Making Cents of Energy - HELP Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric

Save Big with a New Washer and Dryer

These days, finding a high-efficiency washer and dryer that can use half the gas or electricity as a standard is easy. Today’s high-efficiency washers also extract more water during the spinning cycle, reducing the drying time. Also, compare a full-sized standard washing machine’s 40 gallons of water per load to 18 gallons for Energy Star certified machines. That’s a big difference!

Newer, more efficient dryers don’t quite pack the same savings as new washing machines, but their benefits do add up. Think of it this way: dryers in the U.S. use the equivalent of 58 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, or as much electricity as Los Angeles uses annually. Naturally, the best defense against this kind of wasted energy is to dry clothes on a line outside, or by putting them on drying racks indoors.

Whether you’re working with energy-efficient equipment or older, energy-guzzling equipment, these guidelines can help lower your environmental impact and your energy bills:

• Wash less often – Certain garments don’t need to be washed after every use, such as jeans and sweaters. Sadly, there’s not much we can do about our socks and underwear.
• Only run full loads – Wait until you have enough laundry to fill the washer and dryer to capacity before running them. On the other hand, over-filling is counterproductive and requires more energy to complete the cycle.
• Air dry if possible – The sun is the best dryer around. It’ll leave your clothes crisp and smelling fresh, and it’s absolutely free. For those in colder or wetter climates, drying racks are also effective – and free.
• Wash in cold water – Almost 90% of the energy used for washing clothes results from heating the water. Unless you’re trying to remove a very tough stain, cold water should work just fine.

Adjust water levels – If you absolutely need to have something washed but don’t have enough clothes for a full load, adjust the setting on the washer to the smallest water amount.

 

Show Your Kids the Cost of Energy

Many of us grew up in homes with a familiar, frustrating refrain: “Turn the lights off when you leave the room!”

If this sounds familiar to you, chances are that when you were a kid it didn’t seem to make much sense. Why should I turn the light off? Does it really make a difference?

Convincing children that there is a cost and consequence attached to all of our actions is a difficult lesson that takes years and a little maturity to finally sink in. In the mind of a child or young person, it’s difficult to imagine that a small gesture, such as turning a light off, can actually make a big difference. After all, turning one light off isn’t going to prevent the planet from being destroyed, is it? And all the waste we witness, day after day, can make these lessons even more challenging.

To get your children’s attention, set up a jar for each child filled with enough change to buy a movie ticket or some other low cost treat. Every time your child leaves a light on, take out one dime. One 100 watt light bulb left burning for a 10 hour day costs approximately 10 cents. If a window unit air conditioner is left running for an hour, take out 30 cents.

Showing the actual cost of our actions is a great way to show children that our actions matter. Once enough change is taken out, your children can see that conserving energy helps to save money we can use to do other fun things. And of course, conservation is good for Mother Earth.

 

Use the Sun to Your Advantage

Although many of us wish we could rely on solar or other alternative energy sources, the reality isn’t quite there yet. Just because we can’t run our homes on solar power doesn’t mean we still  can’t use the sun to our advantage – at no cost.

For instance:

• Ditch your dryer and hang your clothes outside when weather permits. It only takes a few more minutes, it gets you out of the house, saves you money, and leaves your clothes and sheets smelling fresh. Your dryer can’t do that!
• Use the sunlight to begin your own organic herb and vegetable garden. Not only is it rewarding to eat your own food, you also know exactly what you’re getting and it doesn’t cost a thing.
• Rethink your home’s lighting by using the sun. Most people feel better in naturally lit space, so think about skylights, windows or just opening the blinds. Turn your electric lights off during daylight hours.
• Passive solar design is catching on. More people are designing their homes so the sun can warm the space in the winter without overheating it in the summer. All it takes is a little thoughtfulness in the layout.

 

Do You Know about Vampire Electronics?

Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Well, vampire electronics can be scary for your energy bills. Simply put, vampire electronics are electronic devices that draw power even while they’re not in use.

Vampire electronics are a rampant problem that very few people know about. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 40% of the electricity used to power our electronic devices is consumed while they’re not in use.

Who are the main culprits? These are the most common vampires in your home:

• Desktop computer
• Laptop (even fully charged)
• LCD computer monitor
• DSL modem
• Computer speaker system
• External USB hard drive
• Printers
• Projectors
• Photo copier
• Cell phone chargers
• Stereo receiver
• DVD player
• Plasma TV
• Microwave oven
• Coffee maker

There’s an incredibly easy solution to stop these bloodsucking parasites from draining power and increasing your energy bills: unplug them. That’s right – it’s that easy.

Also, using power strips is just as effective. In addition to helping protect your electronic devices from power surges, power strips can also be turned off, which is a whole lot easier than unplugging and replugging your devices every time you want to use them.