A few weeks ago I wrote about an energy saving kit being offered to NJ gas customers for $5. I got it today. It included weather stripping, low flow shower heads and faucet aerators, and outlet cover insulators. It also came with two cards with energy and water savings info. Some of the tips on the cards are basic, but others I didn't know, so I figured I'd pass them along. Check out www.niagaraconservation.com for more info.
One of the things I liked was the listing of kwh used by many appliances, which I didn't know and I'm going to start paying attention to:
Dishwasher- 30kWh w/drying cycle, 20 w/o
Oven 350 degrees for 1 hour- 60 kWh
Microwave Oven - 16-40 kWh
Toaster- 4-12 kWh
Coffee Maker- 12kWh
Washing Machine (5 loads/wk) - 7 kWh
Dryer (5 loads/wk) - 100 kWh
Radio (3hrs/day) - 9 kWh
Television 23-25" (4 hrs/day) - 20 kWh
VCR/DVD - 5 kWh
PC Desktop/Monitor - 10 kWh
Ceiling fan - 18 kWh
Central Air (750 hrs/yr) - 2,250 kWh/yr
Water Heater (family of 4) - 250-400 kWh
Refrig (17cu ft,frost free,10 hrs/day) - 150
My goal for the weekend is to check my electric bill to see what I'm being charged for a kWh to get a sense for home much $$ each of these things is costing me. Then I can figure out where best to direct my efforts. (Line Drying clothes looks like a frontrunner already!).
A few other little known (to me) facts:
*You can cut your water heating bills in half by using low-flow aerating showerheads and faucets.
*Use task lighting. Instead of lighting an entire room, focus light where you need it.
*An outdoor central air conditioner unit operating in the shade can use 10% less electricity than if in the sun. (Ours are...not sure how you'd move them if they weren't)
Interesting stuff...I'm looking forward to looking into this further to try and cut down my bill...
Energy Savings
April 8th, 2006 at 01:23 am
April 8th, 2006 at 04:07 am 1144469270
April 8th, 2006 at 01:03 pm 1144501439
April 13th, 2006 at 09:15 pm 1144962917