A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity Helpful Hints Energy Saving Tips & Ideas

Recently Carol Jean posted about making an effort to save $$ on the electric bill by unplugging everything that eats power when not in use. I know that does add up and is often recommended even in the schools around here.

But that post got me thinking about other ways people make an effort to save energy and $$, both simple and complex, around the house and w/ their cars. I thought it would be nice to have a thread where we could post things we have tried or heard about.

Today I was watching DIY channel and they said LIGHTING accounts for 20% of the average home's electric bill. 20% is huge.

Also, that by switching from standard incandescent bulbs to the new compact fluorescent bulbs will save 75%.

But checking local suppliers up here, the fluorescent bulbs are quite pricey by comparison to the incandescent and many people I know just use them in hard-to-reach places where they don't want to be changing bulbs frequently.

So what do you think? What do you do to try to save energy and $$? What have you heard about that you'd like to try?

Merme

I packed up my coffee maker many years ago. I use a French press now. Putting the coffeemaker in storage saved me about $30 a month alone. They draw a lot of wattage.
I have incandescent bulbs all over my house.
And no plug in clocks. Changing a little battery about once a year is less expensive. Although there is a clock on my oven and microwave drawing power all of the time. I thought about unplugging the micro when not in use. I am a cheapskate.

I can't easily reach any of my outlets, so I must leave things plugged in. Otherwise, I'd always have to wait for other people to come around to plug and unplug for me. But I have heard other people also comment that they prefer to unplug small appliances for safety reasons as well.

Using batteries always reminds me of that old controversy about cloth diapers vs disposables. Disposables end up in landfills but cloth require washing & drying and detergents. Which is better for the environment? I never know what to think of batteries, which I know will end up in a landfill someplace for eternity.

Here in Maine there is quite a conversation occurring about wind power. There has been some controversy and some voting involved. Hopefully, those who are in favor of wind power will make headway and bring us more wind mills. There is a very large one in a nearby town already.

I'm a big believer on turning off lights..and washing clothes in cool water when I can.

Oh, I haven't washed in warm or hot water for a lot of years, strictly cold.
Cloth diapers with the newer detergents are the way to go.
And we have huge wind farms all over SoCal and get a good portion of our power from those. They are actually very pretty and photogenic.
Full refrigerators and freezers are more economical to run.

I must admit I am lousy about turning off lights as I don't see well without a bunch of light even during the day. I tend to leave the lights on... a lifelong habit it seems because I can remember my mom complaining "the house it all lit up like a Christmas tree!"

I typically also use cold water to wash whenever possible although I do sometimes to use warm or hot as need be.

Well, I have not settled the cloth vs disposable in my mind because I can see the benefits & drawbacks of both. And maybe that is a point... seeing all the angles. Most of these topics are far too complex for a simple "one size fits all" solution.

Has anyone driven or ridden in one of those new Hybrid cars? I had the chance to take a day trip in one about 2 years ago. It was great! I really liked it! And the gas savings were huge. But the price tag was huger!


Merme

try motion senser light switches,they turn the lights off for you only a few dollars to install and will pay for them selfs in a few months.