09-19-2006, 07:08 AM
The http://www.heco.com site has a home energy check to get a handle on your electric use, and some great energy saving tips. Turning lights off is great, and I have all fluorescents, and look forward to the new generation of LCD lights. They last “forever”, don’t get hot like halogen, and use manini power. Just waiting for the prices to come down. But the real savings comes from the energy hogs.
Biggest is hot water. Instantaneous heaters are super. Absolutely loved the one in my last house. But here I am putting in solar as soon as I repair my roof. Technology has improved greatly in recent years. If you live in an area with a lower solar index you just get an extra panel. Actually I have decided to get a full solar system to run my whole house. When my system is generating extra power it runs my meter BACKWARDS. It takes a while to pay for itself, but if the world gets really weird I will be able to be self-sufficient. Anyone who has lived here through a hurricane/windstorm, tsunami/flood, or longshoreman strike knows just how isolated life on a rock can be.
I also suggest investing in energy saving appliances. I have a European style washer/dryer. Washer uses low energy, washes twice the load with half the water and half the soap, and gets clothes almost as dry as an extractor. They are almost dry when done, and I have never seen cleaner clothes. I line dry when I can, then just fluff for a couple of minutes. I had a greenhouse uv-protectant 10x10 tarp made to go over my clothesline, although sometimes I just put clothes on hangers and hang on shower rod.
I got an energy efficient stove with convection oven and that took off $20-30/mo. But the biggest change came from replacing my old fridge. I looked for an energy star model and found that the usage among these models have a huge range. I found one with about 400KWH/yr model. Some energy star had 700 or more, almost twice as much! I expected a $20-30 savings, but my bill went down, get this, $70 a month!
I am sorry this post is so long, but saving energy is a bigger issue than just saving $ on electric bill, especially living on the most isolated land on the planet.
Do what you like. Like what you do.
Biggest is hot water. Instantaneous heaters are super. Absolutely loved the one in my last house. But here I am putting in solar as soon as I repair my roof. Technology has improved greatly in recent years. If you live in an area with a lower solar index you just get an extra panel. Actually I have decided to get a full solar system to run my whole house. When my system is generating extra power it runs my meter BACKWARDS. It takes a while to pay for itself, but if the world gets really weird I will be able to be self-sufficient. Anyone who has lived here through a hurricane/windstorm, tsunami/flood, or longshoreman strike knows just how isolated life on a rock can be.
I also suggest investing in energy saving appliances. I have a European style washer/dryer. Washer uses low energy, washes twice the load with half the water and half the soap, and gets clothes almost as dry as an extractor. They are almost dry when done, and I have never seen cleaner clothes. I line dry when I can, then just fluff for a couple of minutes. I had a greenhouse uv-protectant 10x10 tarp made to go over my clothesline, although sometimes I just put clothes on hangers and hang on shower rod.
I got an energy efficient stove with convection oven and that took off $20-30/mo. But the biggest change came from replacing my old fridge. I looked for an energy star model and found that the usage among these models have a huge range. I found one with about 400KWH/yr model. Some energy star had 700 or more, almost twice as much! I expected a $20-30 savings, but my bill went down, get this, $70 a month!
I am sorry this post is so long, but saving energy is a bigger issue than just saving $ on electric bill, especially living on the most isolated land on the planet.
Do what you like. Like what you do.
Do what you like. Like what you do.