Comments on: Ways to Cut Your Utility Bills http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/around-the-house/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/ Saving Lots of Money Is Easy. I'll Show You How. Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:59:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: brian.carr http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/around-the-house/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/comment-page-1/#comment-475 brian.carr Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:27:44 +0000 http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/#comment-475 Jane - Thanks for the tip! Jane – Thanks for the tip!

]]> By: Jane Flyg http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/around-the-house/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/comment-page-1/#comment-377 Jane Flyg Sun, 05 Nov 2006 21:48:56 +0000 http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/#comment-377 And don't rinse the dishes in hot water before putting them in the dishwasher! And don’t rinse the dishes in hot water before putting them in the dishwasher!

]]> By: Sam http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/around-the-house/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Sam Wed, 04 Oct 2006 07:44:56 +0000 http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/#comment-41 Hot water heater at 115F? Sure, it saves money, but it's too cold for the dishwasher to operate efficiently. Hot water heater at 115F? Sure, it saves money, but it’s too cold for the dishwasher to operate efficiently.

]]> By: jake http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/around-the-house/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/comment-page-1/#comment-40 jake Wed, 04 Oct 2006 05:29:53 +0000 http://www.savingwithoutabudget.com/ways-to-cut-your-utility-bills/#comment-40 Does anybody have hard numbers on savings from personal experience with these measures? I bet that most of these measures, save the programmable thermostat, will yield only small savings in total. The biggest energy hogs are your refrigerator, older electrically-powered heating systems, devices with standby power (Devices that can be activated w/ remotes). Buying newer appliances will save more money than keeping your house dark. The biggest source of passive energy waste is poor insulation. Improving that will save far more in the long term than hanging your clothes on a clothesline. Some of the suggestions above are actually counter-productive. Turning fans on repeatedly, for example, when you go in and out of rooms takes more energy (if done faithfully) than leaving them on, not to mention shortens the motor life, thereby making you spend more money on fans in the long run. PC's are mostly solid state, meaning that the longer you leave them on, the more efficiently they use energy. Power up and power down activities consume most of the PC's operating power, not to mention put wear and tear on delicate hard drive mechanisms. Turning off your monitor will save the most energy, assuming it's the old-style CRT -- LCD monitors sip electricity. Even at California electric rates, the differential between operating a PC 4 hours/day and 20 hours/day is about $8.00/mo. Compact fluorescent lights are hard on human physiology. We are designed to exist under yellow light (the sun), not blue-white light. The blue-shifted light of a CFL makes people more irritable when not mixed with natural or yellow light, and some people are sensitive enough to get headaches from them. Plus, CFL lights (and LED lamps, for that matter) are not dimmable, making them a less versatile option than incandescents or halogens. Try creating a romantic mood with good food, good music, and a stark CFL bulb (OK, candles are an option, but that's not the debate here). Does anybody have hard numbers on savings from personal experience with these measures? I bet that most of these measures, save the programmable thermostat, will yield only small savings in total.

The biggest energy hogs are your refrigerator, older electrically-powered heating systems, devices with standby power (Devices that can be activated w/ remotes). Buying newer appliances will save more money than keeping your house dark. The biggest source of passive energy waste is poor insulation. Improving that will save far more in the long term than hanging your clothes on a clothesline.

Some of the suggestions above are actually counter-productive. Turning fans on repeatedly, for example, when you go in and out of rooms takes more energy (if done faithfully) than leaving them on, not to mention shortens the motor life, thereby making you spend more money on fans in the long run. PC’s are mostly solid state, meaning that the longer you leave them on, the more efficiently they use energy. Power up and power down activities consume most of the PC’s operating power, not to mention put wear and tear on delicate hard drive mechanisms. Turning off your monitor will save the most energy, assuming it’s the old-style CRT — LCD monitors sip electricity. Even at California electric rates, the differential between operating a PC 4 hours/day and 20 hours/day is about $8.00/mo.

Compact fluorescent lights are hard on human physiology. We are designed to exist under yellow light (the sun), not blue-white light. The blue-shifted light of a CFL makes people more irritable when not mixed with natural or yellow light, and some people are sensitive enough to get headaches from them. Plus, CFL lights (and LED lamps, for that matter) are not dimmable, making them a less versatile option than incandescents or halogens. Try creating a romantic mood with good food, good music, and a stark CFL bulb (OK, candles are an option, but that’s not the debate here).

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