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IDT Energy Suggests Some Kitchen Energy Saving Tips

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:20:46 +0000

The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the house, with lots of energy saving devices, meaning that they save humans energy. But in order to save you energy the appliances take the energy from the environment.

IDT Energy presents some ways to reduce to a minimum the amount of energy needed to run your kitchen:

Fill your dishwasher to capacity before running. Research has shown that a dishwasher used this way can save 37% of the water needed if the dishes were washed by hand. So you can use the dishwasher guilt-free.
There is a way to wash dishes using even less water than the dishwasher; fill one sink with soapy water and the adjacent sink with rinse water, and do not let the water run out of the faucet. Then you will use a whopping 50% of the water used by the dishwasher.
Use your microwave to defrost or warm up small amounts of food instead of the stove. This can save up to 50% of the energy that the stove would use. The microwave also heats up the kitchen less, a plus in the summer.
Close the fridge door right away. Decide what you want from the fridge before you open the door, take it out, and close the door. Test the tightness of the door by closing it on a one dollar bill. If the dollar pulls out easily, then the door is probably not tight enough, and cold air may be leaking out. Get it checked.
Old refrigerators are big energy wasters. Consider replacing your old fridge with a new energy efficient model. Look for the Energy Star.

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IDT Energy Helps You Save at the Office

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:42:33 +0000

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.

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IDT Energy Suggests an Energy Audit of Household Energy Use

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:48:45 +0000

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.

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Heat Saving Ideas for the Winter from IDT Energy

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:30:33 +0000

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.

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IDT Energy Suggests Winter Ways to Save

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:24:10 +0000

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.

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Part Three: IDT Energy’s Greener BBQ

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:49:30 +0000

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!

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IDT Energy Suggests Great Ways to Save on Heating Water

admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:06:37 +0000

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.

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Heat Water More Efficiently and Save with IDT Energy

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:37:08 +0000

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.

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Household Energy Savings Saves Money

admin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:05:52 +0000

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.

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Some Statistics About Savings from IDT Energy

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:29:07 +0000

Some Statistics About Savings from IDT Energy

Here are some interesting facts and figures from IDT Energy to keep you informed with up-to-the-minute information on energy savings issues.

•    The vast majority of consumers-92%- believe that business, government and consumers all have an equal responsibility to save on their energy usage.
•    Consumers get their info about energy savings from several sources: 45% read brochures and/or info from their utility companies; 40% get info from friends, neighbors and others; 39% look for the Energy Star label on products they purchase.
•    Eighty percent of Americans believe that the U.S. needs to reduce oil imports.
•    It is being predicted that in the next twenty years energy consumption in the U.S. will increase by almost 40%. That is the amount now being used in the states of California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois combined.

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