38 replies to this topic

[godarna]

We talk a lot about green living nowadays, but do you realize that green living starts at home?
Here are some useful tips to save energy:

• Use energy saving lights instead of ordinary bulbs, you save energy and the light is dimmer and thus more pleasant for your eyes.
  
• Do not let your electronic appliances as TV, DVD player, video, stereo set, computer, printer on standby. Use power strips with on/off switch to disconnect all apparatus with one simple click.
  
• Do not forget to switch off the lights in those rooms you do not frequently use at night.
  
• Do not place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight or close to another heat source. Put them at least 10 cm from the wall for good airing. Defrost periodically and open the door as shortly as possible.
  
• Air dry your dishes, instead of using the dishwasher’s drying cycle.
  
• Use a LCD screen, as it is more economical than plasma.
  
• Set the thermostat of your central heating at night to 15 or 16 degrees, and do this at least half an hour before going to bed. The heat will keep the living warm for a while. When you leave your home turn the thermostat down.
  
• Air the living, even in winter, for at least 15 minutes every morning by opening a window, even when it rains. The fresh air is easier to heat. Of course turn down the thermostat while airing.
  
• Do not hide radiators behind long curtains, they block the heat radiation, and close your curtains at night, they reduce the impact of drafts.
  
• Close gaps in windows and doors with isolation strips, and isolate pipelines that run through your house, so they will not lose their heat easily.

These are only 10 tips, be sure, there is a lot more to do. Good advice, have a look around in your home and you will find many, many more solutions for saving energy.

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[soccerbai123]

I totally agree with this. I believe we should practice having a green living at home because the foundation is there. After that, it will be practiced in the community like in the school, office and the like.

[godarna]

Is true soccerbai, green living starts at home, as this is the way you can show, that you are willing to do something for the envrionment. School, office, etc. are the next steps along the path to that goal: a cleaner world, where peope live closely to nature.

[Jkility]

Alot of stuff you can do there aswell as on the list. Simple things such as turning off the lights or tv's when they are not in use and opening and closing window when needed.

[zararina]

It will be really nice to be able to save energy specially now that cost electricity continuously increase. And it also helps us to save our environment from further warming and destruction. So it was a win-win situation and there could be no reason we should not do it on our daily lives. It could be hard for some but eventually it could become a hobby for a lot of us.

[catnap]

2. Do not let your electronic appliances as TV, DVD player, video, stereo set, computer, printer on standby. Use power strips with on/off switch to disconnect all apparatus with one simple click.

This is the only one I've never been able to do.  I've read that unplugging these 'energy' vampires can save up to 25% on your electric bill, but I'm sad to say my laziness has prevented me from doing this simple thing.

I have heard of something called a Smart Strip Power Strip, that sense electrical currents and automatically will shut off dormant electronics.  Has anyone else heard of or tried this?

[el canadiano]

catnap, on 01 October 2011 - 08:19 AM, said:

2. Do not let your electronic appliances as TV, DVD player, video, stereo set, computer, printer on standby. Use power strips with on/off switch to disconnect all apparatus with one simple click.

This is the only one I've never been able to do.  I've read that unplugging these 'energy' vampires can save up to 25% on your electric bill, but I'm sad to say my laziness has prevented me from doing this simple thing.

I have heard of something called a Smart Strip Power Strip, that sense electrical currents and automatically will shut off dormant electronics.  Has anyone else heard of or tried this?

Just use a power bar (as they said), cause when those turn off, you're actually cutting off the energy to the standby appliances. I personally think that of all of the points, #2 is definitely the most important. The others can be fixed by fixing habits.

#6 is irrelevant though. LED-backlit LCD TVs use even less energy than conventional LCD screens.

[artistry]

What a great set of tips to save energy. I never knew that it was easier to heat up a place, if it was filled with fresh air first. That is well worth writing down, so I don't forget. Especially with the winter weather setting in. Thank you very much. I really appreciate the information.

[godarna]

#6 is irrelevant though. LED-backlit LCD TVs use even less energy than conventional LCD screens.

