With the colder season bearing down on us, there is a trend of people trying to devise a way to lower their heating bill this winter/cold season. The way to lower heating bills is to use less heating fuel. For most, this means use the furnace less.

But how do you use the furnace less without feeling cold around the house? Turning down the thermostat obviously uses less fuel (sometimes) because the furnace runs less. But that isn’t always practical, because it may leave you feeling cold. And uncomfortable.

Lets examine fireplaces and if they save energy.

Its the end of the cooling season for most of us, and there might be some used air conditioners up for sale. They might be on ebay, craig’s list, the local swap sheets, in classifieds or pennysavers. And the price might be really good – many might not want to store their units and are planning on upgrading next year anyway.
So…should you jump at one?
My advice is no.
Many of us who have window ac units want to keep the units and will take the storage pain…if they are in good …

Its no secret that newer air conditioners are generally more efficient – even non energy star rated air conditioner units. Of course, you tend to pay for such “luxury”. The temptation is there to simply use your old air conditioner unit instead of perhaps upgrading it. It saves a lot of money in the short term – the cost of a new unit, in fact. But does it really save you money?
You might have already guessed the answer – no. You do save some cash in the short term, but …

I recently stumbled across a simple great article at “the Modern Zen Life” which talked about setting goals for success, and how successful people set goals. It really doesn’t matter what the goals are – the most important thing is really to set the goal and then plan for success.
What’s powerful about this method is rather obvious. Setting a goal is a starting point. Keeping focused on that goal takes a good mindset. And it is often one of the toughest things to do.
Now, when it comes to saving on …

Do you want to learn how to reduce energy bills easily using natural energy solutions? With the current state of natural resources and the escalating energy prices, it would be wise to start learning and building natural energy solutions if you have not done so already.
Many people who get started with renewable energy technology are motivated because they want to get rid of their expensive electrical bill. But besides this main benefit, another critical benefit is that we need to start conserving our planet. In this article, I will tell …

The easiest way to save money on your energy bills is to do a simple energy audit. And the best way to do a complete, professional energy audit is with one of the energy audit kits available from http://www.energyaudits.net. There are two kits available, the professional kit and the starter kit – both of which are priced within any homeowners budget

I was recently called to consult on an energy problem in a home with a portable, oil-filled space heater in the master bedroom. The owner was complaining that the room was still cold even after running the unit all night. Plus, he was concerned the unit was costing too much money to run every night for 12 hours. So…how much energy does the unit use? Let’s find out.

Let’s be clear:
Even if you have a natural gas dryer, it still has an electrical cost. That is, it still uses some level of electricity to run. The heaviest electrical cost is the motor which rotates the cylinder and tumbles the clothes. Electricity in a gas powered dryer does not provide heat.
My natural gas dryer, rated at 6A @ 120VAC, in theory, consumes 720w of power.
This comes right from the label on the dryer.
Putting the electrical consumption to the test
Of course, I no longer believe labels. I want to see …

My recent experiment with how much energy it takes to run a microwave really had me thinking…if the label was a little off on the microwave, could the labels on other appliances be wrong as well?
No sooner than I turn around in my house from the microwave to find the coffee maker sitting right there. Of course! Coffee. I love coffee, like most other people. I run my coffee maker everyday because its far cheaper to make coffee at home than go out and buy a cup of coffee on …

Think your microwave just uses the 1200 watts it advertises on the little sticker? Think again. It uses more energy than you think, and in places you probably wouldn’t even think to look. Let’s take a look at the typical energy waste/usage of your microwave.