Energy cutbacks
By ruby222
@ruby222 (4847)
October 14, 2008 9:10am CST
This year has been an eye opener for the majority of us,we are now all trying to find ways of reducing our energy bills.I was out walking this morning in one of the local parks and realised that the had recently erected a wind turbine,although it maybe did not fit in too comfortably with the natural surroundings,it did not look to ugly either,and at least it shows that in our area srpes are being taken to save power.I also read an article re solar panels ,and it was certainly enlightening,though the panels are an expensive first time around investment ,they do pay dividends after around five years of installation.I have been looking at ways of cutting back on the energy that I use here in my own home,and I have thought of a few ways,nothing revolutionary though.I have always used door curtains,a thick thermal curtain which covers the outer doors,these do help retain the heat,and as long as everyone who walks in and out remembers to pull them shut again then they certainly work.I have taken to looking at the way that I myself dress as the weather gets colder,and rather than wear one layer,ie a jersey,I am now wearing three thinner layers of clothing,which works well,I am finding that as the temperature drops my body is still staying warm,the layers are retaining the body heat.I have elderly relatives who use the thermal underwear,and that is effective too.Fridge freezers are often costing more to run than needs be,and I have turned mine off and cleaned it out,I will be using the freeze box within the fridge,if the freezer is not filled then the more power it uses,and there are just the two of us,hence no real need for a freezer.The lights,well it is a case of turning them off after use,why leave lighting switched on when there is no one in the room? in the evenings we use the lamp,though we have two in our liunge we find that one is sufficient,we watch the television so we have a certain amount of extra light coming from the screen.The stand by is something that we do not use,at night all of the plugs are pulled out,thus saving money on the stand by`s.If we look at the wasted power/energy that could be saved or put to better use,it would payt us all to have a good look at our personal situation.
1 person likes this
8 responses
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
15 Oct 08
Yes, we are trying to be conservative in our power use as well. We use energy saving lightbulbs and try to turn anything off if we are not using it. We haven't turned the heat on yet, other than for a little while a few days ago to burn off any dust, and probably won't turn it on for a few weeks yet. I try to hang dry laundry as much as possible, and we keep our freezer fairly full most of the time.
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
•
15 Oct 08
You seem to be coping well there Penguin.We have had very little heat on as yet,the temperature ha dropped at nights,but we have managed to leave it until later on in the evening when we put any heat on.We are comparatively lucky,we live in a small house,so it takesd little heating really.
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
15 Oct 08
The best way to save on energy is to cut back on using gas.
If more people stayed at home and used public transport and did not just go out and do things they really don't need to do then a lot of gas and energy will be saved.
We have become accustomed to a do as you will when you want lifestyle.
Obviously this is now going to be curtailed, at least.
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
•
15 Oct 08
Yes Bluepatch I can see where you are coming from,but my one reservation is the cost of public transport,maybe where you are in the world it is far cheaper than here in the UK .The government keeps on about using the trains and the buses,but until they make the fares ompetitive then many will say that they could not afford to use it all of the time.
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
15 Oct 08
Well, we just moved into this new house out in the country...and...the people who lived here before us were big electronics people.
Alot of the light bulbs are not very efficient and suck alot of energy. So we brought our lamps from our old house with the energy efficient bulbs and don't turn on alot of lights at night.
I've been increasingly using my solar powered flashlight at night. (I leave it in my windowsill all day to charge).
It's a nightmare we haven't had to deal with yet: wintering the house. But everyday that passes by, I realize how much has to be done with this new house and what we'll have to do for my dog and cat who live between the garage and the outdoors.
I often wear layers in the winter, but largely because I tend to work alot outside in the winter. Moreso, even than the summer. Or so it has been generally.
Lets see...We'll need a thick curtain to lay over the deck doors because they're where most of the cold will get in.
Most of the windows are doublepaned, but they should be cauked or something along the edges to be sure.
A blanket needs to cover the garage door...
