Home Energy Savings For Energy Watchers

47 Reasons Why You Should Save Energy

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:04:00 +0000

Saving energy saves you money.
Saving energy feels good.
Saving energy helps keep our civilization intact.
Saving energy helps keep your household organized.
Saving energy helps you lose weight.
Saving energy is a good example for the kids.
Saving energy is just good common sense.
Saving energy is only fair.
Saving energy is just good politics.
Saving energy is conservative. (It’s no coincidence that the word “conserve” appears in both “conservation” and “conservative”.)
Saving energy improves your competitive edge in business.
Saving energy is good for the economy.
Saving energy is good stewardship of the Earth. (“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15).)
Saving energy can lead to significant tax savings.
Saving energy is just good business.
Saving energy is patriotic.
Saving energy makes your machinery last longer.
You'll keep dollars at home instead of sending them to OPEC.
Saving energy now lets you decide – and not the government – when and where and how you will change your energy usage.
Saving energy is liberal. (It’s not just hippies and Democrats who worry about the environment – how we all use energy affects all of us.)
Saving energy helps preserve indigenous cultures.
Saving energy helps save the polar bears.
Saving energy helps save the rain forest.
Saving energy improves your karma.
Saving energy is hip.
Saving energy is nice to everyone around you.
Saving energy lets you feel smug and superior to your neighbors.
Saving energy makes Obama happy.
Saving energy keeps you off the road.
Saving energy ticks off Exxon.
Saving energy makes the most of limited resources.
Saving energy makes you less wasteful.
Saving energy produces less toxic waste.
Saving energy reduces air pollution.
Saving energy reduces global warming.
Saving energy saves massive amounts of water.
Saving energy shows that you’re a leader.
Saving energy shows that you know when to jump on the bandwagon.
Saving energy shows that you’re paying attention.
Saving energy shows that you aren’t a clueless dork.
Dinners by candle light are more romantic than dinners by electric light.
Energy-efficient houses are worth more than energy hogs.
All of your friends are saving energy – why aren’t you?
Energy is the basis of our civilization -- without it, we are poor, hungry, and living in the dark.
The energy – and money – you save today may be useful tomorrow. Why not think about your future?
Our children and grandchildren might want to use fossil fuels for some reason or other – why not leave some behind for them?
You know it's the right thing to do.

February 2010 Utility Bills

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:38:00 +0000

My Dearest Family —

The weather continues surpassingly cold and wet, with no apparent end in sight ...

February 2010 was 50% colder than February 2009, with 703 heating degree days (HDD) this year versus 473 HDD last year. I am proud to say that we used only 25% as much natural gas as we did a year ago — our program of adding additional insulation, improving weatherstripping, and programming the thermostat is really working!

Another measure of home energy savings is that our BTUs consumed per square foot over the course of last month rose only 20% year-over-year ...

February 2010 Data

	Electricity, in kWh	Cost / Unit	Gas, in Therms	Cost / Unit	Water, in CCF	Cost / Unit	BTUs / Ft²
This Month	695	$.096	265	$1.29	5	$2.35	8,254
Last Month	827	$.093	408	$1.12	5	$2.35	12,471
Last Year	800	$.095	214	$1.22	8	$1.84	6,898

January 2010 Utility Bills

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:07:00 +0000

I complained about the cold last month — it's what you do in December, after all — but January set a new record since we began recordkeeping, with 813 Heating Degree Days (HDD). I am looking back on our $295 utility bill in December with nostalgia because January's bill was $547!

My daughter went back to school, so electricity and water usage came back down to normal. Our sticker shock this month is solely due to natural gas, and the price of natural gas actually came down a little bit. There is some good news buried in the data, however. Although HDD were up 25% over January last year, our natural gas usage went up only by 15% — I think adding the extra insulation in the basement really made a difference!

