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This post is brought to you by Isoclad, supplier of high quality insulated wall panels.
I wouldn’t touch – yawn – energy efficiency if it weren’t such a darn good way to save money. So to spice up this list of 12 frugal home efficiency improvements, I tossed in new gadgets and technologies that companies are developing to make slashing energy easier and hopefully, more fun.
1. Recycle heat. A new super efficient clothes dryer available in Europe consumes half the heat of a traditional model by recycling heat, says Norman L. Dean, President of TopTen USA, which ranks the top ten most efficient home products. Instead of venting steam, the dryer runs the hot exhaust over a series of coils that absorbs the heat and puts it back into dryer. It’s called a heat pump close dryer and could be on the market in a couple of years.
2. Dodge the draft. Buy or make simple door draft dodgers, cloth strips filled with rice or batting that snuggle up against the bottom of your door. They come in various lengths and patterns and also muffle noises. Look for them at your local hardware store, Bed Bath & Beyond, or pick up material to make one at a fabric store.
3. Get smart. With your sockets, that is. Smart sockets look like surge protectors and can detect when you power down one gadget, like your laptop. This gadget jumps to action and shuts off additional devices, like your printer and monitor. New models are coming out that will shut off power if you’ve been out of the room for a set period of time.
4. Double your doorway. Energy Star fiberglass doors are five times as insulating as standard wooden doors, according to Home Depot. A so-called storm door weatherproofs, insulates, and can be fitted to your existing doorway. Get step by step directions to install a storm door. If you have storm windows, check that they are closed.
5. See past CFLs. Solid state diode lamps. Researchers are working to make these light sources, including LEDs, bright enough for everyday use and widely available. “We’re convinced there will be a lot of high quality LED light bulbs for consumers,” said Dean of Top Ten USA. When? Within five years.
6. Let sun in. Open the shades on your south facing windows during the day to soak up as much sunlight and warmth as possible. Keeps shades closed the rest of the time to avoid chills.
7. Nix the sports bar setting on your TV, which is brighter than it needs to be for home use and sucks up 20 percent more power, Dean said. Dim the lights when you watch and you can lower the brightness setting even more, saving more. If your TV has an auto brightness control, it will do the work for you. Controlling brightness is key because that is where most of the power goes. If you have a 3-D TV, you are out of luck! These sets have to be much brighter than traditional TVs because watchers wear shutter glasses, reducing the amount of light that gets to your eyes.
8. Cool food on the counter. Hot food wastes energy by making your fridge work extra hard. Instead, let your food cool on the counter for an hour or so until it gets close to room temperature (while making sure edibles do not expire). Then refrigerate. On the flip side, let frozen items do the work for the refrigerator by thawing them inside, instead of on the counter.
9. Flip the switch. Turn on the “power saver” or “energy saver” switch near the temperature controls and leave it on unless you get condensation. The switch turns off a heater that reduces condensation on the outside of the fridge. Buy an inexpensive thermometer and make sure your fridge is at the right temperature, which is 36-38 Fahrenheit. The freezer should be between 0-5 Fahrenheit. Check that the seal around your fridge door is not leaking cool air by slipping a dollar bill between the door and the body of the fridge. Close it and if you can easily pull the bill out, you need a new seal. Grime can loosen the seal, so cleaning might put off replacement.
10. If new windows are out of budget, pick up a plastic window kit to provide an extra layer of insulation. They cost $10-$15 bucks and all you need is a hairdryer to tighten a thin layer of plastic sheeting, which you secure with double sided tape. Caulking leaks is another step that is cheaper than replacing windows.
11. Heat water with air. A new type of hot water heater sucks heat from the air. These hybrid water heaters works the same way a heat pump pulls heat out of the ground. I wouldn’t want one in the heated areas of my home, but they are good for a garage, basement, or laundry annex. They are now moving into the marketplace. GE claims its new hybrid water heater saves $320 a year. Buy one and get a $300 federal tax credit. Rheem also makes one.
12. Get audited. Doesn’t sound fun, but hiring a reputable energy auditor (some utilities will send an inspector to your home for free) to bring in high tech sensors that will tell you where you are losing the most energy means you can attack the biggest energy wasters first.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
From a food safety point, please do not leave food on the counter to cool. That is an invitation for bacteria to grow. Instead, put food into a large container and spread it out so the depth is as thin as possible. This will allow it to cool much faster (in the fridge) and reduce the chance of a food born illness
Turn off lights, TVs and radios in rooms that are not being used. You can turn them back on when you go back into the room. Too many people keep lights on in the whole house when everyone is in a single room.
Myke, that is the norm at my home, my husband leaves every light in the house on, when I get up in the morning there are at least 4 lights and a tv going, and I have to run around after him turning off lights all the time. Any suggestions? I did put CFL bulbs in.