Just checked this comment on the LED-backlit LCD TVs at Wikipedia:

"LED-backlit LCD TVs are claimed to have longer life and better energy efficiency than plasma and CCFL LCD TVs. Unlike CCFL backlights, LEDs use no mercury, an environmental pollutant, in their manufacture. However, other elements such as gallium and arsenic are used in the manufacture of the LED emitters themselves; there is some debate over whether they are a better long-term solution to the problem of TV disposal".

[A. Steffens]

These are great tips, many of which we are already using. However, I was not aware that fresh air heated more easily - this is great to know since opening the windows is always a welcome idea in my house. The light bulbs were an easy switch, but they have not lasted as long as the manufacturers suggest they should. Maybe they didn't count on three children using them! Oh, and putting the fridge in direct sunlight makes it run harder to keep things cooler? I suppose that makes perfect sense, but never thought of it before. These tips are so simple, they should be mandatory.

[sammilynn]

I agree with all of this, but the light bulb thing brings up some problems with me... personally I can't use florescent bulbs because they give me major headaches,  so I use the normal incandescent bulbs. I know there are other bulbs out there, but have you seen the prices of some of them? And they last for a VERY short amount of time. Not worth it in my opinion... when the new bulbs are cheaper and last longer, then I will use them. I've got into the habit of turning off lights when I leave the room as much as I can, and I've always unplugged things like my cell phone and laptop as soon as their done charging so I'm not using more power for no reason. I didn't know about heating the fresh air, but that's because my parents always told me to keep the windows closed all the time in the winter... it's a good tip to know though, I think I'll try it once it starts getting really cold here.  It's good to see people bringing up new ideas, that are, in general, simple and inexpensive to do (and they can save you money on your hydro bill sometimes), that will help the planet for future generations.

[godarna]

artistry, on 01 October 2011 - 06:21 PM, said:

What a great set of tips to save energy. I never knew that it was easier to heat up a place, if it was filled with fresh air first. That is well worth writing down, so I don't forget. Especially with the winter weather setting in. Thank you very much. I really appreciate the information.

In winter we tend to keep windows shut tight to prevent heat loss. Yet this is not a good solution. Ventilating your home brings in fresh air, and fresh air is important because it ensures that moisture and mold can be combated, and thus create a drier atmosphere in your home. Dry air is easier to heat. So, there is less need to heat your home when it is well ventilated. Ventilate the house all day, do this by opening air vents. If you do not have vents just open a window slightly.

[Green Thumb]

Great tips. Thanks.

You may also want and not forget to turn off the lights in the morning. Day light can bring in the natural brightness inside your home but not if you don’t have open windows or only have small and single window at home (even nature’s smell seemed uninvited there).  I also read in a blog that turning the light off or dimming them not only lowers energy costs but more so make a more comfortable environment. If ever you need light on darker space, you may use an eco-friendly task light.

And whenever nobody is to be left at home, we made sure that we turn off the main switch. =^.^=

[sammilynn]

Green Thumb, on 08 October 2011 - 11:04 PM, said:

Great tips. Thanks.

You may also want and not forget to turn off the lights in the morning. Day light can bring in the natural brightness inside your home but not if you don’t have open windows or only have small and single window at home (even nature’s smell seemed uninvited there).  I also read in a blog that turning the light off or dimming them not only lowers energy costs but more so make a more comfortable environment. If ever you need light on darker space, you may use an eco-friendly task light.

And whenever nobody is to be left at home, we made sure that we turn off the main switch. =^.^=

Good point, and easy to do, everyone can do it. and not only does it help the planet it can save you money too! and that's always good!

[Bababooey]

These are great tips. We have a separate structure, a revamped two-level garage, that my wife uses as her office/studio. I always go out every night and turn off the heat at night, and turn it back on in the morning before I go into work. That way, it's nice and warm by the time she gets there, and we haven't had the heat on all night when there's nobody there. Helps with the heat bill too.

