Comments on: Zap The Electric Company

By: Looking to save some money as winter sets in??? | Spending Less 101

Looking to save some money as winter sets in??? | Spending Less 101 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:43:50 +0000

[...] Convert to CFLs – In the winter months, you might think it would be OK to have your light bulbs heating up the air in your house, however, the amount of energy being lost by way of heat does not equate to what would be saved from the change over to CFLs. [...]

By: AL

AL — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:38:28 +0000

I found this at The Minnesota Energy Challenge http://mnenergychallenge.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/hand-washing-vs-dishwasher/

Hand washing vs. Dishwasher

1 May 2008

“What is more energy efficient – washing dishes by hand or using a dishwasher?” Heating water can account for up to 20% of a Minnesotan’s energy bill, so using less hot water is a good goal to work towards. Dishes, however, must be washed properly to ensure high levels of sanitation – which means hot, hot water. So what is better, using a dishwasher or using your own two hands?

The unanimous answer is the right dishwasher, used the right way, uses less energy and creates less pollution than doing dishes by hand. This means, of course, that the wrong dishwasher used poorly won’t save you energy – so if you’re using a dishwasher, make sure you’re doing it right:

* Stop pre-rinsing. If there’s food left on the plate, scrape it off instead of using water, and you can avoid using up to twenty-five gallons of water when you clean your dishes. Your dishes will get just as clean, we promise.
* Get an EnergyStar dishwasher! These dishwashers are almost 50% more efficient that the minimum Federal energy consumption standards, which means you spend less money on water and electricity, and more money on…fun things.
* Pack things in – run your dishwasher only when it is full.
* And, finally, skip the heat-dry and air-dry your dishes. This can cut your dishwasher’s energy use by up to 50%.

By: AL

AL — Fri, 30 May 2008 04:59:01 +0000

If you have a dishwasher, wait till it’s full before you run it. You’ll save water and electricity. Also, turn off the dishwasher’s heater and drier.

By: John Simpson

John Simpson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:33:07 +0000

If you break one of those florescent bulbs, don’t you have to call in a HAZMAT team to clean it up?

By: AL

AL — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:42:38 +0000

On the set back thermostats: I saw a study that if you let the furniture an walls get cold in the winter or hot in the summer, it will cost you even more to heat it all back up or cool it all back down than it would to just maintain a constant temperature. And the payback on adding attic insulation is said to be 5 years. The average person is only in a home for three years. So the next guy wins.

Motion detector lights: I was in a Holiday Inn once that had these and if you rolled over in bed the lights came on! Also, if you didn’t move, like fell asleep in a chair while watching TV, the lights, TV, and heat turned OFF! I near froze Also, every time you turn on an ordinary light bulb, it takes 3 to 5 hours off the life. The new florescent bulbs are even worse. And don’t accidentally break one of them – http://www.junkscience.com/ByTheJunkman/20070426.html

I have to hose our AC every couple of weeks because we have cottonwoods nearby.

Furnace filter: Put in a commercial electrostatic air filter and there is 0 resistance and the amount of power that it uses is less than a night light. The cost of this you ask? Over $1000 and you DIY. You may recoup this in 10 years.