IDT Energy Savings

The largest expense of running a washing machine is heating the water. The majority of time your clothes will be just as clean after washing in cold water as washing in warm or hot water. If you do have a lot of extra dirty clothes on hand, it is more efficient to pre-soak them in warm water and then wash them in cold, saving lots of warm water which is just not necessary to use.

Do you find that your dryer just doesn’t try as quickly as it used to? This is most certainly a problem caused by an over accumulation of lint. Always check the lint trap and clean it after every load you dry. Also check the dryer’s exhaust for lint that could be blocking the efficient exiting of the hot, humid air to the outside. This simple rule can save you lots of energy, time and money.

An even better idea is to hang your clothes to dry when the sun is shining outside. This ancient form of solar energy is free and abundant and will even give your clothes a nice “outdoorsy” smell. Yes it is time consuming, but maybe you would like to get some fresh air and enjoy the warm sunshine, and the great garden smells while at the same time saving quite a bit of energy and money.

There are two parts to saving money getting the household chores done. The first part is purchasing the right appliance at the right price, and the second part is using that appliance in the most efficient way possible.

When you are in the market for a new appliance, whether it is a new refrigerator, microwave or dryer, it is important to do the research ahead of time. Nowadays with computers so handy, it is easy to check on which appliances are best suited to your needs, which are the most reliable, and which use energy most efficiently. When you have narrowed down your search to a particular brand name and model, then you can shop around for the best price on this appliance. You can also do this research on-line, or you can call local stores and compare prices. Remember to include the cost of running the appliance into your calculations.

Even if an appliance costs more, if it is more energy efficient it will end up costing you less over the long run. For an appliance that you will own and use for many years, this difference can add up to a lot of money.

To insure energy efficiency in your appliances, make sure they have the EnergyStar Logo.  If you find the more energy efficient appliance is too expensive for your budget, ask the salesman if they have the same product in last year’s model. This way you will be getting basically the same appliance, but at a reduced price. Don’t forget to include the kind of service the store will provide if problems should arise. For many people it is worth it to spend more money in a store that offers better service than a discount store which sends you somewhere else if there are problems.

Where would we be without our appliances? Can you imagine life without your refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, or even something as simple as a blender or mixer? We definitely take these amazing household helpers for granted, but we should realize that what we save in time and tedium we pay back in dollars. Every time we turn on an appliance, we are paying for its use through our household bill for electric and natural gas. On the other hand, the amount we spend is miniscule if we compare how much it would cost in man-woman/hours to do the same job without the electricity. For instance, doing the laundry could take all day down by the river just to do one load of clothing.

With the use of a washer this same chore takes about an hour of time and a tiny amount of electricity. Even if you take into consideration the cost of the appliance itself, when divided over the life of the appliance, which can be 15 or more years of use, it still comes out quite inexpensive to use today’s time and money saving appliances. So the conclusion is certainly that our modern appliances do free us up with more time to do things we find life-enhancing, at a fraction of the cost.

Nevertheless it is still possible to use our appliances more efficiently and save even more time and money by just following a few basic tips.

You probably already know that a large percent of the total energy you use at home is in the kitchen and laundry room. Did you know that it was as much as one third of home energy usage? That is a big chunk of your budget. Therefore the choices we make in the kitchen and laundry can have a big effect on our energy bill.

Most of that energy is devoured by your refrigerator. So what are some ways to get our fridges to work at peak efficiency, using the least amount of electricity but giving the best results?

Start by setting the thermostat on the fridge to between 38 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit to allow your refrigerator to run about 25% more efficiently.
Another simple and obvious thing to do is to make sure the door of the refrigerator is always kept closed, except for just the few moments when you are removing food out of or putting things into the fridge. Some new refrigerators even come with an alarm that alerts you if the refrigerator door is open for more than just a few moments. If your refrigerator does not have such a device, you can buy one separately.

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.

We are discussing the various fuels to use at your “end of the summer” BBQ. IDT Energy wants you to make an informed choice so you can save money and energy while saving the planet.

An alternative to using charcoal as a fuel for your BBQ you can use LPG, liquefied petroleum gas. Although it does release CO? into the atmosphere when it burns, the other pollutants it releases are less numerous than with charcoal, so it is actually better for air quality than charcoal.

The third possible way to BBQ is with electricity. Since electricity is produced in power stations, a lot of fossil fuels are burned making electricity the BBQ fuel with the highest release of CO? emissions of the three choices. Electricity is also an expensive way to cook.

With summer coming to a close maybe you are planning an “end of the summer” outdoor celebration. A great way to celebrate is with a wonderful backyard barbecue. We usually don’t give much thought about how to make this fun event environmentally friendly, but here are a few tips from IDT Energy that will not only save you money, but will also help save our planet.

• Just because you are eating outdoors doesn’t mean you need to use disposable plates and cutlery. Disposables are expensive and wasteful, and their use should be limited as much as possible.

• Choose charcoal as your fuel for the cleanest way to grill. Made from wood, charcoal releases only as much CO? as it absorbed while it was growing. On the other hand, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that cutting down and transporting the wood, and processing it also uses energy. Burning charcoal also releases soot and other materials into the atmosphere, which is especially problematic in urban areas.

• When choosing charcoal check that it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. It should also be produced locally and only from sustainable forests.

• Use the lump type of charcoal of you can; briquettes contain chemical additives.

Knowing where all the hot water you use goes is a great first step in starting a savings plan help to get your energy bill under control. IDT Energy suggests that you examine a few of your
simple every day activities which may be using a lot more water than you realize.

Here is a sample of the typical quantities of water used in daily routine activities:

•    Laundry-                       32 Gallons per load of laundry

•    Shower-                          20 Gallons per shower

•    Bath-                                20 Gallons per bath

•    Dishes-                            12 Gallons or water are used per load in an automatic dishwasher

•    Food preparation-     This can typically use about 5 gallons of water

•    Dishes by Hand-          4 Gallons of water are used to wash a sink full of dishes.

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.

It takes a lot of energy to get the hot water you need for all your household needs, probably more than you think. For most people about 12% of the money they spend on powering their home is used to heat water, which is typically the third largest household energy expense. It therefore is a smart place to start when looking for places to make cuts in their budget for utilities.

There are basically four strategies to consider when planning to reduce your water heating bills. Those strategies are:

1.    Reduce the amount of hot water you use.
2.    Lower the temperature on the thermostat of your hot water heater.
3.    Efficiently heat and retain the heat by properly insulating your water heater.
4.    Purchase a new water heater which heats more efficiently.