Some Energy Saving Tips

Post by **thecoalman** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:26 am

Here is some of the things you can do to conserve energy without much effort or expense.

Defrost meat and other frozen items in the refrigerator, obviously takes longer.
Keep your fridge and freezer full within reason. That doesn't mean to the point you can't put anything more in it. You need to leave adequate space for air to circulate. When you open fridge or freezer cold air spills out, more stuff means less air to lose. Even using empty milk jugs is helpful.
If you're heating system is forced air/steam/hot water make sure the thermostat has offset at 2 degrees, higher is better but leads to very inconsistent temperatures. If you have offset of 2 degrees and have thermostat set at 70 the heat will cycle on at 69 and turn off at 71. If there is no offset this leads to short cycling where you heating system is going on and off frequently which is very inefficient.
Ideally pipes carrying hot water in unheated space such as basement whether it's domestic hot water or boiler water should be insulated fully. Minimally they should be insulated for the first three feet. Not only does this conserve energy but can help prevent excessive domestic hot water usage waiting for it to get hot.
If you have a heat pump water heater utilizing indoor air. These are ideal in warm weather climates where removing heat from the living space is desirable. They are not so desirable during colder weather and can lead to increased energy expense if it's located in area you are heating. Some have option to use resistance heating fully, switch to that during heating season if it's located in space you are heating.
A cheap and easy way to add some insulation to window panes is cut some bubble wrap same size. Spray a little water on it and stick it on the window. Might be useful for basement windows as one example.

Siguza · Post by **Siguza** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:36 am

Thanks, helped a lot

Deactivated 1950056 · Post by **Deactivated 1950056** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 2:19 pm

Thanks, I will keep these in mind.

Post by **thecoalman** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 8:17 am

Conserving energy doesn't need to be expensive or an inconvenience. It's the little things that add up to a lot. A lot of people unnecessarily waste energy and may not even realize it. Take the offset on the thermostat for example, a lot of people will set to 0 to maintain exact temp. They may not realize that can be considerable expense for both energy and their pocketbook. Not only is it inefficient but that also causes a lot of wear and tear on the heating appliance.

I grew up in a household/family where waste was frowned upon so I'm always looking for ways to save, reuse etc. I once saw my Grandmother eat an entire apple, only thing that was left was the stem and it wasn't because she couldn't afford apples.

That's not something I ever did but she was young during the depression.

**My CDB Contributions** · Post by **HiFiKabin** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:14 am

Weather and local by-laws permitting always dry clothes outside and not use a Tumble Dryer.

They dry better, are easier to iron and you will save £ / $ / € / whatever

david63 · Post by **david63** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:21 am

HiFiKabin wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:14 am dry clothes outside and not use a Tumble Dryer.

But not towels as it makes them hard - tumble dry towels every time

Post by **thecoalman** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:50 am

HiFiKabin wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:14 am Weather and local by-laws permitting always dry clothes outside and not use a Tumble Dryer.

They dry better, are easier to iron and you will save £ / $ / € / whatever

I don't dry outside but hang some things and all shirts on hanger, even t-shirts. This is more due to laziness because I don't fold them. I have rack and clothesline to hang stuff right in laundry room. I'll partially dry items like jeans in dryer and hang them, they get moldy smelling otherwise. I iron nothing... definitely an energy saver.

---edit----
Almost forgot, another tip is include a dry towel or something else that is very absorbent when tumble drying. It helps wick the moisture out of wet clothes.

OlivierW · Post by **OlivierW** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:45 am

Talking about heaters and insulation: if you have an electric or gas water heater, you can also insulate the whole tank! Mine is in a small room near an old "plastic" window, so it helps a bit but I really need to change it for a real window

RMcGirr83 · Post by **RMcGirr83** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:44 am

Use LED bulbs wherever you can. Yes they cost a bit more but your electric bill will thank you.
If you have a pool, swap out your single HP pump to a variable speed or even dual speed pump. I run my pool pump 24/7 on our 20k gallon pool and it costs ~$20 per month. VS pumps cost a bit more up front but you'll break even within 6 or so months.
Speaking of heating systems, switch our your old thermostat with a new smart thermostat. Many have geo-fencing capabilities these days so will go into hibernation when you leave and fire right back up once you return.

We have a 2700 sq ft house and a 20k gallon pool. Every single light inside/outside our house is LED. Helps that our attic is a conditioned space so the A/C unit and air handler don't have to work as hard. Our electric bill averages ~1900 kWh per month. Summer months are higher, winter months are lower.

huyhoa · Post by **huyhoa** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 1:12 pm

thecoalman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:26 am

A cheap and easy way to add some insulation to window panes is cut some bubble wrap same size. Spray a little water on it and stick it on the window. Might be useful for basement windows as one example.

Anyone can explain why do we need to "Spray a little water on bubble wrap"?

I dont understand?

OlivierW · Post by **OlivierW** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:28 pm

@huyhoa: it's probably to make the bubble wrap stick to the window. But I've no idea if it stay stuck very well.

@RMcGirr83: talking about cooling rooms, well I know it's not really cooling, but I prefer ceiling fans over A/C units: it costs much less and the consumption is quite low

huyhoa · Post by **huyhoa** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:14 pm

OlivierW wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:28 pm @huyhoa: it's probably to make the bubble wrap stick to the window. But I've no idea if it stay stuck very well.

@RMcGirr83: talking about cooling rooms, well I know it's not really cooling, but I prefer ceiling fans over A/C units: it costs much less and the consumption is quite low

If want it stick to the window, it should be double side tape instead of water?

OlivierW · Post by **OlivierW** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:04 pm

@huyhoa: according to some websites like https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/C ... lewrap.htm it does stick quite well with just water.
Maybe it's like window films ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_film )? But I thought it was staying stuck with some static electricity. Maybe @thecoalman knows and will explain us

RMcGirr83 · Post by **RMcGirr83** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:34 pm

OlivierW wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:28 pm @RMcGirr83: talking about cooling rooms, well I know it's not really cooling, but I prefer ceiling fans over A/C units: it costs much less and the consumption is quite low

During the Texas summer you're going to need much more than fans (we've hit temps as high as 110). We also have fans in each and every room as well as dual fans in the living area. All are controlled either manually or remotely (via Kasa dimable switches).

Post by **thecoalman** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 7:58 am

RMcGirr83 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:44 am

Speaking of heating systems, switch our your old thermostat with a new smart thermostat. Many have geo-fencing capabilities these days so will go into hibernation when you leave and fire right back up once you return.

There are some savings with this but it isn't much when it is short periods of time. Your house loses X amount of BTU's per hour and that doesn't change much as the inside temp drops. The amount of heat that you didn't put into the house has to be made up when you return. Where the savings can occur is efficiency in the heating system, longer cycles on units utilizing a fuel that burns like gas increase their effcicny for a lot of reasons.

If you have regular resistant electric baseboard this doesn't apply because it is always 100% efficient. For heat pump they have variable efficiency depending on outside air temperature and since you typically wouldn't be at home during the warmer part of the day this can increase your energy costs.

Since they take so long to catch up it's not very practical anyway.

Same thing applies with water heaters. Turning it off for the entire day really isn't saving you anything. However if you live in area with variable electric rates where they are lower at night you can see a significant cost savings running it only when the rates are lowest. There is little energy savings, just the dollar cost. Modern water heaters lose very little heat, for one or two person household this is very doable if you don't need hot water during the day much. If you need hot water during the day you can jack up the temperature it heats to when costs are lowest. Just make sure to install mixing valve so you don't end up scalding anyone.