Earth Hour and Money Saving Lesson

April 2, 2008 | By admin In Energy and Heating Tips | Comments(0)
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I was just reading an article announcing the results of Earth Hour:

"Just before 9 o’clock, the meter at the Toronto Hydro control centre hit a low of 2,738 megawatts - 5 per cent below the demand an hour earlier and about 8.7 per cent less than a typical late March Saturday night."

"In Sydney, the event appeared to be at least as popular as last year, when 2.2 million people took part and electricity consumption fell by 10.2 per cent."

"Australian energy officials said electricity consumption was down by 1,000 megawatts across the country, the equivalent of shutting down two large generating stations."

Did we learn anything? I hope so, turn out those lights and cut down on your personal hydro and energy bill. Anytime we are home at night watching tv we have one light on in the house. It's small light over the stove so we can see our way around the kitchen and to the bathroom. There is no need to have a million lights on when you aren't entertaining and just hanging around the house. Why pay to light rooms that you are not in? When you go to the movies you are in the dark so why not turn out the lights when watching movies at home? There's a savings to be had, turn out your lights and save on your energy bill.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/article/407246 

Filed under: Energy and Heating Tips

Save Money By Lowering Electric Bill

March 20, 2008 | By admin In Energy and Heating Tips | Comments(0)
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I am sure if you add up your electric bill over the past couple of years you would be surprised just how much money you have spent. Here are a couple of tips to lower that bill every month.

Wash your clothes in cold water whenever you can. Using hot water just adds to your electric bill. Even by using warm water instead of hot water helps. Take a look at that hot water pipe going to your taps, insulating it can help too.

Instead of running your dryer put up a clothes line outside or get some low cost racks for your basement to hang your clothes on. Even if you can hang them for couple of hours and then put them in the dryer for 10-15 minutes instead of running the dryer for an hour will help lower your bill.

Speaking of dryers, take a look at your appliances. If they do not have that energy saver sticker on them chances are they using a lot of hydro. Refrigerators,  washers and dryers are the worst culprits for wasting expensive electricity.

Don't forget to turn off lights and televisions when not using them. Have a look at your computer and make sure to use the power down feature or turn it off when you are not using it.

Those are just a few random tips that will help cut down on your electrical bill. If you have any more please comment.

Filed under: Energy and Heating Tips

Weather Proofing Doors and Windows Adds Up

March 6, 2008 | By admin In Energy and Heating Tips | Comments(0)
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We heat our house with electric forced air heat. Expensive? It can be but we combat that cost by ensuring that our doors and windows are weather proofed properly for the winter. By doing so we keep the heat in and the cold out.

This winter season it got cold early and I knew that our heating costs would be through the roof if I didn't do a quick check on our windows and doors to ensure they were air tight. To my surprise there was quite a bit of air coming through my windows where the latches meet. I also found that the rubber pieces under two of my outer door were worn allowing quite a bit of cold air through.

I solved the problem with a quick trip the my local hardware store and for about $20 I was able to but enough stripping to do all of the windows in the house and the ensure the doors were properly sealed.

It would hurt to check around all of your doors and windows. If you can feel a significant breeze coming in you are just throwing money out the window in heating costs.

Filed under: Energy and Heating Tips

Energy Saving Tips

March 4, 2008 | By admin In Energy and Heating Tips | Comments(2)
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One of your largest expenditure each month is going to be the cost of heating your house. Why not take a couple of simple steps to reduce that cost each month. Think about the money you can save each month by cutting down your heating bill. 

  • To save money on heating costs, reduce the temperature of your home a few degrees at night and when you're away.
  • Keep blinds, shades and drapes closed during the hottest part of the day in the summer. (And open south-facing blinds on sunny winter days!)
  • Use area rugs on cold floors – if your feet are cold, your body will feel cold.
  • If you feel cool, put on a sweater rather than simply turning up the thermostat.
  • Clean or replace the air filter on your furnace every month to improve efficiency.
  • Turn off unnecessary lights in the house (they produce a lot of heat which works against the AC.)
  • Conservation can be as easy as planting a tree. Plant leafy (deciduous) trees on the sunny side of your house. During the summer they provide shade, and in the winter they will shed their leaves to let the warming sunshine through. Pine or fir trees on the north side provide an energy-saving windbreak.

    • Those are some basic tips to cut down on your heating and cooling bill and save you money each month. Stay tuned for more energy saving tips.

     Original Source:

    http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=conservation.tips_heating

    Filed under: Energy and Heating Tips

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