Energy Saving Tips?

[ChristianKitsune]

Hey guys! I need a bit of help. ^^;

I got a text today from my landlord asking that we cool it on the utilities a bit because we had a decently high bill last month (I believe our utilities are shared with our neighbors who are basically connected to our house).

This leaves me a little concerned, because I wasn't home at all for the past 3.5 weeks, my stuff was turned off, and I know my roomie was gone for 10 days...so how is our bill the highest its ever been? And since we ARE living here now, how much worse will it be? :/

My house is a two story, 5 roomed (total all the rooms in our house, including 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a large living room) house made of concrete and we run a gas furnace for the main house, while my room which is an addition has a window heater.

During these winter months, I want to have a comfy home, and not freeze but I know that the price of gas is really high right now... I'm not sure how our house is insulated really, with being concrete, but I do know the windows are a bit drafty in some areas of the home.

Do you guys have any tips on what to do about saving energy? I really don't want to make our landlord angry and have him up our rent/utility bills (which is a set price based on the average usage)

Thanks so much!

~Kitchan

[Atria35]

One of the things I've ended up doing for my drafty windows is there's something like window shrink-wrap you can put on them (available at hardware stores). You basically put them around the windows, and use a hairdryer to make it shrink. And it's pretty darn airtight. It helps a ton with the drafty windows, and is clear so you stil get all the sunlight.

I also keep the temp at around 55-60 degrees. Layering is key! Or if you'd prefer the temp higher during the day, make sure you dial it down at night. Keep lights off when you aren't using them- don't turn them on during the day if you don't have to. ANd believe it or not, those energy-saving bulbs really are worth the investment. THey're brighter than the normal ones, last longer, and use less energy. My parents swear by them.

And see if your air filter needs changing.

The thing about concrete is that it just doesn't insulate well, so I think that you might end up with a higher-than-normal bill regardless. My friend lived in one. Hot during the summer and cold in winter no matter what.

[Radical Dreamer]

I know one good thing to do is to unplug your appliances, cellphone chargers, computers, etc. when you aren't using them (especially if you're going to be away for a few weeks). Also I guess you could keep the air on low or off when you aren't there, even though it will be really cold when you get back. XD Those are the best ways I can think of, to start!

[Cognitive Gear]

In addition to lowering your thermostat, there are some other easy things you can do:

Only do full loads of laundry and dishes.

Air dry your dishes (instead of using the dishwasher's dry cycle)

Take shorter showers. (no baths)

You can also change your lightbulbs to energy saving fluorescent ones, if you have the money to spend on such a thing.

[shooraijin]

Get a Kill-A-Watt and test out some of your common devices. It will pay for itself, I promise.

[ChristianKitsune]

Thanks for the tips guys! I guess I also worry about our two cats, I mean yah they have fur coats and everything but one of them is a special needs kitteh, and I don't want to come home to kittycicles. >_<

But your suggestions sound really reasonable. Earlier my roomie turned our pilot light OFF, not just turning the furnace down, but actually off. Does this have any impact on saving electricity? I don't want to have to relight it everything I want the furnace to work XD

[KhakiBlueSocks]

[font="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"]When in doubt, listen to the late great, Teddy Pendergrass...

"Turn off the lights....light a candle..."[/color][/SIZE][/font]

[Warrior4Christ]

Curtains! Seriously, you definitely need that insulation over the windows in winter months. In the rooms that have heating, look around at possible places the heat might escape (less escaping means there's less energy required to keep it at that temperature, obviously). Close doors, get thick curtains, etc. Or just heat only the one central room. And proper insulation in the walls is definitely worth it, but it's obviously less in your control in a rented house.

[Atria35]

But your suggestions sound really reasonable. Earlier my roomie turned our pilot light OFF, not just turning the furnace down, but actually off. Does this have any impact on saving electricity? I don't want to have to relight it everything I want the furnace to work XD

I'm not really sure. That's never been mentioned by anybody that I know- either IRL or on those energy-saving sites.

[MrKrillz0r]

Shower with cold water.. He-He

[Esoteric]

Earlier my roomie turned our pilot light OFF, not just turning the furnace down, but actually off.

Make sure the gas for the pilot is also off. Unlit pilots are nefarious for causing booms if gas builds up in a room. But no, turning the pilot off should have no benefit on an electric bill. The kill-o-watt meter and addressing leaky windows/doors are your best bet.

