There is a debate in the home energy community over what to do if given the choice between using a microwave oven to cook versus a gas powered range. My obvious advice is this: it really depends on what is being cooked and how much is being prepared. All meals are not created equally.

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 …

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.

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 …

Whether you are planning to live “off the grid” and free yourself from energy bills or just “kick back” and enjoy lower energy bills, the first step is always to understand your home’s energy usage and employ good old fashioned energy conservation techniques.
The reason for this is simple – you can not be charged for what you don’t use (in terms of energy…well this is strictly untrue if you are on a utility company’s budget payment system…but we’ll pretend for a moment that is not the case.) So, if you …

Keep in mind that every single thing that gets plugged in uses energy. In fact, many use energy even when they are not “turned on”. For example, VCRs and many electronics such as TVs and cable boxes still use energy even though they are turned off. Additionally, computers in “power save” mode are still using power, albeit a lower amount
So how much electricity do common appliances use? Let’s find out:

Ceiling fan: 60 watts
Furnace fan: 400 watts
Heat pump: 5000 watts
Central AC: 6000 watts
Window AC 1300 watts
Fluorescent lamp: 20 watts
Flood light: 150 …