Let’s Save Some Energy (and some money)!

This evening as I wandered around my living room in my “sinus congestion filled loopy/can’t sleep because my head feels like it’s going to explode-ness” I started to notice all of the tiny red and green dots of lights around the house. As I began to realize how many standby lights were on my wallet made a little sigh. Now, I am a penny pincher due to necessity but there are a ton of things that I miss that really add up when it comes to paying the bills. So, where are just a few simple tasks to help you keep some money in your wallet and maybe help put a little more presents under the tree this year.

* Unplug your standby power. Did you know that a studies by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was able to show that standby power eats up 5 to 10 percent of the energy in your bill each month! That’s an insane number when you think that all it power is going to light up one tiny LED bulb.

* Don’t use your clothes dryer as often. It costs 34 cents per load and if you are like most families you are doing at least seven loads per week (if not more). This really adds up at the end of the month.

*Set your refrigerator temperature at 38 to 42 degrees. Most people overlook the fridge because we assume that colder is better but in reality the more your fridge is working, the more it costs and for no positive result.

*Don’t use a screen saver. Many people believe that screen savers on your computer save energy when you are not using the machine and this is not true. A screen saver uses just as much power so instead try using the sleep setting between long periods of inactivity.

*Use Compact florescent lamps (CFLs) instead of regular light bulbs. They will last you several years and use 75% less energy.

*Use low flow shower heads. They can save you at least $500 a year! Many people are skeptical about using them because they worry about water pressure but they are make to sustain regular water pressure but use 2 to 5 gallons of water per minute versus the regular head using 5 to 10 gallons.

*Check your windows and doors. Every little bit of air that is going in and out of the house after being either cooled or heated is a huge waste. Most of the time filling these gaps is a simple and cheap fix.

*Program your thermostat and keeping the temperatures a little lower in winter or a little higher in summer can save you 3% on your energy bill.