Marketplace
![[SeMissourian.com]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/nameplate.gif)
|
|
Fair ~ River stage: 33.98 Falling Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
Lights out? UPDATE
Posted Wednesday, October 31, 2007, at 8:13 PM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
EDITED ... with new link at bottom...
I couldn't help but get a big nostalgic while writing a story about Eric Redinger's free "go green, save green" workshop at Southeast Missouri State University, He'll be offering a whole bunch of tips, ranging from free daily habits to long-term, high-return investments, from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at SEMO's student recreation center. The topic: saving energy. The flashback: 1979's oil crisis Then a secondary flashback: Gerald Ford's Whip Inflation Now program. Wish I still had the button for that campaign, because apparently it is worth about $8 on the eBay market. One habit from those long-ago days: turning the lights off as I leave the room. What I know since chatting with Redinger is that, if I'd unplug most of my appliances (not the fridge, of course) when they aren't being used, I can save about $200 a year. Who knew? A second source for the $200-a-year savings is this U.S. Department of Energy page which cites these items as being power hogs, even while turned off: televisions; DVD and VCR players, stereos, kitchen appliances. I'm still keeping my fridge plugged in at all times. But I did pack a few afghans and down comforters for my Michigan-to-Cape move. What's your favorite way to save energy and save dough? What's your least favorite? Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
Hot topics Here's your inoculation against flu hysteria(  5 ~ 3:19 AM, May 7)
Almost -30-
Swine dilemma
Flu, a few words from the CDC {live}
Flu, part 2
|
![[Feed icon]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/icons/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon}
I would be interested to see the list of suggested appliances to be unplugged in order to save that amount.
Don't get me wrong - I'm all for conservation as a primary means towards lowering energy bill costs - but, looking at the math, I have trouble understanding that $200 per year figure.
Using Ameren's numbers, mainly because they're so readily available from their website - the 4-month summer rate is $0.0792 per kilowatt-hour, the base winter rate during its 8-month period is $0.0562 per KWH, for an average rate of $0.0639 per KWH.
Who said algebra is only for algebra teachers? :-)~
So, a $200 per year savings relates to 3100 KWH per year not used, corresponding to $0.55 and 8.6 KWH per day.
Seems extremely ambitious from my perspective, considering my personal household average non-HVAC usage is about 10 KWH per day.
An 85% savings by unplugging things that are already off or in stand-by mode? Sounds too good to be true.
Again, not saying this $200/year figure is wrong, but I have my doubts and need further information to understand specifically what all has to be unplugged when not-in-use to be able to save that amount.
I worry when things get sensationalized, no matter which side is promoting the claims. Only serves to fuel emotions, making reasonable discussions more difficult.
Kind of like the weight-loss advertisements where all those people lose all that weight, but in the fine print, the disclaimer that the results aren't typical.
A clock thermostat that automatically raises/lowers itself during times when nobody is home.
Dump the electric heater and snuggle up with a good blanket. I am like fxpwt and am somewhat skeptical of that mount of savings. Gonna suck some sun at lunch. Coby is a howlin'...
Hey, no fair, Peg!
Many of the recommendations listed in the DOE site involve changes pertaining to upgrading existing appliances.
It is my conclusion that many upgrades are not cost-effective overall unless the existing appliance is near its expected end-of-service-life, or current repair costs are greater than about 40-50% of the cost of new.
Don't get me wrong - conservation as well as efficiency are great ways to personally control the lowering of household energy bills, but I suggest that expectations need to be realistic from the get-go, so to avoid disappointment.
For example, at least 4 months of the year are 'heating' months. Most of the appliances that use the so-called 'vampire' energy, release most of this energy in the form of heat.
So, while energy is being saved in one aspect by unplugging these appliances, it does place an additional incremental energy load on the furnace. This reduces the payback rate somewhat based on the fuel cost and efficiency of the HVAC system.
The 'average' home has about 1200 average BTU per hour (equivalent to about 350 watts) heat load due to appliance usage - a great thing to reduce in the summer cooling months, but not quite as beneficial in winter due to this additional heating required from the HVAC system to maintain target temperature.
But, too much nitpicking here.
The message is to be thinking about conservation and efficiency.
Reducing unnecessary energy usage through turning off unneeded lights and appliances, exploring the limits of comfort with the thermostat, and comparing energy efficiency features between the various offerings of household energy-consumers all help toward building the mind-set of continually looking for ways to cut household energy costs without sacrificing basic comforts.