January 2010 Data

	Electricity, in kWh	Cost / Unit	Gas, in Therms	Cost / Unit	Water, in CCF	Cost / Unit	BTUs / Ft²
This Month	827	$.093	408	$1.12	5	$2.35	12,471
Last Month	1,003	$.092	165	$1.14	7	$2.12	5,695
Last Year	808	$.093	349	$1.23	5	$2.29	10,766

December 2009 Utility Bills

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:56:00 +0000

December was colder than usual, by about 25% — 701 Heating Degree Days (HDD) versus 505 HDD last year. This doesn't quite account for the 50% increase in natural gas usage year-over-year, however — that would be my daughter home for college for most of December. I seem to recall that the TV was on most of the time as well, which might well account for the 15% increase in electricity use. Of course, running the Christmas lights didn't help, either. All in all, our utility bills for December came to $295. Ouch!

December 2009 Data

	Electricity, in kWh	Cost / Unit	Gas, in Therms	Cost / Unit	Water, in CCF	Cost / Unit	BTUs / Ft²
This Month	1,003	$.092	165	$1.14	7	$2.12	5,695
Last Month	564	$.101	69	$1.15	6	$2.15	2,523
Last Year	864	$.092	106	$1.26	8	$1.84	3,873

Keep Track of Your Energy Costs

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

With New Year's right around the corner, it's time to think about your energy-saving resolution for the new year. May we suggest that you start keeping track of your energy costs?

It is vital to know how much energy you are using — otherwise, how will you know if your efforts to save energy are effective? Energy Watcher is happy to offer our free Utility Bill Tracking Spreadsheet as a tool to help you get started.

And if you are one of the hundreds of people who have downloaded our spreadsheet in the past year — please let us know what you think! We are eager to hear how you have used it, and would be extremely happy to share your results with the rest of the Energy Watcher readership.

Go Easy On the Christmas Lights

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Use LED Christmas lights for holiday decoration. They can last up to 10,000 hours, are just as bright and twinkly as the old-fashioned lights, and use 90% of the power, which can add up to big savings over the holiday season.

And put your Christmas lights on a timer!

Add Extra Blankets & Turn Down the Thermostat

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Here's a tidbit to think over — it is just as comfortable and far cheaper for us to run electric blankets overnight than it is to heat our house while we sleep.

It'll work for you, too.

If you're cold at night, an electric blanket will keep you toasty and warm without heating the entire house. You can program your thermostat to turn itself down overnight and use an electric blanket to warm up the 18 or so square feet that you are actually occupying while you sleep.

And if you want to really save money, just put a couple of extra blankets on your bed — and program down your thermostat to turn itself down overnight.

Buy Each Other Energy Star Appliances For Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Quick, guys, what's the least romantic thing you could possibly buy for your wife this Christmas? That's right, Energy Star appliances.

Let me give you a tip — you know your wife wants a new kitchen. Why do you think she watches HGTV? If you offer to replace one of those old, inefficient appliances with a new Energy Star appliance, without being prompted, I guarantee she will love it.

The average American home spends about $2,200 on energy costs every year, and there's only so much you can do with furnace filters and weatherstripping to keep costs down. When the time comes, smile and reach into your wallet for new, sexy, modern, efficient appliances. (If it helps, think about the $100 or more that you will be saving on your utility bills each year.)

November 2009 Utility Bills

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:58:00 +0000

November was warmer than usual, which led to a $150 savings this month over November 2008, even though electricity and water costs are both up over the same time period. Of course, setting the thermostat to 60°F overnight and 65°F during the day helps a lot, too.

Due to the warmer weather, fewer people living in the house, and let's not forget the energy-saving tips found here on Energy Watcher, we have reduced our BTUs consumed per square foot of living space by half over November 2008!

November 2009 Data

	Electricity, in kWh	Cost / Unit	Gas, in Therms	Cost / Unit	Water, in CCF	Cost / Unit	BTUs / Ft²
This Month	564	$.101	69	$1.15	6	$2.15	2,523
Last Month	823	$.096	40	$1.16	5	$2.35	1,946
Last Year	713	$.096	157	$1.32	7	$1.95	5,184

Turn Off & Unplug Electronic Gadgets

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

We are in the middle of the busiest shopping weekend of the year, and one of the biggest and most exciting purchases you probably made this year is some new electronic widget that plugs into a wall. Wouldn't it be a shame to save all that money by fighting through the crowds on Black Friday morning — and then waste an equivalent amount of money because you (or more likely your kids) forgets to turn it off?

