Eight Ways to Cut Energy, That are Inexpensive and Save you Money
You can reduce your energy bills and even help cut down on your carbon footprint with these eight ideas.
1. Powering down you personal computer: Computers as a whole consume a load of power. Placing these energy suckers on a power strip helps cut cost and energy coast by saving almost $178 a year and a return of 890 percent over all. So when you head to bed or are done for the day with your energy-using equipment, just simply hit the power strip switch and shut it all down.
2. Go throughout your house and replace the bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs: You may spend a bit more for the bulbs in the beginning, but overall savings is way above what you would spend on incandescent bulbs throughout your home. Even replace your porch lights and your garage lights with the same bulbs. If you have a barn or a workshop, consider replacing those bulbs as well with the CFLs. A yearly savings of $117 and a 234 percent return.
3. Insulate your heating ducts and do sealing around them in your home: Your attic and crawl spaces are prime areas where air loss is felt in the heating and cooling bill. By sealing and insulating these areas, which are low cost and inexpensive and overall you will have a yearly savings of $75 and 375 percent return in the long run.
4. Seal your home’s air leaks: Air leaks occur mainly around doors and windows, and especially around plumbing, wiring and light fixtures that lead into your attic and through the roof (sun windows or skylights.) You will see a change in your yearly energy bill of about $156 and a 312 percent return on the cost.
5. Venting your dryer inside your home during the winter months: Never vent gas dryers inside your home and if you still use a gas dryer you might want to consider upgrading to an electric, Energy-Star-approved model. Make sure when you do vent you use panty hose or cheesecloth to catch the lint. You will see an added benefit of savings overall of $63 and a 315 percent return.
6. Use bubble wrap in more ways then one: Using bubble wrap to insulate your windows is nothing new, it’s just a not-so-common-used practice. It won’t allow you to view out the window, but it does allow for the sunlight to come through. This is a fantastic idea for garage windows and attic windows or even windows that are in rooms you don’t use or hardly use. You will have a yearly savings of $75 and a 197 percent return.
7. Avoid phantom electrical loads: Even when you turn that VCR or DVD player off, something has to still run that digital clock on the front, right? Yes, and it adds up. You will see a yearly savings of $57 a year and 81 percent return if you unplug these energy drainers. This goes back to the “personal computer power strip idea #1″ as well. If you don’t want to unplug all those appliances, put them all on a power strip and hit the off when you are done. Getting a power strip with a phone and fax/modem option will save you even more.
8. Using electric mattress pads instead of electric blankets: You are told to turn the heat down at night so that you sleep better, but what about if it gets too cold inside your home to even sleep? That’s when you need the electric mattress. You can get the same effect with a high-end, good down comforter as well. You will have a savings of $186 a year and a 148 percent return in the long run. (Source: MEN 2008)
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Add more attic insulation; add more crawl space insulation; buy a new, efficient clothes washer; buy a new, efficient refrigerator; install storm windows; install a storm door; install thermal shades; and above all, turn everything off at night or when not in use.
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