[ShiroiHikari]

Could it be that the electric company raises rates in the winter or something? It doesn't make sense that you would be using more energy all of a sudden when you're not even home.

[LadyRushia]

If you have a lot of windows, you could rely on natural sunlight during the day and only turn your lights on at night or when it's rainy/snowy. You could also get a heater or something. A couple years ago, my dad invested in some plug-in heaters and he said that helped with the heating bill. You can turn it off when you're not home and stuff.

[Rusty Claymore]

One thing that happened to my folks was the company billed us based upon an estimate of the last few months. We only found out because we had installed a wood stove and hadn't used the gas for heating, so we were surprised when our bill was large. It could also be explained by a billing qwirk. Some bill monthly, some bill based off estimates of the next month etc.

But anyways, once you find out what takes the most energy, all you gotta do is use it smarter. n.n

[ChristianKitsune]

Mmkay, I found out last night that while my roomie and I were gone, she didn't turn the furnace off during the entire 10 days she was gone. (She left after I did, and came home before I did XD) So THAT explains it...the furnace was running at a constant 70 degrees.

It's not necassarily the electricity bill that was high, I believe it was the gas bill, somewhere around $100, I believe.

[Paul]

The key thing I heard here was concrete walls and drafty windows. In my home we use alot of power. In the summer time we have a general minimum to use electricity in our home. This is with the use of an elec. stove, a/c, frigerator, tv-vcr-converter box, lights for three rooms, and two computers. Except for the tv, and the lights, these equipment will rarely be turned off and draw acceptable power to us. This power usage should not increase by much during the winter, unless you are adding additional power to central heating or elect. heaters. So it seems to me you power usage would be a result of keeping you apartment warm.

You can't do a whole lot for concrete walls, but what you can do can make a huge difference. Get yourself some rolls of wide masking tape. Take it and tape every seam and crevase of every window of your apt. If you can get rolls of plastic and tape the outside windows too. As you go along, I would make a bet you will feel the drafts of cold air pouring into your home. Seal them up. Soon you'll get the idea to go about your apt and seal every thing you can. It will make a difference.

I do not think you are the whole cause of the consumption of energy, but by taking the measures people have suggested, you will see a drastic improvement. But don't allow yourself not to live while you are home by fretting over every little thing plugged in. It's major power sources like stoves, lights, and elect. heaters and gas stoves that consume energy. The reasons why your gas and elect heaters are going is because of the draft in your home. Solve the draft and your heating energy will go down. Oh, and turning off your pilot lights is not the answer. That is a consumption of $3 to $5 dollars a month...maybe! It's not the problem and to turn those off is set you up for having broken pipes. They have to stay on to heat your home. We keep our home at about 65 degrees. I saw you learned it maintained a constant 70 degrees. That would have done it, but still if you tape the drafts shut, you will find your bill will be lower.

Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Paul

[Rusty Claymore]

*Coughsputter* What!?! $100? Only $100? My gas bill was $300 and I've got wood heat! XD
Oh well. Just the perks of living in an oil and gas producing state... XP

[ShiroiHikari]

Oh yeah, gas bills. Thank the Lord I don't have to pay one of those. Everything in this place is electric. Of course, that also means that if the power goes out, we've got no heat and can't cook!

[Warrior4Christ]

You could also get a heater or something. A couple years ago, my dad invested in some plug-in heaters and he said that helped with the heating bill. You can turn it off when you're not home and stuff.

That's funny - I would have though having a heater on would increase the heating/utilities bill...

[Paul]

I would think so too, but gas is high. By trading off the gas fo electricity, it means the cheaper resources were being used, lowering the bill.

[Alaina]

Hey guys! I need a bit of help. ^^]Do you guys have any tips on what to do about saving energy? I really don't want to make our landlord angry and have him up our rent/utility bills (which is a set price based on the average usage)
[/I]
Thanks so much!

~Kitchan

When there's a plug or an outlet that's not in use, make sure that unplugged it. It's a big help. And during winter seasons check your home insulation.
A good insulation reduces the heat escaping out of your home in winter seasons. The lesser heat wasted the lesser cost you will have on heating. Older homes were built with little insulation or nothing at all resulting to large amount of heat lost in various places such as windows, walls, floors and ceilings. For homes in those times, thin was the most effective way to reduce heating costs.

And check the heating equipment maintenance, make sure that it's always in condition so it will serves you well.

Good luck!