4 simple ways to save energy

[Lachlan09]

Wuah-hah-hah !

Actually, I've got a soft spot for my mother in law - it's a peat bog on Rannoch Moor.

[HollyElise]

funny.

Husband and i are both thrifty and have learned from eachother.

In Scotland, the water was free so he and the kids were water wasters. In the U.S. we pay so we try to be savers. The biggest uses of water in the house are bathing and washing clothes and then the water efficient toilet and dishwashing. We will be getting a highly efficient clothes washer in the future. Meanwhile, full loads, one clothes wash per person per week, one for all towels, two for sheets and bedding usually does it. House rule is showers are 5 minutes (egg timer in bathroom) or you have a bath instead. (You can close your drain, turn on the shower, and time how long it takes you to fill to normanl bath level... this is then the cut off time for the shower). I put a little dot in the bath half way up with nail polish, to remind the kids not to fill it higher than is needed. This saves gallons of water each bath!

From my husband i learned to hang my wash regularly and use a dryer only when i have to. We also get by on less house heat... mostly just in the early evenings and then we turn it down well before bed, as we used to do in Scotland. In the mornings and days in winter we get out of the house quickly so we don't really need it above 55F here, or any heat in Scotland during the day. We also don't need the house warm when we're in our beds. If just one of us is in the house in the U.S., we have a silent electric register that works very well in a small space.

Now that it is summer, i'm weatherizing in the U.S. In Britain the houses are tightly protected against weather. Here in the U.S. husband and i have an old wood house. I've learned there are great grants for making your house more energy efficient, with with government paying as much as 70% of your costs for professional caulking and insulating. This summer i'm trying to locate the programs and schedule the work. Next year or the year after we'll start on window replacements.

Three biggest things i've learned:

1) Spend money to save money! Don't be "penny wise and pound foolish."

2) Start with the biggest savings areas as soon as you are able, and then work your way down to the small stuff. For instance often people think to replace light bulbs, and not that this isn't a good idea, but even wasteful lighting usually only accounts for about 10% of your electric. Think LARGE appliances, large energy uses first for your biggest savings. Refrigerators, for instance. Is it old, leaky seal, the coils not Hoovered since you installed it? Or like someone mentioned about the t.v. on standby. Modern t.v.s do use a lot of energy.

3) If you are in the U.S. look for grants and programs to help you save money without spending much. There are a lot available. For instance a shop in our town offered a free trade in: old incandescent bulbs for new CFCs up to 20 per household! And our electric company offers a free CFC when you pay your bill on time and in person. Most areas in the U.S. have free heat audits, and so on.

[Lachlan09]

Do Ramadan. That saves Muslims here energy as they're sleeping instead of working or praying.

[kissygirl]

This useful post was provided by our internet site, which is a website based on money saving ideas and saving energy

[Scottish_Republican]

I can think of simpler ways of saving energy.

* Getting rid of your television is one of them, but an American would never do that. It takes a couple of weeks to get used to it, but it's not that bad. (Certain types of TV use more power as well)
* When it's cold, wear extra layers instead of turning the heating up/on. If you have heating, use a thermostat or a timer, especially for water.
* Switch lights off when you're not in rooms.
* Don't leave electrical devices on stand by. Switch off hi-fis etc completely.
* Walk where possible. (Americans are bad at that too!) Half a mile or a mile is not a long way.

p.s. We call them "taps" here, not "faucets". I had to look that term up once years ago.