Energy saving ideas?

Question

Well, it's that I wanted to see if there were ways to make sure that the light and water bill won't be so high, and I wanted to know if there were any ideas that people can give me.

Please, these are ideas for a home, mostly indoors.

Also, I already use energy-efficient lightbulbs in my home, so avoid telling me that.

Please and thank you =)

Answer 1

There are several steps to a energy/water efficient home.

1.  energy-  unplug appliances when not in use.  Even when off a lot of appiliances pull electricity.  Go through your house at night (be safe) with very little light and see how many "stand-by" lights are on.  Check or have someone check your level of insilation most homes have too little.  If you have an electric hot water heater put  a timer on it.  This will allow hot water when you need it and the water in your tank is not heating up all day/night.  Hardware stores have plastic film you can apply to the windows to increase cold air resistence.

2.  Water  If you have plants only water them as needed.  most household plants are over watered.  Turn off all water in your home and check the meter to see if it is still running.  Low flow shower heads are available almost everywhere.  Full loads in laundry and dishwasher.  (for power wash in cold water).  There are things for the toilet but I am not sure about them you could ask at your local hardware store.

Answer 2

-use blankets and extra clothes instead of the heater

-unplug appliances when not in use

-turn off your computer when you're not using it and don't mindlessly surf the net

-open windows and doors instead of using AC

-turn off lights when not in use

-have candlelit dinners!

-get energy star products

-don't use your apliances unless you REALLY need to

-don't let the water run when you're washing dishes, just fill up the sink and use a sponge then rinse in the sink

-take shorter showers (goal being 15 min or less)

-use water that you didn't finish drinking or water that was boiled to water plants

Answer 3

Make sure that all of the light bulbs in the house are energy efficient.

During the day just open the shades and let the sunlight in.  Do not turn any lights on.

Limit showers to no more than 15 minutes, 10 if possible.

Turn the water off when brushing your teeth and only turn it on to get toothpaste down the drain and rinse the tooth brush.

Fill both sides of the sink with water, clean the dishes in one side and rinse in the other.  This will keep you from constantly running water needlessly.

Clean your laundry in cold water.

Answer 4

As you take a shower, fill up the bath tub and then wash your dishes in it....  Minimize use of other electric devices such as hair dryers or clothes dryers.. Wash your clothes only when they begin to smell. That is how a true environmentalist thinks.

Answer 5

puting something in the tank of your toilet helps conserve water because it does not fill up with as much water. sorry im not much help

Answer 6

If you have an electric water heater, a low-flow shower head is going to be a huge money-saver.  Turn the WH temperature down to the lowest you need (reduces standby losses) and get a WH blanket to cut losses further.

Something I did last year is to turn off the WH when I wasn't using it.  If I switched it on in the morning I had plenty of hot water for a shower (low-flow head!) in just a few minutes, and then I could leave it off the rest of the day.

Answer 7

put a house bring in your toilet system...this sounds weird but the tank wont fill up so much and you will save so much water.

do your washing at 30degrees and use a clothes line when ever possible instead of a tumble dryer as its free. only fill the kettle up with the amount of water than you intend to use each time so less energy is needed to heat all that water. have a shower/bath with your kids or other half. use the microwave instead of the oven where ever possible as it saves so much money trust me. move furniture from infront of radiators as they will be trapping so much heat. make sure you turn all the lights out at night. dont leave things on stand-by...they use just as much electricity on stand-by as they do switched on!

Answer 8

Check out this wiki article:  http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/how-to...

If you get any other great tips, you should add them!

Answer 9

As for water I would say shower instead of bathing and make showers as short as possible and turn water off while washing Also make sure to have full loads when doing laundry and hand wash dishes instead of machine washing.

as for electricity everything you might want to know is at this web site http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/

Answer 10

wrap the water heater

caulk around windows

don't leave the water running while shaving/brushing teeth

keep empty space in freezer/refrig. filled with water bottles - empty space rapidly cools when you open the door while the water bottles will remain cool.

unplug things when not in use. Even if turned of or not in use some devices use electricity. I've read a big waste is the cell phone charger which I used to just leave plugged in all the time even when I wasn't charging the phone.

Hang dry your clothes. I've done this for years. If you can, get some of those pants hangers with the clips from a department store (free most likely) and hang your shirts upside down to dry to avoid the 'angel wings' bumps on the shoulders.

I just got a Kill-a-watt to monitor electrical usage of various devices. If it is too expensive consider sharing the cost with someone and trading it back and forth as needed.