The simplest, fastest, and most effective way to save on your power bill is to turn electronics off — and if it has a plug, consider un-plugging it as well. (First of all, you won't be so fast to turn it back on if you have to plug it back in first, and second, your gadget won't use any power while it is in standby mode.)

This tip applies equally well to the TV, DVD player, XBox, Playstation, Wii, computer, coffee maker, electric blanket, bathroom exhaust fan, or any other gadget that is typically left on after you're done with it.

Turn it off!

Self-Clean Your Oven After Cooking the Turkey This Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Assuming you don't live in Florida or somewhere equally warm, if you have a self-cleaning oven, consider cleaning it after cooking the turkey this Thanksgiving. Self-cleaning the oven is an expensive exercise because your oven heats up to 800°F for four or five hours. Most ovens use 25 kilowatts per hour, which works out to $2.50 per hour to have the oven on (at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour). Assuming your self-cleaning cycle runs for four hours, you can assume that cleaning the oven will cost you $10.

After cooking a Thanksgiving dinner, the odds are that your oven needs cleaning anyway, right? Since we are trying to save money (remember?), let's find a way to get the most for your money. Since you have everyone over for dinner and the oven is already hot, why not turn down the thermostat and set the oven to clean itself while everyone eats?

Tip: If the spills are too awful, cleaning the oven may generate some smoke or a bad smell. If you are worried about this, turn down your thermostat anyway — having lots of people over will generate heat up your home nicely — and run the self-cleaning cycle overnight after the guests leave.

(You may forget to turn the thermostat back up in the morning ... and that's OK too.)

Plan Ahead For Oven Efficiency This Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Who here has scars on your wrist or arm because you burned it on the oven rack? (I do!) Always think ahead and rearrange the shelves in your oven before you turn it on. Arranging the shelves after the oven has been pre-heated lets a lot of the heat escape — and as a bonus you won't burn yourself while you're adjusting the oven racks.

Speaking of pre-heating the oven — don't! Modern ovens heat up much more quickly than older ovens, and need no more than five or at most ten minutes to heat up fully. Ovens use a lot of elelectricity and that extra ten minutes of pre-heating does you no good at all.

Once the oven gets hot — use it! Always try to plan your menu so that you can maximize the value you get from your energy consumption. If you can cook two casseroles at the same time, and freeze one for later, you spend the same amount heating the oven but get twice as much in return.

Program Your Programmable Thermostat

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

A common theme here on Energy Watcher is that you need to lower your thermostat each winter. This is simply the easiest way there is to save money on your heating bills. As I like to say, "If you're still cold when your thermostat is set to 65°F, you are not wearing enough clothes." Another common theme is that you need to install Energy Star programmable thermostats in your home. These little beauties can automatically lower the temperature while you are sleeping or at work, which can add up to big savings.

But only if you program it!

Too many people fail to take advantage of what their programmable thermostats can do for them. We have ours set to 65°F during the day and 60°F at night when we are snug in our beds with electric blankets — it is far cheaper to run an electric blanket or three than to heat the entire house overnight.

If your schedule dictates that your house will be empty during certain times or even days, you can set your programmable thermostat to turn off the heat until an hour before you return and then warm everything back up so your house is cozy when you walk in the door. Each hour your heat is turned off is money in your pocket.

But only if you program it!

October 2009 Utility Bills

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:57:00 +0000

October was rainy and cool but not cold in Atlanta. We used a little more natural gas because it was about 15% cooler than October, 2008. The big news is that we used about half as much electricity as we did this month last year, continuing the saving from September and hopefully establishing a welcome pattern.

Saving energy at home is really starting to pay off! Our savings from last October to this October is $50 — with the air conditioner turned off.

October 2009 Data

Electricity, in kWh	Cost / Unit	Gas, in Therms	Cost / Unit	Water, in CCF	Cost / Unit	BTUs / Ft²
823	$.096	40	$1.16	5	$2.35	1,936

Reminder: Change Your Car's Oil — Winter 2009

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It's winter, so it's time once again to change your car's motor oil! Do yourself a favor and get the expensive synthetic oil. It lasts longer and does wonderful things for your engine.

While you're at it, you should probably also have your tires rotated and get your air filter changed.

