Don’t wash the money out of your pockets

There are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes—use less water and use cooler water. Unless you're dealing with oily stains, the warm or cold water setting on your machine will generally do a good job of cleaning your clothes. Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut a load's energy use in half. Try to wash and dry in full loads. If you are washing a small load, use the appropriate water-level setting. When drying clothing do not over dry your clothing. When purchasing a dryer look for one with a moisture sensor. This will give you the correct drying time. Also make sure that the lint filter is clean. You should clean this every load of wash you dry. When possible dry clothing on a line or on a clothing rack.

What refrigerator is best?

When looking for a refrigerator look for a refrigerator with automatic moisture control. Models that have this feature have been engineered to prevent moisture accumulation on the cabinet exterior without the addition of a heater. This is not the same thing as an "anti-sweat" heater. Models with an anti-sweat heater will consume 5% to 10% more energy than models without this feature. Next thing to check on your refrigerator is to not have it too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5°F for the freezer section. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, it should be kept at 0°F. Another tip is to make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper or a dollar bill so it is half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the latch may need adjustment, the seal may need replacing. This might be the time to consider buying a new unit. Another tip that won’t cost you anything out of you r pocket is to cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder. When buying a new refrigerator consider buying one with the freezer on the top or bottom these are more efferent than with the freezers on the side.

Spending a little more upfront may save you more in the long run

When you buy appliances there are two price tags you have to look at, the purchase price and the operating cost. These are the two things you need to take into consideration when buying new appliances. Appliances account for about 17% of your household's electrical consumption, with refrigerators, clothes washers, and clothes dryers at the top of this list. The chart that is provided with this blog shows the typical appliance use per year. This chart uses kilowatts to measure electricity. For those of you that aren’t sure what a kilowatt is equal to think of it this way. When you cook one pot of rice for 1 hour you use 1000 watt-hours of electricity. One thousand watt-hours is equal to one kilowatt-hour

How to see make a green planet with renewable energy

Installing solar lighting around your home and garden is quick and easy way to add lighting free of electricity cost. Solar lighting isn’t the only thing that the sun can be used for. Another use of solar power is for heating water. If you have a swimming pool or hot tub, you can use solar power to cut pool heating costs. Most solar pool heating systems are cost competitive with conventional systems. And solar pool systems have very low operating costs. It's actually the most cost-effective use of solar energy. If you've made your home as energy efficient as possible, and you have very high electricity bills you might want to consider generating your own electricity using PV cells. This way you can help generate your own electricity and save money and the planet. In my next few post I will be discussing different appliances and what to buy.

Home electronics emptying your pocket

In the U.S. there are nearly 4.2 million people that worked from home in 2000. Back in 1990 there were 3.4 million. Working from home saves energy and time by cutting out the commute, but it may increase your home energy bills. The first thing to look for when buying electronics is an ENERGY STAR label. These electronics are proven to be more efficient than others. Next, unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use. The charger might still be drawing electricity. When an appliance continues to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off is known as a "phantom" load. These usually occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. These phantom loads can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.

Windows that can leak money out of your pocket

Windows can be a key feature in a home. Windows provide sight, lighting, ventilation, and solar heating in the cold months. On the down fall side, they can also account for 10% to 25% of your heating bill. During the warmer months, your air conditioner must work harder to cool the hot air from sunny windows. The use of curtains and shade will give your air conditioner a brake. If you live in a warmer climate area, look into low-e windows, which can cut the cooling load by 10% to 15%.
If you still have single-pane windows in your home, like most U.S. homes have, consider replacing them with new double-pane windows with high-performance glass. In the colder climates, select windows that are gas filled with low emissivity (low-e) coatings on the glass to reduce heat loss. In warmer climates, select windows with spectrally selective coatings to reduce heat gain. If you are building a new home, you can counteract some of the cost by installing more efficient windows because they allow you to buy smaller, less expensive heating and cooling equipment.

Solar water heaters

If you heat water your water with electricity and have high electric rates solar water heating might be the way to go. You will need to have an unshaded, south-facing area on your house. Usually the roof is a key place for this. These solar units are environmentally friendly and can now be installed on your roof to blend with the architecture of your house.
There are more than 1.5 million homes and businesses in the United States have invested in solar water heating systems,surveys indicate that more than 94% of these customers say that solar water heating is a good investment. Solar water heating systems are also good for the environment. Solar water heaters help cut down the greenhouse gas emissions that comes with produceing electricity. During a 20-year period, one solar water heater can avoid more than 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In my next post I will be talking about different windows that cam save you a lot.