety of sources. We have listed them, one after the other, on the [URL="http://nolinksallowed.com[/URL]page of our home web site.

Appologies in advance if this type of linking is not allowed.

What we did was to group them by different attributes because what is most important to one person, say financial payback, is not the same thing that is the most important attribute to the next person, say installation cost & effort.

So far we are up to 80 different suggestions. And from the page linked above you can access the full spreadsheet and sort on the attribute that is the most important to you.

I hope this helps,
Dan

I've got one of those large digitally controlled rotisserie / toaster / ovens. During the winter, I use it in my kitchen, but when it gets warm, I set it up on my screened in porch and cook out there. I just have a window air conditioner and it could not cope with all that extra heat being pumped into the kitchen. Saves a lot of electricity moving the oven outdoors during the summer.

Best thing I ever did ... and it saved me 30% on my monthly electric bill:

shut off the basement dehumidifier, which ran 24/7.

(also put all my electronics on power strips, so I can fully power them down when not in use).

Tom
PS - I used a "Kill-o-watt" meter ($19 on ebay) to check the draw from every consumer in the house. Was amazed how much current that dehumidifier (fan and compressor) was sucking up.

[QUOTE=NutmegCT;1427574]Best thing I ever did ... and it saved me 30% on my monthly electric bill:

shut off the basement dehumidifier, which ran 24/7.

One problem with turning of the dehumidifier is that the humidity could raise above 55% and you could get a mold problem. If your in a green grass state a dehumidifier will most likely be needed in a basement.

Best thing I ever did ... and it saved me 30% on my monthly electric bill:

shut off the basement dehumidifier, which ran 24/7.


Yep, it's an air conditioner without removing heat. But you need to keep humidity to 50-60% or health & durability issues will arise.

Properly grade so water moves away from your house, make sure your gutters remove water away from your foundation, air seal your basement so warm, humid air doesn't infiltrate and your humidifier - when set properly - will run only when it needs to.

Well, the house was built in 1826, and has the original dirt floor cellar. I've added a drainage "conduit" in the floor, and steel support columns on concrete bases (for the floor beams). But with the dirt floor (now covered with a foot of gravel) and original stone cellar walls, humidity just isn't going to be "controllable"

I think that running the dehumidifier 24/7 was like sticking a finger in a leaking dike. It helps ... but only for a while.

Thanks.
Tom

Rh is controllable! You need a vapor barrier on the floor. A good dehumidifier should be able to handle a cellar easy.