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.- Mike Murdock

Seal Up Your Attic Access

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

One of the biggest challenges in keeping your heating bills low is all the holes in your house. Makes sense, right? If it isn't the warm air getting out, it's the cold air getting in — and that's always through some sort of a hole in your house. This could be a door, a window, a tiny crack where a pipe pokes through a wall — or your attic access.

We may not tend to think about the attic access as a "hole in the house" because it is so clearly inside the house, but if you don't have it properly insulated then your attic access is costing you big money. First of all, you need to have it properly weatherstripped around the edges.

This is not enough, however, because almost all attic access doors are made out of un-insulated plywood (which has a non-existent R-value). I first noticed this when we moved into this house and there was a cold spot in the hallway under the attic access. That's when we invested in one of these:

Here's a couple more pictures. The first one shows how the lid — we call it the lid — works, you just swing it to one side when you go up the stairs:

Here's how it looks from inside the attic:

These units cost around $100 and provide R-9 insulation. Admittedly this is far less than the R-35 insulation that enery experts call for in your attic these days — and far better than the R-0 insulation you had before you bought one.

Dust Your Lights

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

We don't tend to actually see our lightbulbs. Light is what we see with — and looking directly at the light can be uncomfortable or even painful. Lightbulbs tend to be hidden behind lampshades or glass fixtures or set way up high where we can't easily see them. What we need to do then is actually stop and think about our lightbulbs once in a while. Why? Because having energy-efficient lighting is not just about which lightbulb you choose.

When did you last dust your lightbulbs? Clean lightbulbs deliver a lot more light.

When did you last clean the dust and dead bugs from your ceiling fixtures? Lightbulbs in clean fixtures deliver a lot more light, too.

Do you have multiple small lightbulbs or one big lightbulb? One big lightbulbs delivers the same amount of light more efficiently than multiple smaller bulbs with the same wattage.

Do you leave your lights on for security purposes? Having your lights on a timer gives you the security you are looking for without spending so much on electricity.

Note: these tips work equally well regardless of what kind of lightbulb you are using. Of course, by switching to an compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb, you can save 2/3 on your lighting bill ... but then you already knew that, right?

Raking Leaves Is Aerobic Exercise

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The leaves are turning and if your lawn isn't covered yet, it will be soon. This year, try something different — use a rake instead of an an electric- or gasoline-powered leaf blower. (Or get your kids to do it.) It's good to get your heart pumping!

Disclaimer: Energy Watcher is not responsible for sweating, light-headedness, heart palpitations, or having a great big piles of leaves to jump into.

Teaching Kids To Wash Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It's such a chore to get the kids to wash their own clothes, I always thought that getting them to pay attention to energy savings was asking for too much. Things changed, however, when our daughter went off to college and had to start paying for laundry out of her own pocket! So here's a few energy- and money-saving tips to pass on to the little ones:

Always wash full loads of clothes. Washing and drying two half-loads of clothes uses twice as much energy (and money) as washing one full load of clothes.
It is not necessary to wash every article of clothing after each use. Use common sense: if it's dirty or smelly or stained, then wash it; otherwise, it can be worn again.
Towels can be used more than once. 'Nuff said.
You don't need to dump half the bottle of detergent in the washer. It can actually stain your clothes and you will just need to use an extra rinse cycle to get all of the detergent out.
If you pull your hanging clothes out of the dryer while they are just a little bit damp, and hang them up immediately, you won't have so many wrinkles.

September 2009 Utility Bills

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:57:00 +0000

It was rainy and cool in Atlanta this month. There was serious flooding south of us and we even had 12 heating degree days (HDD) — although obviously we did not turn on the furnace. The big news, however, is that we turned off the air conditioner around the beginning of the month and used about half as much electricity this month than we did in September 2008. It was not significantly cooler this year than last, but by turning the thermostat up to 75° this summer we conditioned ourselves to be comfortable at higher temperatures. All told, this saved us nearly $80 this month!

