Lisa asks…
Saving money as a stay-at-home mom?
I tried asking this question in a different section and got a lot of rude responses that didn’t answer the question, so I thought I’d give it a try here, in my comfort zone 
Does it save more energy to:
A. – Leave your AC at a constant temperature (75)
B. – Turn your AC up a few degrees during the day (77) and then back down at night to sleep (75)
C. – Turn your AC off during the day and then back on (75) at night
I recently, well, 2 months ago, got laid off, so I’m a stay-at-home mom at least for a little while and I’m trying to find ways to save money. Since I’ve been home our electric bill has gone up quite a bit!! I always try to remember to turn off lights, the TV, put the computer on stand-by, etc. Any tips/advice??
admin answers:
My hubby and I are pretty frugal so that I can stay at home with our kids. Here’s a few tips…hope they help.
Put your electronics on power strips and turn off the power strips when not in use.
Do your laundry back to back. Drying clothes back to back saves energy because the clothes dry faster due to the dryer already being good and warm.
If you do a load of dishes in the dishwasher, make sure it’s loaded well. Don’t do just a half load.
AC up a few degrees during the day and down a few at night. Don’t turn it off during the day if your house is going to get too hot. Ex-if you want your night temp at 75, you don’t want your house to be at 80. It takes more energy to cool the house those 5 degrees then to keep it at 77 during the day and cool 2 more at night.
Make sure your hot water heater is set no higher than 120.
Invest in cheap window coverings. You can buy twin white bed sheets at wall mart for $3 each. You can use those to help keep your house cool especially in the windows that face the direct east and west of the house.
Linda asks…
How long will a 60W light bulb and a 8W energy saving lamp run on a coulomb and a mole of electrons?
Your outlets at home are rated at 110 V. How long will a 60W light bulb and a 8W energy saving lamp run on a coulomb and a mole of electrons?
admin answers:
I think it may useful for u. Http://styleasy.info/108783/energy-saving-lamps
Ruth asks…
Why can’t you use energy saving light bulbs with dimmer switches or timers?
On the back of energy saving light bulb boxes it always says that they can’t be used with dimmers switches, PIR or timer switches, why?
Surely it would make more sense to use a timer at home with a lamp that is better for the environment!!
admin answers:
Energy saving light bulbs use the same technology as fluorescent tubes, with a built in starter.
These types of bulbs need to take a lot of inrush (startup) current, and then take a very small amount of current after it has lit. This huge inrush current is a lot higher than cheaper, more commonly available dimmer switches can handle. Microprocessor controlled dimmer switches that can handle this current are becoming more prevalent but are about twice the price of a standard dimmer!
Lizzie asks…
Saving energy: what do you do to participate in saving some energies?
I think it starts at home if we want to
save energy (electricity/water) for example when
i brush my teeth i don’t let the tap water running uselessly.
The light bulb of the main entrance after the gate
is a 25 watts bulb and i wash my car once a month.
Now don’t tell me i don’t shower(ha ha ha ah aha)
because to shower everyday is an index of good health.
So what do you do to save water and energy?
Thank you.
for a recycling solution we do this
Dragon Heart,you sure have
sense of humors:-)he he..
admin answers:
Well my hub put energy saver light bulbs all over the house as soon as we moved in. Recently we had Photovoltaic Systems put in our house. Can’t wait for my bills to get lower! I also always lower the heat when we leave to work in the morning and shut all the lights!
Carol asks…
If “Energy Star” Appliances are so great at saving energy, Why does it take an hour and a half to do a load?
Wonder if other people with “Energy Star” rated appliances are having the same thoughts. I filled my home with new appliances. GE front load washer, GE front load dryer, and a KitchenAid NSF Grade Dishwasher. My old washer took only 25 minutes to do a normal load of wash. It now takes this new washer 1.5 hours to do the same load. How is that energy efficient? It uses less water, but it’s broken down twice within one year. My old washer ran for 15 yrs and never broke. The new dryer had to have the main control panel replaced twice now. Old dryer never broke down in 12 yrs of use. I have no complaints about the dishwasher other than the long wash cycles (1.25 hrs). Old dishwasher ran about 30 mins.
