Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Cutting Energy Waste To Save Money

Tired of throwing money at oil companies and your local utility? You can fight back by eliminating the energy waste in your life. Consider the following:

1. If you have an attic, you undoubtedly are wasting money on your heating bill. Take a close look at the entrance to the attic. If it is a drop down from the ceiling, hot air is moving up and through it.

2. When considering the layout of solar panels on your home, it is vital that you consider how to maximize the exposure to the sun. This is known as “orienting” and involves placing the panels in such a position that they receive as much sun as possible.

3. Check the Pressure in Your Tires – Under-inflated tires can reduce gas mileage by 3 to 5 percent and wear out the tires. Make sure to maintain pressures at the top end of the suggested psi of the tire.

4. Programmable Thermostats Save Money – Heating your home can be expensive. Programmable thermostats let you save money by setting the times when heating should occur and when it should not such as when you are at work.

5. Cut Lighting Costs – The lights in your home are huge money wasters. Switch to CFL lights. They last up to 10 times longer and cost less to run.

6. Heating Two Story Homes – Heat moves up, so you can manipulate it with your multi-level home. Close all vents other than on the lowest floor. Heat will migrate up and you will spend less.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

7. The Electrical Grid – When it comes to renewable energy, you will quickly hear the term electrical grid. It refers the platform maintained by utilities across the country. With solar, you can feed energy into the grid when not using it.

8. Solar power not only saves you money, but helps stop global warming.

9. Window Energy Costs – Windows allow for the transfer of heat in a big way. Closing curtains or blinds over them at night can cut down on the rate of heat loss, saving you tons on your bill.

10. Changing Car Filters – Two energy wasters on your car are the fuel filter and air filter. Change them every 3,000 to 6,000 miles. Any oil change location can do it.

You should notice that the above tips do not really require you to make any drastic changes in your life. It is more a matter of eliminating the sloppy things to save some serious money.

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