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10 Easy Steps To Save Money On your Energy Bill

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Here are 10 easy steps that you can take right now to save money on your energy bills each month:

  1. Move furniture away from heating vents and hot and cold air returns. This ends up blocking the return and causes the room to stay cool or hot.  You furniture should be kept away from these returns to get the most use of the energy and save on  energy costs.
  2. Change your furnace filter.  When was the last time you did this?  If you change it every month, you will have a more efficient furnace that not only acts as a heater but also generates the air through the ducts for the air conditioner as well.
  3. Switch to energy saving light bulbs.  As each bulb runs out, change it with an energy saver.  You will soon find you are saving energy and buying less light bulbs.
  4. Fix leaky faucets.  They waste gallons of water.  Remove the handle, tighten it with a wrench and chances are you will have fixed the faucet.  If not, you can easily install a new faucet which costs under $30 at most home  improvement stores.
  5. Install a hand held shower head.  This will make taking a shower a breeze and cleaning the shower even easier.
  6. Fix all windows with cracks. If you have storms with cracks, have them replaced.  They are energy wasters.  Do  this before the cold air sets in and you will save money on your heating bill.  Storm windows are easy to replace and can be taken to a glass shop and re-glazed.
  7. Install weather stripping on doors and windows.  If you are ready to winterize your house for the cold weather, or even if you just want to save on the air conditioning costs as your cool air is escaping all of the time, then use weather stripping, which is easy to get at a home improvement store, to better insulate your windows and doors.
  8. Clean the lint trap in your dryer every day.  Each time you use the dryer, clean the lint trap.  This will not only make the clothes dryer run more efficiently and save you money on energy costs, but will eliminate a potential fire hazard.  The dryer has a vent that goes outside as well that should be vacuumed out periodically
  9. Never run your dishwasher or clothes washer half full.  It costs just as much to run a full washer as it does one that is partially loaded.  And while you are at it, rinse those dishes before putting them in he dishwasher as it will make them cleaner and save on your energy costs.
  10. Partially cook your foods in the microwave and use it for defrosting foods before adding them to the oven or stove.  The microwave not only works quicker, but will end up using less energy.  You can save energy when cooking by defrosting your foods that can be defrosted before cooking by using the microwave.

Roof Ray

I just heard about Roof Ray – wow! What A cool idea – make it simple for consumers to evaluate the solar potential of their house by using Google Maps. I have included Roof Ray’s widget below so you can play around with it – I love the idea of simplifying the process of getting solar installed for your home.

Solar Powered Plane

As reported by BBC in the recent article, “Solar plane makes record flight”, by Jonathan Amos – the Zephyr-6 as it has been called stayed up in the air a record three days. The plane is powered by solar energy and lithium-sulphur batteries, recharging the batteries during the day.

Solar energy driven plane sets flight record. Courtesy of BBC News

Solar energy driven plane sets flight record. Courtesy of BBC News

Quick Facts about the solar energy powered plane:

Lightweight plane (30-34kg/70lb) is launched by hand
Coms or surveillance payload of about 2kg (4.5lb)
Flies autonomously and can climb to more than 18km (60,000ft)
By day, Zephyr flies on solar power and recharges its batteries
Advanced amorphous silicon solar arrays supplied by Unisolar
Rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries supplied by Sion Corp

Pacific Gas Invest In Solar-Generated Electricity

USA Today reports that Pacific Gas’ plans to buy a huge amount of solar generated energy.

Paul Davidson of USA Today wrote, “Pacific Gas and Electric (PCG) in California announced last week it will buy 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity from two companies, enough to light 239,000 homes. Within three years, PG&E will buy its solar energy from OptiSolar and SunPower, which plan to build the world’s two largest solar farms in California as part of the deal.”

Read The Full Article Here

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