Ideas and suggestions on conserving energy around the house =)?

Question

so what are some of your suggetions when it comes to conserving energy usage around the house?

here are what we do:

1. dont use the heater/ac unless we absolutely have to LOL

2. dont use the dryer anymore, take the clothes out to the clothes line LOL and let the sun do the job hehe

what do you do to lower the gas bill in the house? =)

Answer 1

here is what we do.. some ideas are ones you probably wont have thought of

http://www.gomestic.com/Personal-Finance...

Answer 2

We have electric heat and most of our appliance/electronics run on electric... So, we changed our lightbulbs to CFL's and use them in the evening.. During the day we leave the blinds open...

I only use one major appliance at a time.. For example:  When  I do laundry: I will run the washer but, NOT the dryer...

If the dryer is running I will SOAK the next wash load... I only use the dryer for towels, linens and children's clothing...

I run the dishwasher only when it's FULL on time delay.. I set it before we go to bed and it starts washing around 4 am when the water is heated for no reason in particular..

Just doing this we SAVE 1/2 on our electric bill...

To save on GAS/ELECTRIC in the winter we use our woodburning insert... To heat our main family room..

Answer 3

Don't use lights during the daytime and shut lights off when you leave a room.    Don't use more lights than you need.    Keep the heat at 62 or 63 and wear a sweater.    Watch less tv - listen to the game on the radio while you get a chore done.

Don't leave your computer on when you're through with it.    Don't use A/C in summer - figure out what the prevailing direction of the wind is around your house and try to open the windows in such a way as to get some air circulation in the house or apartment (I sold my house in '05 and moved to a 3rd floor apartment in a coastal community so maybe this is easier for me than for you).   Walk more.

Answer 4

we barbarians do not use electric or gas at home.

at night, we use oil lamp and charcoal to get light and keep the place warm.

u should consider this to reduce your bill =)

Answer 5

To conserve energy overall, the first thing I did was switch all of my incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent. They are not cheap initially, but they will pay for themselves over a short period of time. I live alone and noticed about a $15 per month savings in my electric bill. If you have a family the savings should be greater. Note: I do not like the GE brand as they have a slight delay before they light up.

As previously mentioned, turn down the temperature on your hot water heater. Get a water heater blanket to help with heat loss. 30% (on average) of a homes energy consumption is used on heating water. If it is an electric hot water heater, consider putting it on a timer so it's off at night when you're sleeping and in the day if there's no one home at that time. Consider building or buying a solar hot water heater. There's lots of info on the net about these.

Get digital thermostat that can be programmed. I have mine set to lower the heat to 63 degrees about a half hour before I go to bed and then back up to 68 degrees 15 minutes before my alarm goes of in the morning. Then down to 55 degrees a half hour before I leave for work. You get the idea.

Read The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-grid And Sustainable Living.

This book is packed with information on energy conservation. You don't have to be considering living off the grid or generating your own electricity to benefit from reading this.

Answer 6

limit showers.

Do not leave a lot of light on. Get a power strip, plug you computer in it and tv.then turn the strip on when needed. Those use almost as much energy when off as they do when on. Unplug all charger(cell phone ipod mp3ect.) that will save 40 to 50 dollars a year. Try to only wash clothes when have a full load or not only one shirt. ect. try turning the thermosat on your heater down 2 degrees then turn it up only when needed lol. Get energy efficant light bulbs. they lost 10 times longer but use so much less! Change the tempture on your water heater. check what to chane it to online. I THINK it is 120*..

we have equal pay on our gas bill. It doesn't really save you moeney but it does let you know what it will be every month. anything else email me/ click on my avaitor