Energy Saving Tips - Please Share

[Warstud]

When I walk in or out of my garage, I jump over the sensor beam so it doesn't turn on the light

I do that ...... but it's not to save electricity .

 

[Soft Cars]

I need to replace the seals around the entry doors, if I could just figure out which kind to get. The seals on there now don't match up with anything I've seen online.

 

[brianl703]

I need to replace the seals around the entry doors, if I could just figure out which kind to get. The seals on there now don't match up with anything I've seen online.

Most doors made in at least the last 30 years use kerf weatherstripping.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Best two things we did was fill the attic with blown insulation. Then even more savings when we replaced older electric clothes dryer with a new gas dryer. Light bill dropped like a rock. HVAC unit doesnt have to work nearly as hard anymore in the hot weather.

 

[skyactiv]

This is something overlooked and I have always hanged my clothes to prolong them, not to save money on utility bills.

Use drying racks or clothes line(s) inside if room allows for it.

The benefit is clothes lasting much longer and not shrinking. Dryer lint is your clothes, towels and linens getting thinner and worn out.
Drying your clothes is hard on them.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

This is something overlooked and I have always hanged my clothes to prolong them, not to save money on utility bills.

Use drying racks or clothes line(s) inside if room allows for it.

The benefit is clothes lasting much longer and not shrinking. Dryer lint is your clothes, towels and linens getting thinner and worn out.
Drying your clothes is hard on them.

Used to love the way clothes were so fresh feeling / smelling and sun baked when they came in off those old clothes lines that were in every yard.
LOL. Just about every household in our town had the hand made , from heavy duty, welded together, high pressure p coded pipe that everyone who worked in one of the near by industrial plants made on the job for their wives. So funny to see as they all looked identical as if they came off a factory assembly line. Apparently all the men in town liked the first ones they saw and all copied off each other. I often laughed and wondered what the price would have been had they paid for that material and labor. Back then those plants turned a blind eye and even allowed folks to do "home jobs" on the job. Those hand made clothes line "T" shaped pipes were about 3" to 4" and so heavy to took two men to move them. Cemented into the ground. Talk about over designed. Of course they even outlasted their owners.

 

[gathermewool]

Fewer/short hot showers. 100% leds

I rinse my body quickly, turn the shower off, scrub my body, then turn the hot water on to rinse off the soap. The rest of my family like their Hollywood showers.

 

[gathermewool]

Not a bad with keeping the incandescent for heat in the winter . Instead of replacing all the incandescent bulbs with LED's ......I just replaced the ones I use the most .

I initially replaced CFLs based on how long to pay for themselves in electricity. Depending on your rates, LEDs may pay for themselves. The small amount of additional heat in the summer needs to be removed by the AC.

I made a quick excel spreadsheet to calculate the savings. For things like the outside lamp post with three candelabra, which are on all night, the ROI was very short. The previous owner also had CFL in cold locations, would be fine outside, but awful in locations where instant full brightness is more useful.

 

[gathermewool]

Same for us… it’s about $0.12/kWh, but then a bunch of riders tacked on… transmission/storage/improvement, fuel cost, power purchases from cogeneration and small power plants, etc. I effectively paid $0.18/kWh last month, but they don’t tell you all that you have to go digging through the website. The bill simply shows how much you used, how much all that costs, and tax.

Since I moved in and began tracking costs, rates have risen over around five years from $0.18 to last months $0.23. Rates are going up this month. I believe they plan to raise rates by 30%, but I think I also read 50% somewhere! They did at least state plainly that the increase affects only the cost of supply, not delivery.

What you can expect

Beginning Jan. 1, the cost of electricity (Standard Service) will be significantly higher this winter. The new Standard Service rate will be in effect from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023.

Right now, record high natural gas prices are having the biggest impact on bills, especially here in New England where natural gas is used to generate much of the region’s electricity.

 

[FZ1]

Can you shop electricity rates from various providers in your part of the U.S.?

 

[gathermewool]

When I pour the boiling water out from my cooking, I pour it into a dishpan. If I drop an ice cube on the floor, I chuck it outside into the wintry night.

When I walk in or out of my garage, I jump over the sensor beam so it doesn't turn on the light.

I remove the owners manuals and other weight from my cars to save gas.

But seriously, I'm running a "Mr Cool" DIY heat pump for its first winter, and loving it, although this really hasn't been much of a winter. Also have a wood stove and fuel oil boiler. I put a laundry rack in front of the heat pump, thing is like a hair dryer and it gets the clothes dry in under twelve hours. Keeps the household humidity in a better spot too.

Ride a van pool more than 2/3 of my commute distance, also gets me nap time. My Prius goes 2 weeks on a tank of gas even though my job is 60 miles away. My electricity is around 22c per kWH so I'm actually NOT plugging the Prius Prime in until gas exceeds ~$3.75/gal.

Hear you all on the teenagers, mine also consume lots of shower water.

So I’m not the only frugal insane person out there!

