Home Energy Saving Tips

[linda]

• When washing clothes use shorter cycles if possible, try pre soaking your loads in the washer before even starting the cycle. This will further maximize the cleaning benefits of a shorter washing cycle.

• Newer dishwashers have what's usually called booster heaters for hot water temperature settings. Make sure the temperature setting isn't higher than 120 degrees. Any setting higher than that would be needlessly wasteful.

• Consider pre soaking pots, pans and dishes before even placing them in your dishwasher. This will allow for a cleaner rinse and a shorter and more energy efficient washing cycle.

• Once in a while check your refrigerators door seals. This can be done by closing the door on a single sheet of paper. If the paper falls or can be pulled out easily, replace the door seal or adhesive gasket.

• Familiarize yourself with your refrigerators cooling or condenser coils. These coils are usually found by removing the cover panel located at the bottom of the front side of a refrigerator. These coils are most efficient when clean and free of dust. Unplug your refrigerator and use a vacuum nozzle to remove dust about every year or so.

• If you have a self cleaning oven, use the feature shortly after using the oven. Wait about 10 to 15 minutes after cooking or baking, less electricity or natural gas will be used to reheat the oven to the self cleaning temperature.

• Avoid pre heating your conventional oven. With the exception of baking, most foods don't really require pre heating. If in doubt, leave the food in after the oven is turned off. The heat will be more than sufficient enough to make up for any preparation time missed by not pre heating.

nice tips.

[ajm208]

Great tips - I am trying to use my dryer less but its a struggle at times, because I live in a unit.

Andrea
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[ritaleung]

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Rita Leung
[url=http://greenlife.cc/]Green Life by Rita Leung[/url]

[kymsolaris]

If you are in Maine, they just increased efficieny incentives:

Maine Raises Incentives for Home Energy Conservation Efforts

Just in time for the summer building season, Maine is offering homeowners another $1,000 in rebates on weatherization and home retrofits that increase energy efficiency, reports the Morning Sentinel. Maine’s Home Energy Savings Program, funded by federal stimulus money, already offered $3,000 in rebates, so homeowners are now eligible for up to $4,000 cash back to make energy-saving improvements that will help them use less energy and lower their bills.

To qualify for the rebates, according to the Efficiency Maine website, homeowners must hire a contractor to perform a home energy audit and carry out improvements recommended by the audit. Rebates vary according to the cost of the improvements and the efficiency gained. Increasing efficiency by 25 percent can now earn homeowners back 30 percent of the cost up to $2,500 (it had previously been capped at $1,500); homes made 50 percent more efficient can get reimbursed for 50 percent of the total cost up to $4,000 (formerly $3,000).

The additional rebates represent just part of Maine’s large-scale push for energy efficiency. The stimulus package gave Maine $42 million for weatherization, said Governor John Baldacci, which has gone to fund projects like the Young Mainers Weatherization Corps, a program that funds weatherization for low-income homeowners while training young people to be weatherization professionals. Earlier this spring the Department of Energy awarded Maine another $30 million for a program that would offer energy-efficiency home loans, and on Friday the Department of Energy gave Maine $880,000 to build three weatherization training centers.

Baldacci’s stated goal is to weatherize all Maine homes by 2030. As a state in which 80 percent of homes are heated with oil, Maine is especially susceptible to fluctuations in the price of heating oil. The state’s leadership has opted to take back control of energy expenditures in the way that offers the quickest return on investment: energy efficiency. Weatherization, loan programs, and rebates are all part of what Baldacci called “a full-court press” on Mainers’ energy bills.

Heating oil users, whether they live in Maine or not, can similarly take charge of their energy expenses by seizing the “low-hanging fruit” that Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees in weatherization and conservation. With low up-front costs, simple measures like adding weatherstripping and insulation can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and yield big savings on energy bills year after year.

[kymsolaris]

The Mac-mini seems like an energy efficient computer:

Energy-saving Mac Mini has UK launch

Published Date: 16 June 2010
APPLE launched its energy-saving Mac Mini computer in the UK yesterday as the manufacturer aims to boost its environmental credentials.
The firm claims that the new version of the Mini uses only ten watts of power while lying idle yet still boasts twice the graphics power of its predecessor.

The Mini has also been fitted with an HDMI port for connection to high-definition monitors. The computer is designed to save space on the desk, measuring only 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches in thickness.

[olivemac1]

This very good thread for saving home energy. After reading this thread, I have to know that we waste lots of energy during a day so just doing some small effort we all will save lots of energy which is very beneficial for global warming.

[EnergyEfficiency]

The first step is to understand some basic steps on how can we make progress towards improving energy efficiency in our home. Step one is learning when, where, and how to plug your home’s air leaking is a great step in improving your energy efficiency. “Air Sealing”, or plugging your home, in places where air can easily get in and out, is one of the most important steps in increasing the efficiency of your house.

[anora]

Very nice tips..

Thanks for sharing these tips here.
It is very useful for all of us to save home energy..

[todderic]

Thanks a lot Linda for the suggestions.