IDT Energy Savings

When the summer starts heating up, it’s very tempting to just crank up the air-conditioner irrespective of the bills you will thereafter receive.  But when you get the bill, you may reconsider – by which time it will be too late since you will have already used all that extra electricity.  That is why IDT Energy has some great saving tips that will ensure you stay cool but don’t break the bank.  One way is to set the thermostat a little warmer for the night times. According to figures from the Department of Energy, doing this can render a 10 percent saving on heating and cooling bills with a mere thermostat change of 10 to 15 percent for eight out of each 24 hours.  This doesn’t even have to be at all complicated either since these days there are various programmable thermostats available which facilitate the process.  Another way of saving money on the bill from air-conditioning usage, is by regularly changing the filters.  An estimated 5 to 15 percent can be saved by doing this.  As well, it will improve the air-conditioning quality and there will be way less noise.

When you next go outside of your house, take a look at the air-conditioning unit from there too.  It’s important to regularly wash its coils and ensure there is nothing that blocks the air follow.  Coil cleaning can result in a 2-4 percent capacity improvement which again will result in substantial financial savings.

IDT Energy has many tips on how to make substantial savings in the summer when it seems like your home electricity is always in use.  You can indeed remain cool without over-spending. You just need to work out sensible ways of doing this.

If anybody tells you that using a dishwasher wastes water and energy, you can assure them that, depending on how you use your dishwasher that is simply not true. There are several things that you actually save by using the dishwasher rather than washing your dishes by hand.

Water

Are you surprised? Don’t be. If you only use your dishwasher when it is completely loaded up, the amount of water used will actually be less than if you washed each of those dishes by hand. One researcher found that the difference comes to 37% less water.

Time

For many people, time is money. Certainly in today’s world of two parents away from home all day at work, the time spendt washing dishes by hand could better be used enjoying the company of family and friends, plus numerous other chores which must be done.  As a time-saving device, the dishwasher rocks.

Electricity

Yes, a dishwasher does use more electricity than washing by hand, but as appliances become more efficient, you might be surprised at how little electricity the dishwasher really needs. After all, most of the electricity, about 80% used by the dishwasher is for heating the water. Whether you hand wash or machine wash, hot water still needs to be made. Also be sure to look for the Energy Star label to ensure you are purchasing the most energy efficient appliance around.

IDT Energy urges consumers to carefully pick appliances best suited to their family’s needs and lifestyles, and be energy smart.

Certainly, every little bit counts when you’re trying to save money.  One easy way to cut corners is to take a look at your energy bill and to try to make some changes. Whether you use IDT Energy or another provider, there is always a way to reduce your bill a bit more and to cut down on your energy costs.

Take lighting for instance.  A typical household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting.  You can reduce these costs by 50-75% with a few key adjustments.

Here are a few ways to make your indoor lighting choices more cost effective:

1. Use fluorescent lamps rather than incandescent bulbs.  They last 6-12 times longer and they are of high quality.
2. Buy ENERGY STAR products whenever you can.  You’ll save as much as $30 in electricity costs over the lifetime of each and every bulb.
3. Install dimmers and timers that help you to save on electric costs by turning lights off when they aren’t in use.  Simmers allow you to lower your light levels, thus saving money.
4. If you plan to remodel, look for recessed downlights, called “cans” that are rated for contact with insulation. They are IC rated.
5. Make sure your home optimizes for natural light. Purchase light curtains, paint rooms with light hues and keep blinds open to let in natural light.

Have you noticed that winter has arrived? Well of course you have, and so has IDT Energy. It’s time to discuss some great ways to save money during the high energy consuming winter months.

IDT Energy can’t emphasize enough some of the following suggestions which can help you save a lot of money on your power bill during this cold, dark time of year.

1. Don’t delay insulating your home. Cover everything, from the walls, floors, heating ducts and don’t forget the ceilings and attic access. Basement trapdoors also need attention.
2. Have you ever noticed how cold your glass windows get, especially at night? Cover those windows with shutters, drapes or clear plastic to keep the cold air out and warm air in.
3. Put caulk around doors and windows. Check for cracks and holes in window and door frames, too, and plug them all up.

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.

Any boss knows that every dollar counts.  The more that you can save money on your energy bill, the more you’ll have for employee benefits, company functioning and more.  When evaluating your company’s energy use, consider switching suppliers to a company like IDT Energy if you live in a state with deregulated energy suppliers.

Do regular tuning of your heating and ventilation systems and regularly replace filters.  Install ceiling fans wherever possible to help with air circulation and temperature regulation.  If you are in the market to purchase new heating and ventilation units, choose ENERGY STAR ones and also use ENERGY STAR light bulbs and other equipment.

Make sure that water heater and supply pipes are insulated and install ceiling and wall insulation.

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!

IDT Energy understands that in the summer it is possible to spend much more on electricity than at other times of the year. In New York especially there is a great need to run air conditioning units day and night, trying to keep as cool as possible during the humid and hot summers which New york is so famous for. IDT Energy presents here some tips to keeping things cool while still using less electricity.

1.    Come the evening it is often cool enough to turn of the a/c and turn on a fan. Let the cooler air blow on you to cool you down. Try both ceiling fans and floor based fans. They use a fraction of the electricity that air conditioners use, and may be just the thing to keep you comfortable.

2.    Banish hot air. Use exhaust fans in the kitchen to get that extra hot air out of the house. If there is no exhaust fan, just put a floor fan in the kitchen and let it blow while you are cooking. It will help keep the cook cool while blowing the hot air out of the kitchen.