– Conserve Home Energy, Save Money!

Stock Up!
Keeping your fridge well-stocked means the compressor cycles less often. It’s easier to chill food than the air surrounding it.

Set The Mood… Turning the lights down makes for an inviting atmosphere, and it saves electricity. A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) has a 10,000-hour lifespan. New low-wattage CFLs work with conventional incandescent dimmers and cost about $20 per bulb. (Visit GELighting.com and Siliconsolar.com ) Another way to save energy is to use natural, organic decorative candles in rooms that need only a little bit of illumination (i.e. after dinner light a natural, made in USA  candle on the counters in the kitchen, or in the family room during TV time.)

Green Energy:

The are a few different ways that green power programs are set up, but generally : you agree to pay for your electricity at the going rate for renewable sources—wind, solar, biomass, or some combination, depending on what’s available in your area. Your utility then adds that much more renewable energy to the grid on your behalf, and decreases the amount it gets from fossil fuels. 

Rates for all of these sources of renewable and non-renewable energy change frequently, which is probably why a lot of programs don’t tell you up front exactly what the price difference is.

the National Renewable Energy Lab recently crunched the numbers for the top ten most-used green energy programs. They found that, in the case of all ten green energy programs, consumers paid less than a penny per kilowatt hour more than they otherwise would have. And when you consider that electricity usually sells at around 8 to 14 cents/kWh, the added cost is really a pittance.

Especially if you’re good about conserving electricity in the first place, by doing things like making sure your home is well-insulated, using passive solar power (windows) to keep your home warm in winter and using sun-blocking shade in the summer, unplugging appliances, and turning the heat and AC down. Sometimes, believe it or not, the renewable rate drops even below the standard rate! Who said going green was too expensive?

Made in the Shade:

According to a study conducted by the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers, solar radiation through glass is responsible for approximately 20% of the load on an air conditioner. Outside shade products like awnings, and solar shades prevent the solar radiation from penetrating through the glass and substantially increase energy saved when compared to film and tinted glass alternatives. According to the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers, a fabric awning reduces heat gain by 55-65% during the period of the day when the sun shines directly on southern facing windows/glass doors. For western exposure, the reduction in heat gain is 72-77%. Check out Sunsetter.com (assembled in the USA!)

AND, Shut the Door! – Its FREE!

Especially if you are in a multi-level home, pull down the shades, close the drapes and then close the doors in the morning while it is still cooler in the home. (Especially in the newer home with high ceilings the heat rises to the upstairs rooms, this eliminates that heat from getting to the bedrooms) !! Make sure you have an attic fan to take the warm air out of the attic.  These simple, no cost tips will keep the house cooler thru the day and not require the AC to work as hard.