[sammilynn]

We keep out heat off completely as much as we can. We like to open windows for fresh air, so rather than waste the heat (and our money) we just shut off the heat... when it feels like it's getting too cold, we close up and turn the heat on, but only if it's really cold... have to make sure that the pipes don't freeze... that won't help anything. lol

If I do keep lights on, they're small... like night-lights... we use one in the hall way so we can see at night, and I have a small light for my room at night... It gets extremely dark, and I end up running into things before I can find the light switch.

[Yoginitrish]

godarna, on 30 September 2011 - 03:10 AM, said:

We talk a lot about green living nowadays, but do you realize that green living starts at home?
Here are some useful tips to save energy:

• Use energy saving lights instead of ordinary bulbs, you save energy and the light is dimmer and thus more pleasant for your eyes.
  
• Do not let your electronic appliances as TV, DVD player, video, stereo set, computer, printer on standby. Use power strips with on/off switch to disconnect all apparatus with one simple click.
  
• Do not forget to switch off the lights in those rooms you do not frequently use at night.
  
• Do not place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight or close to another heat source. Put them at least 10 cm from the wall for good airing. Defrost periodically and open the door as shortly as possible.
  
• Air dry your dishes, instead of using the dishwasher’s drying cycle.
  
• Use a LCD screen, as it is more economical than plasma.
  
• Set the thermostat of your central heating at night to 15 or 16 degrees, and do this at least half an hour before going to bed. The heat will keep the living warm for a while. When you leave your home turn the thermostat down.
  
• Air the living, even in winter, for at least 15 minutes every morning by opening a window, even when it rains.
  The fresh air is easier to heat. Of course turn down the thermostat while airing.
  
• Do not hide radiators behind long curtains, they block the heat radiation, and close your curtains at night, they reduce the impact of drafts.
  
  
  
  
  I never knew fresh air was easier to heat and cool. We try to air the house often--the fresh air just feels good. It is easier to believe and I think it removes toxins.
  
• Close gaps in windows and doors with isolation strips, and isolate pipelines that run through your house, so they will not lose their heat easily.

These are only 10 tips, be sure, there is a lot more to do. Good advice, have a look around in your home and you will find many, many more solutions for saving energy.

Click here to view the record

[kate]

I got a kick out of the suggestion to air dry your dishes instead of using the dishwasher's dry cycle.  We do not use a dishwasher at all, but wash and dry our dishes by hand.  It can be a real pain sometimes, but it does save energy.

Also, I love to hang my laundry out to dry on a line in the fresh air and sun!  It amazes me that some communities prohibit such a thing. We spent several months without a washing machine, and I hand washed all of our clothes.  Now THAT is a challenge, and we bought a used washing machine as soon as possible.  It's just darn cold in the winter to be washing clothes and wringing out towels by hand.

We also use propane as a back-up heat, and heat our home with a woodstove all winter long.  It's a bit nippy in the morning, but we truly love that stove.  This year, I'm working on window quilts to add more insulation to the windows.

[godarna]

kate, on 21 October 2011 - 04:13 PM, said:

I got a kick out of the suggestion to air dry your dishes instead of using the dishwasher's dry cycle.  We do not use a dishwasher at all, but wash and dry our dishes by hand.  It can be a real pain sometimes, but it does save energy.

Also, I love to hang my laundry out to dry on a line in the fresh air and sun!  It amazes me that some communities prohibit such a thing. We spent several months without a washing machine, and I hand washed all of our clothes.  Now THAT is a challenge, and we bought a used washing machine as soon as possible.  It's just darn cold in the winter to be washing clothes and wringing out towels by hand.

I washed and dried dishes manually my whole life. Nothing wrong with it, although it can be a tedious job after a big party.

When I was a kid we had an old fashioned washing machine with a wringer. A mechanical laundry aid with two rollers in a frame and  a hand crank. I wonder if one can still find them.

[NeilPearson]

Great tips.  Closing any gaps around windows or doors with the isolation strips makes a huge difference, especially if you live somewhere that is either really hot or really cold

I had no idea fresh air is easier to heat than other air... I'm not sure I believe this.  Why would it be so?