I have long used nightlights in both bathrooms, so there is no need for the overhead light at night. Also, CFL bulbs are adequate for most situations. I have a floor lamp next to my chair that allows for 3 different lighting positions, depending on whether I’m reading or not. Fluorescent under-the-counter lighting strips in the kitchen also cut down the need for extra lights at night. @Susie A ~ If your husband doesn’t pay the utility bills, show him what it’s costing for electricity, and ask him for ideas on how to cut those costs. That might help as a wake-up call for him. I don’t know whether it’s a “guy thing” or not, but my husband and sons always left lights on all over the house until I really got on their case about it, and started charging them for electricity use. I used a rather arbitrary figure, but just having to fork over some $$$ got the point across.
@EllieD. Oh we both split the electric bill but it just aggravates me trying to pay all these bills and he doesnt care about running them up. I think I will have to really get on his case everytime I see a light on, LOL, and I will. Thank You!
this may not save money but it sure saves electricity, that is, skylights.
Another idea: We turn the heating totally off at night and use an extra blanket (husband); I pre-heat my side of the bed for a short time with the electric blanket, then turn it to the lowest setting or off, repeating as necessary through the night.
@Diane, I do the same with a heating pad on my side of the bed.
@ Janet –
According to the USDA food should be refrigerated within two hours to prevent foodborne illness.
@Susie –
Why not try using a light timer?
@Janet, how can I use a light timer? They could change it couldnt they?
wear a headband headlight and keep the lights off totally….
@Susie A ~ Perhaps what Janet meant was that if you find lights and a TV on when you get up in the morning, timers could be set for some point during the night to turn them off after your husband fails to do so.
@Diane, thank you for clarifying!! That is a great idea! I hope they work on the TV too! I am off to get one as soon as this ice storm breaks!!
@Susie A. While the ice/rain is falling, I’m glad I telecommute! My roommate spent 25 minutes digging his car out this morning!
CFL’s work! We replaced 95% of our bulbs over the past 16 months and our electric bill has decreased by $60 per month. We still keep one light on at night, etc., haven’t changed our slightly conspicuous consumer habits but we are paying less! I suggest them to everyone I know…
@M-square Thanks for sharing exactly how much you saved. I’m glad your electric bill is so much lower!
@M-square I just put mine in about 3 weeks ago and havent got my bill yet! Now you have me looking forward to my bill to see how much I have saved LOL!
@Julia, I ride the bus and it really saves money the way gas prices are!! (Plus no digging the car out, anti freeze, oil changes , just general maitenence) And I try to go once a week and get everything done at once!! It really saves money!!
@Susie A. and @BB ~ Well, I’ve had to wear my wool peacoat the past couple of days. It has been down to the 60s–sunny and windy. Brrr! 🙂 (We in L.A. are admittedly spoiled!)
@Susie A. ~ I know what you mean about looking forward to a bill, strange as that sounds. We recently cut out certain features to lower our phone bill (being unlisted for which AT&T charges, so now we are listed; removing long distance totally because we can use our cell phones for that; doing away with unlimited local calling and getting, instead, measured rate service because we’re really not on the phone that much).
Oh! While I was merely responding to your comment about your next electricity bill, I’ve just realized that I have offered some ways we “frugals” can save money on our landline phone calls (even though it’s a bit off-topic).
@Susie A. ~ What about ordering timers online during the ice storm? Of course, I have no idea how the storm impacts delivery vehicles like UPS and FedEx. Did I mention the weather here? 🙂
@Diane, instead of an unlisted phone number which they charge for I use my first husbands surname, which is Jones, and I am sure that people do not remember that (Plus there are a lot of Jones’ in the phone book)
@Susie A. ~ But does everyone now in your life know to look you up by your former husband’s surname?
Except for paying for it, I liked being unlisted. Anyone that I wanted to have my phone number already had it; no need to look it up.
@Diane, thay dont have a clue. That was my first husband that died years ago, I married him when I was 16 yrs old.
I dont think anyone would think to look under that name.
Or you could use your maiden name.
@Junie, skylights are a definate plus for a house. They add to the value and they are very nice to have, and very attractive. I am not sure about the electricity though but I do think they help? Maybe like Solar Panels or something?
@Susie A. ~ I have been meaning to get back to you on this. Being listed has to be tied to the name on your phone account, right? So do you use your previous married name on that?
@Diane, Yes, I changed my name on the acct and it is now in my previous married name.
@Diane, and I quit the unlisted and told them to list it under this name. I would do it in two separate steps. One day I would call and tell them that I didnt want it unlisted and the next day change the name. ( I just told them that I forgot to tell them that I was getting married again under my new acct name, no problem)
@Susie A. ~ Meaning your “new” account name was really your “old” married name. Did I get that right?
@Diane Exactly and it is Jones, so good luck to anyone trying to find me there!
@Susie A. ~ Maybe that’s why hubby #2 wastes energy as you have described; that is, he doesn’t like your using your previous surname. 🙂
@ Diane, LOL this is hubby #3 , but I dont think he has any problem with me using my first married name on the acct. I think he doesnt care to budget or to save any money back. That is why we do not have a shared bank account . I use paypal for my spending on the net and I use a credit union for savings. I do not use a checking acct anymore as they held my check back from going in on time and I got some overdrafts I refused to pay for.