We turned the sprinklers off around the middle of September, with an additional savings of $80. You know, I'd like to find whoever decided that having a green lawn makes your house more valuable and explain the concept of "cost-benefit analysis" to him or her. You might think, with irrigation water going for three gallons for one cent ($0.01), that keeping your lawn green wouldn't cost so much — and you'd be wrong. We spent around $35 per month this summer to make the lawn grow tall and green, so we could spend $100 per month this summer to have it mowed.

September 2009 Data

Electricity, in kWh	Cost / Unit	Gas, in Therms	Cost / Unit	Water, in CCF	Cost / Unit	BTUs / Ft²
1,383	$.107	9	$1.86	11	$2.84	1,606

Fireplaces Suck

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Who doesn't love a roaring fire on a cold winter's night?

Energy watchers!

A chimney is a device that we install in homes with fireplaces with the express purpose of pulling hot air — and smoke, and carbon monoxide — out of the home. People who are interested in keeping hot air in their homes do not have chimneys and therefore do not have fireplaces. I know, I know, there are gas fireplaces that don't have chimneys. We have one in one or our rental houses. I don't trust them to remove enough of the carbon monoxide and don't use it. Normal fireplaces (with chimneys) suck hot air up and out of your home.

If you don't use your fireplace, block it off.

If you do use your fireplace, keep the damper closed whenever you are not using it. You'll know if you forget and you leave the damper open — you'll think you left a window open near the fireplace.

If you do use your fireplace, keep the glass doors on your fireplace closed, including whenever you have a fire in the fireplace. A roaring fire in the fireplace will suck the hot air out of the rest of your house. If you don't have these doors, add them.

And if you really love a roaring fire on a cold winter's night, invest in a proper wood heating system so you can get some value from your fireplace (other than the romantic).

Reminder: Get Your Furnace A Tune-Up — Fall 2009

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:58:00 +0000

It's officially fall, so it's time once again to change your furnace filters! While you're at it, consider getting your furnace a tune-up. With the cost of natural gas higher than ever, it only makes sense to make sure that your furnace is operating at peak efficiency. You can always call the HVAC guys to come in and do it for you, or you can follow these instructions.

By the way, I think you should use the good filters if you can possibly afford it. They last longer, filter better, and actually save you money in the long run.

Things do not change; we change.- Henry David Thoreau

Look For Air Leaks

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Here's a tip you may have read about but never tried: On the next windy day, turn off your HVAC system and all fans, and then light a stick of incense and hold it near doors, windows, and outlets on exterior walls. Watch how the smoke drifts — you should be able to see where drafts are costing you money.

Weatherstripping doors and windors gives you one of the best returns on investment you can get. Don't forget other not-so-obvious trouble zones such as fireplaces, attic access, and electrical outlets on exterior walls — all of these need to be sealed up as well.

If incense isn't your thing, another way to discover where you need some more weatherstripping is to have your house pressure-washed. Any gap in the weatherstripping around your windows and doors that will let water in will also let air out as well.

What Haven't You Looked At Lately?

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Winter's coming pretty soon — what haven't you looked at lately? It's easy to take energy savings for granted:

I did my weatherstripping last year! (Weatherstripping wears out.)
I changed the furnace filters a while back! (If you can't remember when, it's time to change them.)
I programmed the thermostats when I installed them! (The kids adjust the thermostat when we're not looking.)

Take a walk around your house and visit any part of the house you don't see frequently, and everywhere you go, look for energy-saving opportunities that you may have been missing. This includes attics, basements, crawlspaces, garages, closets, storage rooms, etc.

Don't forget the outside of the house!

Unplug Your Old Refrigerator

noreply@blogger.com (John Westenhaver) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Do you have more than one refrigerator? Why?

Yeah, we, we do too. If you're like us, you have an overflow refrigerator that you use for holiday parties and special occasions. It's usually your old, inefficient refrigerator, maybe from the previous house, that you hung onto after you upgraded because it wasn't worth anything to sell it.

Unplug it!

Somehow, somewhere we seem to have gotten the idea that you're better off to just leave the house at room temperature all the time, that you're better off to just leave the computer on, that you're better off to just leave the spare refrigerator on even though it only has three things in it — and it's all hogwash. I know, I know, you don't do anything silly like this ...

But unless your old refrigerator is full of food, unplug it. You can always plug it back in later when you actually need it.