Energy Savings i want to try

March 11th, 2006 at 09:25 pm

The April issue of Kiplinger is "how to save on everything". They have some great tips.

Our G&E is getting deregulated in a few months. Incredibly, they decided to "help" consumer by easing them in with a 20% increase that would grow to a 70%, and they would CHARGE INTEREST on the difference over the months.

There was an objection, of course, so then they decided they would simply increase rates by 70%.

There are lots of politics going on about this.

In the meantime, I want to look into some of the things Kiplinger points out.

First, I want to check out "kill a watt", $30 at amazon.com. Kiplinger indicates you can measure the stealth electronical usage of any appliance or electronic device with this. So I would be able to answer the question of how much energy is used by things that draw power just because they are plugged in (but turned off)

Second, I want to look into the Smart Strip Power Strip they say is $31 at smarthomeusa.com. The strip prevents the electronics from drawing electricity when they are off, and supposedly pays for itself within a few months.

We already have the programmable thermostat.

Posted in | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Energy Savings i want to try”

marilla Says:
March 11th, 2006 at 10:08 pm 1142114929
1142114929

Thanks for the info on those two items! Are you in Maryland, by any chance? We have the same problem with rate increases coming into effect soon. Having lived in California during the energy crisis there, I have to say I find deregulation of utilities not very helpful to the consumer.
Scott Says:
March 12th, 2006 at 06:35 am 1142145329
1142145329

Here is a simple way I cut down on some of that phantom energy usage. I wait and get those power strips that are on sale at holidays (usually at staples, office depot, or that type of store) such that you buy it, and there will be a rebate for the purchase price. I have gotten a few of those.
Anyhow, for things that can use electricity and you only use occassionally (like a TV, VCR, computer, or ???), plug your appliances into the strip and when you are not using the items, turn the strip off. For TVs, that means the TV won't be using power to have instant on capability or the infra-red remote ready all the time. I doubt it saves me much, but when the cost of the power strip was $0, overall I am still saving money.
katwoman Says:
March 12th, 2006 at 07:23 pm 1142191439
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Read the same article and am as intrigued as you.

I'm surprised they didn't mention that a microwave oven is a big guzzler of energy. Surprisingly, a lot goes into keeping that little clock running all the time!
flash Says:
March 12th, 2006 at 11:09 pm 1142204968
1142204968

When we lived in California, I thought leading the way in politics and problems would help other states when the same issues came up for them. Deregulation, the wonderful SNACK tax, energy. I am starting to think we just led the way so others could make theirs even worse!
flash Says:
March 12th, 2006 at 11:11 pm 1142205105
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Scott and Katwoman, you are both right! Scott, I keep on telling everyone, having the cable box off but the tv on (blank) not only burns electricity, but wears out your tv faster. We keep ours on a strip, and also always turn OFF the tv separately from the cable. Painful trying to explain how to use two remote controls to make the tv work when family is staying over, but saves quite a bit in $$$
baselle Says:
March 13th, 2006 at 04:40 am 1142224813
1142224813

What about the dryer and the refrigerator? How cold do you keep your refrigerator?

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Energy Savings i want to try

6 Responses to “Energy Savings i want to try”

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