As a final note - household HVAC energy usage is a very significant part of the annual utility bill. Suggest to consider that when it is time to replace - to get at least close to the most overall efficient unit available - the EnergyStar is an excellent label to look for.
From my recent HVAC system changeout experience, expect to save about 33% on the cooling portion of my summer bills, and almost 60% on the heating portion of my winter bills as compared to the old unit. Hoping that the unit specs translate well into real-world experience.
And, for the doubting Thomases - no, I am not associated with HVAC system sales or manufacturing.
after baking dinner, i prop open the door to let the heat out into the room. might sound stupid and who knows if it works, but hey.
I think opening the oven door is a great idea for warming up the house.
Here's my least-favorite energy saver to date: spiral fluorescent light bulbs replacing the old-fashioned bulbs.
The spiral is neat, but I actually went out and bought a new lamp before realizing the delay between switching the light on and the light actually appearing is a fluorescent quirk, not an electrical short.
I didn't return the new lamp, though. It's cute.
It seems that I've turned into a real blog-hog here, both in number of posts and individual lengths - but this is a topic I'm excited about - getting more with less!
An idea for those considering the switch to the compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs)as a replacement for the incandescents - why not step up the equivalent wattage?
For one, the CFLs take a minute or so to reach full brightness at room temperature.
They don't work so well in the garage or outdoors during cold weather - start out REALLY dim, but eventually get to full brightness after a few minutes.
Anyway, considering this 'warm-up' period and that most people wish for better illumination anyways - replace the conventional bulb with a CFL that's a step or two brighter.
For example, if there are currently 60watt bulbs, replace them with 75 or 100watt equivalents.
I suggest that the wattage limitations on fixtures are related to the heat given off, and the CFLs do run a lot cooler than their incandescent counterparts, so that safety shouldn't be an issue.
Just have to make sure the CFL will still fit physically into the fixture - had this problem on some enclosed outdoor lights.
Still saving over 1/2 of the energy and can see better to boot!
And - you'll get used to the momentary pause after a week or so.
Here I go again - one other thought about CFLs.
Look for the color temperature on the box. This will be a number like 2700K, 3500K, 4100K, etc.
A 2700K CFL has pretty much the same look/glow as an incandescent. This is also called 'warm white'.
3500K gets to be more towards the traditional 'cool-white' fluorescent look, which some people don't care for in their homes.
Above that, objects in the room start looking harsh or washed-out. These lamps are sometimes advertised as 'full-spectrum' or 'daylight'.
*******
As to other things tried:
Energy-saver feature on TV - dims the screen a bit, but still acceptable. Also find that extra room lighting is turned off/down to see the screen better.
Timer on electric water heater - probably going to lose on this deal. Miscalculated the efficiency of the heater insulation.
Turned down the water heater down until using hot water only for a comfortable shower. (A MotherEarth News recommendation). Dishwasher wasn't getting it done at this temperature. Went back to 140degF.
Worked with the HVAC. Added a humidifier, mainly for sinus problems - but found that lower temperatures in winter are much more comfortable with the humidity kept higher (35-40%). Also, don't have the static shock problem. Additionally, slowed the fan speed down in summer for better dehumidification. 78degrees is quite comfortable at 40-45% relative humidity, may shoot for 80deg next summer.
Timer on the HVAC - works great, once the times and temperature changes were figured out to fit schedules.
CFLs in all fixtures that they would fit. Saved quite a bit by buying a case online - 50 lamps for just over $100, including shipping. This was done prior to the rebate program currently being offered.
So - everything tried hasn't been a winner, but it gets back to the mind-set of always being on the look-out for opportunities to save money while maintaining comfort. Save a dollar here and there, pretty soon you're talking about some real money available for other things.
As a 'bump' to keep this at the top of Peg's forum listings - because I'm either really concerned about energy efficiency / conservation, or just an attention-grabbing jerk, depending on one's perspective -
The comment about the oven door - this is a very good sign that avenues are being considered toward saving energy.
In the overall scheme of household heating requirements, this is essentially a net zero benefit over keeping the door closed. The oven will equalize with the room temperature eventually. Opening the oven door speeds this equalization.
HOWEVER, an immediate benefit is felt due to the more rapid release of heat, making the room noticeably warmer for that short period.
There is no downside with doing this during the heating season - either way, the heat will be dissipated into the area.
If it makes one feel better about their energy usage and one enjoys the extra burst of heat released, by all means, continue.
And, feel smart about it, because there is action being taken, not just merely words uttered, toward controlling household energy costs.
All great tips! Thanks for adding them :)