Once you use CFL’s – you’ll be hooked. They look almost the same as normal bulbs (if you get the right ones) and use 75% less energy.
They they have their limitations that you should be aware of. That said, there are some place you should never place CFL’s.

Rooms that have high humidity where the fixtures aren’t enclosed or protected. Bathrooms are the best example of this, though some may be alright. CFL’s do not do well in these areas and can short out.
With dimmers. CFL’s can not be dimmed like …

Right now, it’s a real buyer’s market out there. Interest rates are very low (if you can get approved) and real estate prices are plummeting. New home construction and remodeling have stopped. And the economy is still trying to shake off the cold, so to speak.
So, ideally, if you are looking for a new home right now you should be looking for features that will save you money on your energy bills. You can’t afford to have high energy bills.
When you look through a house, keep energy efficient thoughts in …

A general question that gets asked more often than you think is “because of the recent crappy credit market (and weak economic climate) what will happen to my energy bills? Will they increase?”
The answer, unfortunately, is a sound “I don’t know.” Givent he current market conditions, and weak economic forecast with signs of continued slowdowns, energy prices may continue to actually fall depending on the market volatility. This is welcome news for consumers, as their bills may actually be lower.
However, this is typically not the case. During times of economic …

In other words, what is the single biggest user of electricity in a typical home?

Appliance

% Usage

Refrigerator

13.00%

Air Conditioning

12.00%

Electric Water Heating

11.00%

Space heaters

11.00%

Lighting

9.00%

TV’s

3.00%

(Source: US Department of Energy)
As you can see, a typical sized single family home uses more electricity to run a single refrigerator than any other single area.
We’ll be covering more about refrigerators and energy ramifications in a future post soon.

Think of it as a home energy efficiency lab that is not run by a government agency…
I’ll be investigating and actively experimenting with easy, do it yourself ways for every home to save money on energy bills. All the reports that come from the lab will include costs and approximate savings, as well as raw data – so you can make the most informed decision possible.
Of course, if you have anything you might want me to look into, or check out on your behalf, feel free to send me a …

Finding and setting the optimal temperature may be a science in itself. You have to take into account the heat you use with your comfort level based on your activity.
For example is it necessary to have the heat turned way up at night while you’re asleep in your bed?
Do you need the heat turned off at any time?
You need to find the balance that suits you best.
I suggest playing with it some, but don’t make it too high or low.
In the winter set it no higher than 68 or 70 …

Basically, make sure the thermostat location isn’t too hot, or too drafty. The thermostat measures the temperature and locating it in either location can throw off the reading.
The effects can be disastrous for your utility bill.
The area might be warm, so the thermostat will be tricked into thinking the heat has done its job and turn it off. Actually, just the area where the thermostat is located is warm because it is directly over or very close to a heating vent.
The opposite is true as well. If …

This is a lazy man’s dream. Having the lights turn on and off with no effort or action on your part to me is absolutely amazing, and perfect.
Place commonly used lights, like lamps in the living room, on simple timers. You can program them to turn on automatically at a certain time, and more importantly turn off at a designated time. There is no more forgetting to turn off the lights at night.
Plus there is the added security bonus of giving the illusion that you are home when …

There’s an argument to be made for cleaning your heat registers…actually, there’s several.
First, there’s the energy argument. In theory, especially in forced air systems, air flow is reduced as heat or air registers become clogged and otherwise dirty. Anything that reduces airflow has the potential for jacking up your energy bills because the furnace (or a/c for that matter) has to work harder to attain the desired room temperature.
And for non forced air heating systems (radiant heating for example), if the heating apparatus is dirty, the furnace (or heat source) …

This is kind of a double edge sword.
You can save on heating costs if you spend a lot of time, say, in the living room and you already took steps to plug energy holes you found. Like I said previously, its impossible to get every hole or energy shortcoming.
The thing to be wary about is the power consumption. Some can consume as much as 2000 Watts of power!
So here’s the trade off – more heat from the small electric unit means you might spend less on your gas …