Energy Saving Devices » energy savers

Does it really help to turn off the lights and computers

admin — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:36:20 +0000

Many families turn off all their lights, computers, and TVs when leaving the room or going to bed. By doing so to save energy and electricity bills. But how much can you save? The answer is that it doesn’t save much in one day. But over time, such as one month, or one year, it can make a big difference. It’s the same as spending money in a grocery store. Each item only costs you $1, but if you fill up the cart with all $1 items, they add up. The best way to find out how much you can save on monthly electricity bill is to try turning off all appliances that you can possibly do, and compare it with the previous month’s bill, then you’ll find out. Do it with the whole family. Make it fun for the kids to calculate and to teach them about living frugally and saving energy.

Air dry your dishes can save electricity

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:20:07 +0000

If you use dishwasher, did you know that taking out your dishes and air dry them can significantly reduce your electricity bill. In winter dry months, instead of using a dehumidifier, take out your clean dishes from the dishwasher and air dry them. You probably think this is a small saving. But if you run the dishwasher every night, that’s 365 days a year. You don’t need to do that in humid and warm months. But winter months are perfect for this.

Also better yet, if you hand wash your dishes. The problem with hand wash is that you end up using more water. So if your water is not cheap, then run the dishwasher. But never run it if it’s only half full. Have 2 sets of dinnerware if you are constantly running out of dishes.

How much does a family spend on energy bills every year?

admin — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:14:47 +0000

For a typical American family, the energy bill is around $1,900 every year. That’s a lot of money that can be saved. Most people waste money on utility bills without ever noticing it. Just by making some small changes in our daily life, we can save up to 25% or our utility bills without making any big sacrifices.

When it comes to saving energy cost, people always think of big things such as not driving, riding bicycles to work, turn the temperature low in winter and high in summer. Yes, these definitely will make a big difference. But what about start small and make small changes. Remember little things add up quickly. Just like going to grocery shopping. Each item costs you less than $2.00, but a whole cart full of $2.00 items will add to more than $100. So start small and doable.

We will show you some simple saving tips in the next few postings. Today’s tip is: Teach your children to turn off lights when they leave a room. And you will do the same. Turn off any unnecessary lights in the house including monitors and computers, laptops, and TVs. Even radios. Turn them off when you go to bed and leave the room.

How much electricity does a computer use?

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:12:00 +0000

Have you ever wonder just how much electricity our home appliances use on a yearly basis? The formula to calculate home appliance electricity usage is simple:

(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption
So a typical Window fan will cost you:

(200 Watts × 4 hours/day × 120 days/year) ÷ 1000
= 96 kWh × 8.5 cents/kWh
= $8.16/year

Personal Computer and Monitor:

(120 + 150 Watts × 4 hours/day × 365 days/year) ÷ 1000
= 394 kWh × 8.5 cents/kWh
= $33.51/year

As you can see, window fans and computers don’t cost that much. However, if you have a lot of them and they’re on 24/7, it’ll add up. So turning them off is still a good way to start saving energy, for you pocket, and for the environment.

Source: EERE

American households spend 20% energy bills on appliances and home electronics

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:27:37 +0000

Did you know that a typical American household spends 20% of their energy bills on appliances and home electronics? These appliances are:

Clothes washers and dryers
Computers
Dishwashers
Home audio equipment
Refrigerator and freezers
Room air conditioners
Televisions, DVD players, and VCRs
Water heaters

So using energy efficient appliances will make a big difference in your budget. It’s true that the cost of replacing and the pay back time can be too high, but if you have to replace your appliances anyway, looking into energy efficient ones will be a good option. Plus purchasing new ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances can earn you tax rebates.

Source: EERE

Does the Power-Down or Sleep Mode save energy?

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:21:36 +0000

Just about all PCs now come with a power-down or sleep mode feature for the CPU and monitor. ENERGY STAR® computers in a sleep mode use 70% less electricity than a computer without such features. ENERGY STAR monitors even have the capability to power down into two successive “sleep” modes. Such mode usually saves 10% of its operating power consumption.

You can setup those power down features when you first setup your operating system. Most new computers are not setup with those features automatically.

One funny note, the old screen savers actually do NOT save energy. The plus side is that new LCD monitors do not need screen savers at all.

Source: EERE

Home electronics are not required to have EnergyGuide Label

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:58:20 +0000

Most home appliances are required to have EnergyGuide labels on them. Except stove ranges and ovens. So when you purchase new ranges and ovens, don’t expect to see these labels. Home electronics such as computers, TVs, or audio equipments are not required by the FTC to have these labels either.

If you haven’t noticed the EnergyGuide labels posted on your appliances, what it does is to provide an estimate of the product’s energy consumption or energy efficiency. They also show the highest and lowest energy consumption or efficiency estimates of similar appliance models.

It offers consumers a way to compare energy costs when purchasing new appliances. So check with the label when you shop for new appliances.

Turning off your personal computer can actually save you energy

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:50:52 +0000

Most of us leave the computer on during the day while we walk away from the computer for a few hours. Whether it’s laptop or desktop. It just makes more sense to leave it on since it’ll go to sleep by itself anyway. But according to a study done by the US department of energy, it actually saves more if you turn it off while you’re away. We all know that there is a small surge in energy when a computer starts up, but the small amount of energy is still less than the energy used when a computer is running for long periods of time. So the better choice is to turn it off.

It’s recommended that turning off the monitor if you’re away for more than 20 minutes, and both the monitor and computer off if you are away for more than 2 hours.

The other saving comes from cooling off the temperature in the house. Whether desktop or laptop do tend to heat up. But turning on and off your computer can be a hassle. So the best way is to leave it to hibernate which only uses 70% less of its electricity.

Also never use screen savers. Because it uses even more energy. The good news is that modern LCD color monitors do not need screen savers at all.

Source: EERE. U.S. Department of Energy

Cooling Ventilation Systems

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:31:22 +0000

Ventilation is the least expensive and most energy-efficient way to cool buildings. Ventilation works best when combined with methods to avoid heat buildup in your home. In some cases, natural ventilation will suffice for cooling, although it usually needs to be supplemented with spot ventilation, ceiling fans and window fans. For large homes, homeowners might want to investigate whole house fans.

Ventilation is ineffective in hot, humid climates where temperature swings between day and night are small. In these climates, attic ventilation can help to reduce your use of air conditioning. Ventilating your attic greatly reduces the amount of accumulated heat, which eventually works its way into the main part of your house. Ventilated attics are about 30°F (16°C) cooler than unventilated attics. Properly sized and placed louvers and roof vents help prevent moisture buildup and overheating in your attic.

Source: EERE

Sizing Heating and Cooling Systems

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:53:57 +0000

Older space conditioning systems (more than 10 years old) are often unreliable and much less efficient than a modern system. When it’s time for a new replacement, choosing one of the correct size (heating and/or cooling output) is critical to getting the best efficiency, comfort, and lowest maintenance and operating costs over the life of the new system. Some national surveys have determined that well over half of all HVAC contractors do not size heating and cooling systems correctly.

The most common sizing mistake is in oversizing. This not only makes the new system more expensive to install, but also forces it to operate inefficiently, break down more often, and cost more to operate. Oversized heating equipment also often creates uncomfortable and large temperature swings in the house. Oversized air conditioners (and heat pumps) do not run long enough to dehumidify the air, which results in the “clammy” feeling and unhealthy mold growth in many air-conditioned houses.

Source: EERE, Department of Energy