IDT Energy Savings

Saving energy is a hot topic today, and while many people are aware of the importance, they find it hard or inconvenient to really take the time to change their energy-using habits. Many energy companies, such as IDT Energy, would be glad to help you reduce energy use and costs in your home.

One great way to minimize energy use in your home is to just make sure that everyone is aware of the issue. There are many simple things that you and your children can do to save energy and lower your electric bill at the same time.

loseyourexcuse.gov is a great website that helps you do just that. Their site lists 10 easy, simple rules that you can print out and tape on the fridge. You can also just discuss the ‘energy action plan‘ with the members of your household one night at dinner.

The list includes simple reminders like:

“1. Turn off the lights,

2. Use energy saving light bulbs,

3. Shut off computers, and

4. Use “smart” power strips.”

Energy companies like IDT Energy can attest to the fact that your appliances and electronics are responsible for around 20% of your energy bills. Here are a few tips for you to lower the costs with little effort. First of all, try air drying your dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle. Be sure to clean off the lint filter in the dryer after use to maintain proper air circulation. Why not consider using a clothes line on sunny days instead of running your dryer at all? Air-drying is actually recommended by clothing manufacturers for certain fabrics. If you choose to use your dryer nonetheless, make sure not to over-dry the clothes. Also, dry towels and heavier cottons in different load, separated from light-weight clothes.

Winter is arriving rapidly, and it is a little known fact that the cold weather can greatly affect your electricity bill. Companies such as IDT Energy can testify to the fact that proper use of appliances and a few quick home repairs can make this season much less expensive.

First, get a programmable thermostat. Used properly, it can reduce temperature regulation costs by up to 10%. Set it at 20?C during the day and 18 when you’re sleeping or away. Second, regularly check the weather- stripping throughout your house. Drafts can increase your energy use by up to 30%. The winter months tend to be darker, and so more electric light is used throughout the daylight hours. Switch your incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones, as they use less energy and last longer. Lastly, make sure to close the doors to all the rooms that are not being used, as well as closets. The heat is easily wasted.

Almost any energy company, like IDT Energy, would agree with the statement that using less energy can lower the monthly bill. It is relatively easy to conserve energy once you are aware of the appliances which consume the most power. One such appliance is the dryer- people often don’t realize how much electricity they use each day when they run it over and over again. Of course, using a clothesline during the summer months would conserve the most energy, however, many people don’t have a convenient location to use one, nor do they want to spend the extra time required to hang and remove the clothes.

The first way to conserve energy while using a dryer is to wring out the clothes in advance. This will help the drier work quickly and more efficiently. Sorting the clothes by weight will also increase the driers performance. Make sure not to overload it. The dryer uses more energy and works less efficiently when it is too full. If there are too many clothes that need to be dried, put one load in immediately after the other in order to take advantage of the energy that may still be lingering from the previous load.  Also, make sure to clean the lint filter often, and vacuum the exhaust hose at least once a year.

If you are looking to purchase a new dryer, some have moisture sensors and will shut down the moment the clothes are dry.

Lights left on in commercial buildings not only kill thousands of birds each year – they are also a primary source of energy waste. Nearly one-third of all the electricity in the U.S. is used to run those offices, a rate of use that is expected to rise 500% in the next decade. Business employees tend to be less concerned about saving energy in their offices because there is no selfishness component: If you’re not paying, you’re not worrying. But this en masse waste of non-renewable energy sources should be a concern to every American citizen. It’s important for businesses to look at their energy supplier and to see if they can save money by switching suppliers to IDT Energy or another source.  In addition, companies should promote energy saving plans by encouraging a few good habits that will help the office save money – and help our
nation save energy. A few easy tips:

1. Turn off the lights when you go out to lunch. You can go off on your break feeling that you’ve done something good for the environment – and it’ll take you less than one second.

2. Put your monitor to sleep. You need to be awake when you go off to a meeting (or at least pretend to be!) but your monitor can use this time to take a nap.

