IDT Energy Savings

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.

In addition to purchasing office equipment labeled with the Energy Star, there are several concrete steps you can take to reduce your power consumption and save money.

Here are few ideas:

•    Turn off your machines when they are not in use. This simple suggestion can save large amounts of energy.

•    The AC adaptor from your computer can be plugged into a power strip that can be turned off when not in use. There is a transformer in the AC adaptor that continuously draws electricity, even when the computer is not plugged into the adaptor. You can also merely unplug the adaptor from the outlet when not in use.

•    New computers can be safely turned off without affecting the life of the computer. It is no longer true, as it was in the days of mainframe computers, that never turning over the computer extends the computers life. Nowadays you can safely turn off your computer, save energy, money and nothing will happen to your computer.

•    When you upgrade your computer, consider getting a laptop instead of a desktop. Laptops use much less energy than desktop computers.

IDT Energy wants its customers to save whenever and wherever they can, so why not explore new ways to save money in the office, too?

Working at home is becoming more and more popular. People who work from home are already saving money on transportation costs, and perhaps the cost of new clothes since you no longer need to dress for the office.  You might be able to also save on childcare costs, the cost of purchasing expensive lunches, and other types of expenses which are no longer needed when you are employed at home.

However you might need expensive equipment in order to do the job properly, such as computers, printers, faxes, etc, which are all energy consumers.
So how can you save money on your energy bill in your home office?

Start with the Energy Star. Office equipment labeled with the Energy Star can in some cases save you as much as 90% to run the product. The average savings on most office equipment is still impressive; as much as 50% can usually be saved with Energy Star labeled office equipment compared to ordinary equipment.

In addition to this respectable energy savings, these office devices also reduce air-conditioning loads, annoying background noise from fans and transformers and electromagnetic fields from computer monitors.

In our last post IDT Energy discussed ways to get the heat into your house in a cost saving manner, such as exposing your home to daytime sunshine, lowering your thermostat and installing a programmable thermostat.

Here are some ideas on how to keep the heat you’ve paid so dearly for to stay inside where it belongs:

• When is the last time you checked the insulation in your attic? How about your ceilings, exterior walls, basement walls, crawl spaces and floors? Make sure the insulation is adequate for the climate that you live in. New York can have extremely harsh winters, and good insulation can make a huge difference in your heating costs.
• Check for air leaks around windows and doors, then use caulk and weather stripping to seal them.
• Be sure to replace the filters on your furnace regularly to keep the warm air flowing into your house efficiently.
• IDT Energy wishes you and your family a wonderful warm winter in New York.

Winter in New York is always wonderful. However it can be a challenge to stay warm and cozy without breaking the bank. IDT Energy has some helpful tips to maintain a comfortable and affordable New York winter.

When considering how to control heating costs, its best to take the broad view of the entire house:

• •    During the day the sun is in the south. By keeping the south facing curtains and drapes open, the sun will shine in and help keep your house warm. Don’t forget to close the drapes at night to keep out the cold chill that can come into the house through the glass.
• •    Consider turning down your thermostat a bit. Try to maintain comfort at a lower temperature.
• •    Even better than merely turning down your thermostat, install a programmable thermostat. This handy device can raise the temperature in your home when you are there; lower it when you’re not; and maintain another temperature when you are asleep, all completely automatically. You can actually reduce your heating bill by 10% by just lowering the temperature on your thermostat from 72 degrees down to 65 when you are sleeping or out of the house.

The fuel you use to cook with is one concern, as we have been discussing, but there several other issues to consider before firing up the grill in order to increase the green quotient of your meal.

• Stick with food that is locally grown and seasonal. The less distance your fruit and vegetables travel to your table, the more energy (and often money) you can save.
• Use a bowl when washing your fruits and veggies before use. This simple act uses less water, and afterward you can use the water again to water plants around the house.
• With a bit of planning ahead, you can defrost overnight in the fridge rather than immediately in the microwave.
• Are your guests bringing something along? Ask each guest to bring something different to avoid wasteful leftovers.
• If you keep your food covered when its outside you can then save them in the fridge for the next day as delicious leftovers.

IDT Energy wishes you and your family a great “end of summer” Barbecue day!

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.

It is one of the goals at IDT Energy to help consumers in New York and elsewhere save money on their energy bill. We have been providing ideas and tips for saving money, but another approach is to think more globally about saving energy at home.

It is time to begin thinking about your home as unified system with many parts that all fit together and affect each other. For instance, you may decide to install Energy Star rated windows and improved insulation; you will probably be able to replace your heating and/or cooling system with a smaller unit when the time comes for replacement.

Not only have you saved money because you are retaining the heat/cold air inside where you want it with more efficiency, you also save money on the purchase of a smaller heating/cooling system.

If you realize how each element of your home effects the other, you can plan a more energy efficient and cost effective energy using household.