Energy Conservation

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Energy Efficient Upgrades for your Home

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tahoemnts on

From: miniwasherdryer.com

Homeowners are paying more attention than ever to energy efficiency when renovating, but you do not have to commit to a major renovation to improve the efficiency of your home. In fact, you do not have to renovate at all; small steps toward improved energy efficiency can save you money in the long run while reducing your home’s environmental impact. Here are some renovation-free upgrade ideas that will give you a more energy efficient home: Look for the Energy Star label when replacing appliances and electronics. The Energy Star certifies that a product complies with precise efficiency guidelines put forth by the Environmental Protection ... Read Full Story

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Energy Saving Tips

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tahoemnts on

From: miniwasherdryer.com

Astonishingly, Americans generally spend $1600 or more a year on their utility bills. Not only is much of this wasted energy, but more carbon dioxide is emitted into the air from one home than two average cars. The following tips will help you save energy costs both at home and in the car. *Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system. * Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. * Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle. * Turn off ... Read Full Story

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Energy Efficient Household Items That You Can Use Today

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tahoemnts on

From: miniwasherdryer.com

In America today, we spend over $100 billion each year on fuel and electricity for our homes. Even Seascape condos, often models of efficient living can have utility bills that can make the owners cringe. Nearly half of this cost is taken by the heating and cooling of the home, with water heating accounting for 14% and appliances account for approximately 41%. If you’re interested in lowering your overall energy bills, there are a number of household items that can help you in your quest. Changing the appliances in your home is one of the easiest ways to not only reducing your overall energy ... Read Full Story

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Energy Saving Tips

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girishvarma on

From: ecoaltenergy.blogspot.com

The United States Department of Energy has provided a 36 page information package on ways to save on energy. You can view the full PDF file here, but today we will focus on a concise version of the information they have provided. Astonishingly, Americansgenerally spend $1600 or more a year on their utility bills. Not only is much of this wasted energy, but more carbon dioxide is emitted into the air from one home than two average cars. The following tips will help you save energy costs both at home and in the car. Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably ... Read Full Story

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Defending the Underdog: The Bright Side of Energy-Saving CFL Bulbs

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PeterE on

Market dynamics often demonstrate that subsidies create unsustainable demand for the products to which they apply. Witness the auto sales acceleration in July and August of this year while the federal "Cash for Clunkers" program was in effect. Since the program ended, domestic auto sales have fallen back to pre-program levels. According to a post on the Green Inc. blog in late September, sales of CFL bulbs are also declining as sponsors of rebate programs across the country report trouble in maintaining their funding. Especially concerned about this development is Richard Karney, the Department of Energy's Energy Star products manager, who wrote to CFL ... Read Full Story

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Save energy. Save money

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tahoemnts on

From: miniwasherdryer.com

Conserving energy is easier than you might think. Here are a few simple tips. 1. Close your blinds. Window treatments help insulate your home from both the heat and the cold. Drawing the drapes and closing the blinds can lower your energy consumption with the flick of the wrist. 2. Use fans. In the summer, put fans around your house or apartment and turn the AC down. Fans cool people, not entire rooms. A breeze makes the room feel a few degrees cooler. Just be sure to turn it off when you leave the room. In the winter, a ceiling fan is great for ... Read Full Story

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Sandia labs wants to improve the world's lighting

From: www.ap.org

Sandia National Laboratories scientist Jerry Simmons envisions a future of brighter, more efficient lights, with people even being able to tune the color of light in a room to suit a mood or the time of day. What he has in mind is definitely not Thomas Edison's light bulb. It isn't even a bulb in the sense of incandescent bulbs, the newer twisty compact fluorescent lighting bulbs or the fluorescent tubes that light offices. What Sandia is working toward is a better light bulb using LEDs — light emitting diodes — such as those that power flashlights and traffic lights. The payoff could be ... Read Full Story

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Top Links: Ways to personally conserve energy

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Energy Efficent Lighting

Checklist for action - home energy usage

Practical Home Energy Saving

Living Eco Friendly

Daily Home Renovation Tips - ecoENERGY

This page provides links to a 15 article series of a home owner with an energy audit.

Reduce Household Waste

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Ways to Reduce Household Waste

Do not purchase products with excessive or unnecessary packaging.
Purchase products in the largest size practical so as to reduce the product:packaging ratio. However, do not purchase products in larger quantities than you will actually use, and be aware that having a larger quantity on hand may cause you to use more of the product than you would have ordinarily used.
Use and reuse gift bags in place of gift wrap.
Bring your own bags or boxes along when shopping to carry your purchases home.
Put off purchases whenever possible. You will often find that you didn't really need the item.
Use rechargeable batteries instead of conventional batteries.
Compost

Ways to Reduce Water Usage

Install water-saving showerheads, faucets, and toilets.
Take showers instead of baths.
Take shorter showers.
Use the light cycle when using a dishwasher on dishes that aren't extremely dirty. Try the same when using a washing machine.
Install a water softener if your water is "hard".
Water outdoor plants early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation.
Use a public swimming pool instead of purchasing your own.
Fix leaky pipes and plumbing fixtures in your home's plumbing system. Toilet tank leaks are easily detected by adding a few drops of food coloring to the water reservoir. If the water in the toilet bowl becomes dyed, water is leaking from the tank and the valve should be repaired or replaced.
Lower the water level of your toilet's water reservoir. Be careful not to lower it to the point that it does not flush adequately. If your toilet's flush mechanism does not allow an easy way to lower the water level, place a brick or glass jar filled with water into the water tank, clear of the flush mechanism, to displace water.

Reduce Lighting Costs

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Ways to Reduce Lighting Costs

Take advantage of sunlight and leave lights off during the day. If possible, adjust your daily routine to align your waking hours with sunlit hours.
Replace incandescent night lights with LED or eletroluminescent lights.
Don't use excessive holiday lighting.
Dust light bulbs occasionally to increase light levels.
Use limited, focused lighting when performing a task in a small area instead of lighting the entire room.
Choose light fixtures that require fewer bulbs, or unscrew some of the bulbs in existing fixtures.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs in place of conventional incandescent light bulbs. A CFL uses approximately one-fourth the wattage of an incandescent bulb producing a similar level of illumination, and they last 8,000 to 10,000 hours. The savings in electricity typically amounts to over $30 per replaced bulb. Replace your most-used bulbs first for maximum savings.
Install motion-detection switches or timers for outdoor lighting rather than leaving lights on all night.
Install dimmer switches for incandescent light fixtures so you can use less light when less is needed. Most CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs are not designed for use with a dimmer.