It's probably gonna be a bit hard, because the stove's electric, the computer, the tv set (which my brother refuses to ever turn off), we DO need our fridge, because we shop once or twice a month...and the heat's powered by electricity...
We'll all do what we have to, I guess.
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
•
15 Oct 08
You have hit the nail on the head,you will do all that you can to conserve energy.There are drawbacks to moving into a new home,as you have to find out how much heating it is going to take,and until you have your first cold spell in that house you are not able to determine what energy is going to be used,but good luck with al of the plans anyway.
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
14 Oct 08
[i]Hi ruby,
Same here, I am also very particular about saving energy and power as to save money, like switching off lights when and using only the one we have in the living room if hubby and I are there watching TV, do my laundry night time and also open our door during day time so that we will not use the air condition since this week, the weather has been weird, sometimes it's cold and sometimes it's hot![/i]
1 person likes this
@littleowl (7157)
•
14 Oct 08
Hi ruby, what I do know is only have one light on in the house which is the lounge at night all other ones are turned of all switches are turned off eg the kettle, stereo,is left on standby..also like you I put extra clothes on as it is getting colder and leave the heating off...the windows etc are all double glazed so at the moment my son and I try to conserve as much energy as possible...litteowl
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@ruby222 (4847)
•
14 Oct 08
Im sure that most of us do what we can to conserve energy Owl,but there is a minority that abuse it.You see some homes that are lit up like Blackpool illuminations at night,and unless you are reading or sewing or some other close work then theres no need for lots of light.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
15 Oct 08
Hi ruby! Yes, I too am looking for as many ways as I can
to cut back on saving as much energy as I can. My
apartment is very cold in the winter and my landlord is
quite stingy with the heat. I have tried putting plastic
on the windows to keep some of the cold in, although it
really doesn't seem to help. We don't pay directly for
the heat as it is included with the rent, but it does
seem now that we are being charged a bit for it through
the electric charges. I wear alot of layers too. I just
bought some very warm sweat pants that I know will help
to keep me warm inside and outside when I am not going
anywhere special. I got a great deal on them in KMART,
in the men's section. They were Joe Boxer's which is
usually a very expensive and substantial brand for
$7.99 a pair~I bought 6 pair! They are made well and
I don't care how they look, warmth and comfort first!
I will now look for thermals and whatever else I can
to get through what will probably be a very cold winter
in New York! I have my computer in my kitchen which is
also my office and am getting a computer desk to make
it official! I keep my oven on to warm up the room since
it is gas. Since I spend the most time in on the computer
I should be set! I also keep as many lights off as possible.
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
•
15 Oct 08
Thermal vests and underwear are such a good idea in the cold weather.I do not have any myself,but if the temperature drops rapidly here in the united kingdom I am sure that I will be buying some too.I have heard of people putting polythene on thir windows to make a seconday glazing,it does seem one way of insulating with little financial outlay.
@happythoughts (4109)
• United States
18 Oct 08
I am making new curtains for my sons room. His room stayes the coolest in the winter. We are making thicker curtains so that it will stop some of that cold air comming in. We also got a rug for our kitchen floor. I figure every little bit helps.
@paid2write (5201)
•
14 Oct 08
I started cutting back before the current economic situation. I have plenty of warm clothing and cosy 'throws' I can wrap myself up in, rather than rely on heating. I only use low energy lightbulbs and I am very economic with all my electrical use.
It does annoy me on cold winter days to see people out in short sleeved shirts and teeshirts. It means they must have left their centrally heated home, driven their car with the heater on high, and gone to work in a warm office. Anyone who lives in a cold climate and is not wearing warm clothing in winter is using too much power.
I don't stay in stores and buildings where the heating is blasting out and employees are dressed in thin clothes, because I go out dressed for the weather and I get too hot in those places!
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
•
14 Oct 08
I am sure that you can harden yourself to the colder weather if you dont pamper yourself too much,as you say if you are constantly warm then you dont develop a thik skin!we use the low energy light bulbs too,but at the moment there is quite a debate going on about them,there is maybe something used in them that is harmful to us..dont ask what..I dont remember!