The new washer also doesn’t clean as well as the old one either. The repairmen, told me that they don’t save electricity, they save water usage. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t have paid over $5,000 for these new “Energy Star” appliances. Has anyone else notice this? How can they possibly say they save energy?
Also, this is the second set! The first set was Whirlpool brand. It wasn’t any faster or better. The store took them back because they couldn’t get a replacement control board when it broke after a month of usage.
admin answers:
My Fisher Paykel energy star runs 30 minutes, cost $450, and never breaks. You can also switch to a cold water detergent, and save on hot water. I haven’t ysed hot water to wash clothes in 5 years.
Helen asks…
What about cap and trade do you think is bad for you personally?
I just “love” that I’ll be forced to have an energy audit done when I sell my home and at my expense I will have to fix and replace anything they tell me to, otherwise I will not be allowed to sell my home.
Tyranny, at it’s best. We are approaching retirement and lost a great deal of our retirement savings with the stock market last winter, now our home value is lower and then, to top it off, we’ll have to spend lots on expensive repairs in order to sell a devalued home.
Energy saving windows on this house will run about $8,000 and our home is only worth $189,000 when it used to be worth $325,000. We still owe about 170 on it, so now what?
Oh yeah, won’t you love having to, weather you own an electric car or not, install an outside outlet so that anyone who visits you can charge their electric car? That makes so much sense to me in this economy.
What else bothers you and what will affect you the most?
admin answers:
The Obama administration are not upholding their oath of office to preserve,protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America from all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC.They themselves are our greatest enemy that this country has ever faced,the domestic and ultimate trojan horse.
Thomas asks…
What are some simple things I can do at home to help the environment?
I use energy saving bulbs, turn off appliances when not in use and recycle weekly. What other things should I do to be greener?
admin answers:
Pee in the shower or save it in a bottle and put it in your compost pile. Do not use 4–8 gallons of drinking water to wash a way a dixie cup full of pee, which is safe enough to drink anyway.
Put as much as you possibly can in your compost pile. Just pile it up. Every leaf and blade of grass that you or your neighbors create along with every bone or scrap of food you do not eat. Every corn cob, egg shell, tissue, cardboard box, pencil shaving, cotton shirt, shoe string… EVERYTHING put it in a pile and put grass on it and water it down. It will get extremely hot in about two days and cool down. When it does that, mix it up and wet it down and do it again.
Then take that compost and grow easy easy things. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, and beans would be good right now. Take some eyes from potatoes and get them started so you can plant them in about a month or so.
Learn how to cook. You will use less meat and eat better foods.
Try not to use your air conditioner at all. Use fans. Open windows and curtains in the early morning. Close them when it just starts to get hot.
Get a rain barrel to save rain. Use it to water your garden when you need to.
If you have a lawn, reduce its size, or get rid of it. Plant vegetables instead.
Use a clothesline instead of the dryer. Stuff will dry in about an hour. No problems.
Do your best, for all of us.
Good luck.
Sandy asks…
Are there any German rules or odd things they do at home that would seem weird to americans? anything simple?
i’m going to be an exchange student, living with a host family and i want to know about any little things. manners at the dinner table? closing doors? are they big on saving energy?
admin answers:
I did an exchange in high school, and stayed with a host family. A few things I noticed:
-People keep the doors closed to their room all the time. It doesn’t mean they are being antisocial, but it’s just how they roll.
-People are not grossed out if somebody blows their nose at the table.
-When you make a toast, you better look the other person in the eye.
-Recycling is law. They have a million different bins and it is all rather impressive.
Mostly, I was impressed at how fun and kind most people I met were. It even inspired me to become a german major. Have a great trip!
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