Day 3 Electricity Challenge

I don't know about you but in our family, we run the exhaust fan in the bathroom, especially during and after showers. The trouble is it runs and runs and runs...

Running the exhaust also sucks the heat out of the house, as well as using more electricity than needed.

So, from now on we are going to make an effort to turn on the exhaust only when needed and turn it off promptly when done. I'm sure it will be an adjustment. And there are times we will forget.

Running it less could make a significant reduction in our heating oil use? Who knows? We will just have to see.

Maybe January should be dedicated to reducing heating costs. Could we really find 31 things?

I was thinking about a timer for the exhaust but think it would make me lazy. My goal is to be aware, not to let go of awareness.

Don’t forget that we are giving away prizes at the end of December. To be eligible simply register for our monthly newsletter on the right. We don’t spam and we NEVER share your email address. One of our lovely prizes is a Kill-A-Watt meter to help identify what gadgets really draw in current. Pass it along. More prizes coming.I will also be sending out tweets that go along with the challenge www.twitter.com/BeautyWriter saving electricity is truly a beautiful thing.

Day 2 Reducing My Electric Bill and Saving Money

CFLs and LED technology

A great debate has begun over the safety of using CFL bulbs in the home, considering that they contain a small amount of mercury. As a person who is chemically sensitive from previous overexposures to hazardous materials, I want things to be safe.

I have a choice if I want to use technology which requires less electricity: CFL bulbs or LED components.

CFLs contain varying amounts of mercury so they could be a hazard if broken in the home and not cleaned up properly. http://tinyurl.com/5rdf56 I am going to need to weigh the dangers carefully. http://tinyurl.com/yq8a6l Energy Star puts out an informational pdf to help. http://tinyurl.com/2elryb Unbroken CFLs should be recycled and broken CFLs should be cleaned up properly. Check out the links if you want to educate yourself on how to do it. The CFLs contain much less mercury than the fillings in my teeth. EEK, is that a good thing? The good news is that the amount of mercury is being reduced dramatically.

While CFLs are readily available, I may choose to use LEDs in areas where they may come in contact with children or pets and use CFLs where they are not likely to get broken. I am not sure; I will have to think on it a bit. I would love your input on the matter. For more info on LEDs go to http://tinyurl.com/6ns7zl

I’ve gone online, and discovered a site http://www.eartheasy.com/ , and ordered a few goodies to try. First, I scooped up an amber LED bug light http://tinyurl.com/68mfh3 for outside. At $14.95 it’s about three times more expensive than the traditional incandescent I normally use. However, it will use less electricity and that reduces mercury emissions into the air at the power plant side. Yippee! It's one good thing for the environment that will also help on the electric bill. Another source for LEDs is http://tinyurl.com/6krxb7, http://tinyurl.com/6c2dsa , and http://tinyurl.com/5rjrkm .

No matter what type of bulb you choose, you’ll probably like to know what type of savings to expect. Right? GE has a whole house calculator for CFLs http://tinyurl.com/64sltf

I’m changing the bulbs in my home (about 2300 sqft) and in my Salon. Some bulbs have already been changed, so I’ll have a head start. Last year I put in natural light fluorescents in the salon to help fight a vitamin D deficiency. A side is that the natural light bulbs lift mood and can prevent seasonal affective disorder, which can strike during the winter.

Benefits all around.

Don’t forget that we are giving away prizes at the end of December. To be eligible simply register for our monthly newsletter on the right. We don’t spam and we NEVER share your email address. One of our lovely prizes is a Kill-A-Watt meter to help identify what gadgets really draw in current. Pass it along. More prizes coming.
I will also be sending out tweets that go along with the challenge www.twitter.com/BeautyWriter saving electricity is truly a beautiful thing.

Electriciy Challenge Day 1 to Lower Bills

Today is not the beginning of a quest but the hyperextension of one that has been going on for many years. Over the next 31 days, I have promised myself to research ad carry through on the things I need to do to tweak my energy usage.

Yes, that is my meter on the left. I had it checked a few years ago and the power company needed to replace it. The trouble was-- it couldn't be done in a single day. This is how it sat for a week. It was too funny not to take a picture of. Somehow, I don't think binding is an effective way of keeping electric bill small?

Each day I will check in and share a bit of the journey.

I called the Power Company and they told me that last year I used 916 kWh during December. My goal is to reduce that. Here in VA the rate for electricity is low, a mere 6.22 cents per kWh. Even so, how low can it go?

In the past I have just implemented energy savings ideas with no strategy on how to get from point A to point B. Sure, they probably helped, but did I miss some? Quite likely!
My first stop is the energy audit. Some consumers in my area are eligible for a free audit through the power company through a pilot program—I am waiting for a call back to see if I qualify. However, while I wait, I am still researching.

The US Dept of Energy has great information on choosing a company to do an energy audit and what to do to get ready. http://tinyurl.com/6bb4lz For more information on energy audits go to http://tinyurl.com/6q3vqb

Our local news did a piece on energy audits and used Chopper10 to evaluate heat loss with heat seeking radar and some other fancy electronics. Wouldn’t it be cool to have that done?

Now, I have an idea of what they look for. I will contact some companies and see about having the audit performed, but for now, I will start my own.

Well, I am off to make a checklist of what to look for.

If your company offers related services please let me know and I will give you a shout out. I am also collecting prizes to award at the end of the month. Winners will be chosen at random from the names of those who sign up for our monthly newsletter (on the right) so go sign up now! We still need more prizes so donations are welcome and I will place a link to your business on my site. iNails hotmail dot com.

A lot to think about in a short period. See you all tomorrow.