3. Reuse & Recycle. Don’t be a tree-eater! Don’t print what you don’t need, print double-sided, and recycle the paper you do use.

Saving energy with these easy suggestions will certainly cut down on costs to the office and help the environment.

Learn some specific ways to decrease your hot water use, and to save money each month on your electricity bill.  Whether you use IDT Energy or another company, these tips should help you to conserve hot water and to reduce your bill, even if only by a small amount.

Certainly, taking a shower takes less water than does taking a bath.  You can save even more hot water in the shower by using a low-flow shower head.  Make sure to turn your faucets all the way off when you finish using them and attach an aerator to the end of each faucet to reduce the flow rate of water by up to half.

Do your household cleaning with cold water – your floors do not need hot water to look clean!

Understanding your energy usage, and particularly that of your electrical appliances is essential to properly manage your budget and home expenses, and it is also essential in order to become part of the international efforts in looking after our world.

When an appliance is labeled “X watts” this meant that this is the maximum measure of electricity the appliance uses. While some appliances will indeed use this volume of electricity constantly and consistently, refrigerators, for example, only use the maximum energy consumption when the compressor is running. When the fridge is quiet after having reached its goal temperature, it will simply maintain that temperature and it will then be using far less electricity.

IDT Energy, the New York ESCO, is not merely a supplier of energy, but it is concerned with the environment and your pocket. Therefore, IDT focuses on green energy and on consumer education.

When creating a plan to reduce household expenses on energy, it is crucial to see where most of your energy dollars are going. According to the 2007 Buildings energy Data Book we see the hugest chunk of money spent on household energy goes to space heating, around 31%.

When planning  your household usage energy audit you should be sure to:

•    Check insulation in attic, basement walls and exterior walls, floors, ceilings and all those crawl spaces which can lose a lot of heat if not properly insulated.

•    Inspect in your walls, windows, ceilings, doors, lights fixtures, plumbing fixtures and even electrical outlets, for cracks and/or holes which can leak your expensive warm air out into the cold, cruel world.

•    Are your fireplace dampers open?

•    Look for ways to conserve energy use for lighting. Perhaps using occupancy sensors, dimmers and/or timers can help save electricity. Replacing incandescent lights with compact or standard fluorescent bulbs could save you a bundle.

Considering that about 12% of household energy expenditure goes toward heating water, it is a great idea to find ways to save on the use of that precious hot water. Here are some simple yet powerful ideas.

•    Low-flow, aerating faucets and shower heads can save lots of water and the energy it takes to heat that water.

•    You can waste a surprisingly large amount of water in a short time if you don’t fix leaky faucets right away.

•    Check the thermostat on your hot water heater. Newly installed heaters have factory settings that are probably way too hot. A moderate setting of 120? Fahrenheit is hot enough for the majority of household needs.

•    In addition to insulating your electric hot-water storage tank and/or natural gas and/or oil hot water storage tank, be sure to insulate the first 6 feet of the water pipes which are connected to the hot water heater, both hot and cold.

•    Be sure install heat traps on the water pipes at the water heater, both hot and cold, so that heat loss is reduced to a minimum. If you are purchasing a new water heater, be sure it has built-in heat traps.

Air Dry Dishes to Save Energy

In its relentless search for more ways for you to save on your electric and other energy bills,  IDT Energy has compiled some more ideas on how to start saving, right now!

1.    Turn off the heated drying cycle on the dishwasher and let the air dry your dishes instead.

2.    Did you know that washing your clothes in hot water is not only a waste of energy which is needed to heat that water, but it is also harmful to your clothes?  Wash in cold water whenever possible.

3.    Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They last longer and use less electricity.

4.    Showers are much more energy efficient than baths, and they save water, too!

5.    Products with an “Energy Star” label have met strict guidelines for energy use efficiency as set by the U.S. Department of Energy.

At IDT Energy we are doing all we can to help people save energy and money now and protect our world for the future.