I should remove more stuff from my car. I keep tools and other repair stuff in there, including a battery jump pack. I pack more stuff for long road trips. I have roadside assistance, so I probably don’t need all of that for my 10 mile drive to work…

I did get lighter forger wheels with 3/4+ tread left for around $1100. Totally just for the weight savings! Lol. To be fair, any time I need to remove/install these tires they’re noticeably easier to handle.

 

[gathermewool]

This is something overlooked and I have always hanged my clothes to prolong them, not to save money on utility bills.

Use drying racks or clothes line(s) inside if room allows for it.

The benefit is clothes lasting much longer and not shrinking. Dryer lint is your clothes, towels and linens getting thinner and worn out.
Drying your clothes is hard on them.

This is something I always plan to do, but haven’t yet. My dad did this when I was a kid. The entire basemen’t was filled with clothes hung up with only some fans to dry them. I don’t recall the basement ever being too damp or smelly.

I do recall that the clothes all felt awful and stiff for when we first put them on, but they loosened up quickly.

 

[gathermewool]

Can you shop electricity rates from various providers in your part of the U.S.?

Good point! Sorry, I forgot to mention that we did just that as soon as I got the notice. We’ll be locked in to a better rate, but the paperwork said it would take months to switch. Delivery charge will not change.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

This is something I always plan to do, but haven’t yet. My dad did this when I was a kid. The entire basemen’t was filled with clothes hung up with only some fans to dry them. I don’t recall the basement ever being too damp or smelly.

I do recall that the clothes all felt awful and stiff for when we first put them on, but they loosened up quickly.

My dear, long gone Cajun/Acadian grandmother had these thin metal / wire type of frames that were made to insert into pants legs for hanging
out to dry. We laughed so much at those cause the fresh sun dried pants could stand by themselves after they dried. They looked ironed & starched!

 

[FZ1]

Good point! Sorry, I forgot to mention that we did just that as soon as I got the notice. We’ll be locked in to a better rate, but the paperwork said it would take months to switch. Delivery charge will not change.

Good! Just continue to shop the prices every time your plan expires.

 

[skyactiv]

I rinse my body quickly, turn the shower off, scrub my body, then turn the hot water on to rinse off the soap. The rest of my family like their Hollywood showers.

The only time I shower is when I travel. I have a walk in shower in the master bath but I prefer bathing. I have a Kohler soaking bath tub with bask heating which is total bliss.

 

[gathermewool]

The only time I shower is when I travel. I have a walk in shower in the master bath but I prefer bathing. I have a Kohler soaking bath tub with bask heating which is total bliss.

I have a large jacuzzi tub, but the previous owners must have left it sitting for a while before we moved in. I’ve used dedicated cleaning solutions and other things I found on the internet and each time the water ends up with a brown film on it. None of us really want to use it often, so it just sits there. Personally, nothing is more soothing after coming in from the cold than slowly turning the heat up in the shower and just standing there for 10 minutes. It doesn’t happen often, but man does that feel good.

I actually have a small kiddie pool in the jacuzzi that we use to bathe the little one. She loves it!

When we remodel that thing is getting ripped out! What’s even worse is that the previous owners have a pretty basic little shower. It’s got plenty of room, but it seems low budget for someone who has a jacuzzi. I assume they skimped on the shower because of the jacuzzi, but who knows.

 

[hrv]

I installed a 1.5 GPM shower head....LED bulbs...Installed blocks in the toilet tank to decrease water usage per flush...

 

[skyactiv]

I have a large jacuzzi tub, but the previous owners must have left it sitting for a while before we moved in. I’ve used dedicated cleaning solutions and other things I found on the internet and each time the water ends up with a brown film on it. None of us really want to use it often, so it just sits there. Personally, nothing is more soothing after coming in from the cold than slowly turning the heat up in the shower and just standing there for 10 minutes. It doesn’t happen often, but man does that feel good.

I actually have a small kiddie pool in the jacuzzi that we use to bathe the little one. She loves it!

When we remodel that thing is getting ripped out! What’s even worse is that the previous owners have a pretty basic little shower. It’s got plenty of room, but it seems low budget for someone who has a jacuzzi. I assume they skimped on the shower because of the jacuzzi, but who knows.

Mine doesn't have water jets. The back lean portion of the tub is heated. I enjoy soaking in the tub and realize I'm in the minority.
I know a lot of people are lazy to clean bathtubs, not me. I use Kohlers spray for the duty.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Also check out door corner seals. Not the best video but you get the idea.

M-D Building Products Brown Door Corner Seals for Interior & Exterior Doors 51501 - The Home Depot

The M-D Door Corner Seals protects the corner of the door from unwanted rain & draft infiltration. Save on energy by sealing the bottom corner of the doors to keep the heat or air conditioning from escaping.

www.homedepot.com

Thanks for posting this. I knew I had light coming through some exterior doors but just thought it was a poor design for the doors. I never knew this part existed. I just installed these on 8 exterior doors that I could see light through on the strike side. Less bugs in and less energy escaping.