Saving Money and Energy – Two Tools Work Together to Do a Better Job
The energy we use in our daily lives is paid for with our hard earned money. When we save energy, we save money. We buy and use energy efficient cars and appliances whenever we can. We walk whenever possible and turn off lights and appliances when not in use because those steps will save us energy and save us money. We can also save energy and money by not wasting money letting energy (money) escape into or out of your home after we have paid for it. And the best way to make sure you consume energy in the most efficient, and most money saving way possible is an energy audit for your home.
I have often recommended The Professional Home Energy Audit Guide by David Anderson and The Home Weatherization Inspection Checklist by David Nelmes, for Do it Yourself energy saving audits.
In my experience, while running through my own audits (which I do on a regular basis), is that these two products together complement each other to help you create the best energy saving, and money saving plan for. Nelmes book helps you monitor where insulation will help you save energy and save money, and Andersen’s book helps you find out how you, and your home, use energy – and helps you find effective ways to save on energy use to save money.
Both Nelmes and Andersen include information sheets for you fill out for a complete picture of energy use… and energy loss… in your home (this is quite important as you will realize the most savings only when you base your energy saving plans on the realities of YOUR HOME and YOUR LIFE).
Nelmes fact sheets are printed ones that you can copy as often as needed. Andersen’s are computer spreadsheet files. What I so now is take Andersen’s spreadsheet files and ADD information from Nelmes’ sheets to form my own totally complete picture, from the walls and windows to the center of the room, of each room in my house (of course this will work for apartment dwellers too). From that, I can list and order my energy and money saving “fixes” by which ones can save me the most money without spending a lot of money. For instance, I’ve already replaced about 80% of the bulbs in my house, inside and out, with energy saving CFL (Compact Fluorescent) bulbs. I’ve been doing this over a period of years, so I don’t directly see savings on my electric bill – however I can estimate that I am saving at least $50 US each year. It didn’t cost me that much to replace all those bulbs with CFLs, so I have saved A LOT on those. And last year we had to replace our 18 year old hot water heater. I already done the research and had an energy saving model in mind, so it was a quick replacement – not too many cold showers.
My win is that my energy audits show me not only places that I can save energy and save money, but also where things I have been doing for few years have been saving me energy and money all along. Kinda makes you feel good knowing that you have been saving all these years.
So planning to do your own Home Energy Audits should start with both The Professional Home Energy Audit Guide by David Anderson and The Home Weatherization Inspection Checklist by David Nelmes. Their programs will help you save energy and save money easily!
Just Installed a New WaterPik EcoFlow 563 Water Saving Shower Head
Installed a new WaterPik ECO 563
Installation was quick and easy, even not requiring the usual Teflon tape around the threads. I was curious why no Teflon tape, so I asked. Kimberly A. from Water Pik, says, “The instructions call for no pipe tape because the pivot ball is a plastic connection. The use of pipe tape on the plastic connection will cause it to spread and possible crack the ball.” Very fast response! Excellent service from Water Pik!
When we had the water heater replaced last year, they also put a pressure reducing regulator on our domestic water supply because we are at the bottom of the hill, atop which sits our town water tank. So we probably have at LEAST 100’ head of water above us. That led to about 130 PSI water pressure in our house, and new codes say that’s too much. Really, this is good because you don’t want the Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve on the water heater opening arbitrarily because of too much pressure — leaves a big mess on the floor. So with our lower water pressure and the new low flow shower head, it really makes a big apparent difference in our shower water flow. Younger daughter doesn’t like it, but, well… OK. It will be interesting to see if the savings are quickly visible on both our utility and water bills.
Though I rarely use the special shower modes, like pulsing spray, Water Pik’s PowerSpray mode is nice for washing down the shower walls at the end of the shower.
Another thing I am noticing about newer low flow shower heads is that they are getting quite a bit bigger around with a broader spray pattern. Even though you are saving water, you still get a luxurious shower. Nice!
Another nice feature for an old Navy man like me is a, “Pause control.” Almost 50 years ago when I was in the U.S. Navy, I learned about “Navy Showers.” Turn the water on and wet down. Turn the water off, soap and scrub. Turn the water back on and rinse off. In a salt water environment where fresh water is constantly being made, saving water is critical – I know because we had some times when the evaporators that made the fresh water were not working well, and we only got salt water showers. It worked but its not the most comfortable. But in the South Pacific in the summertime, you really wanted showers every day – for yourself and those around you. The Pause Control on the 563 allows you to just about accomplish the Navy Shower. It doesn’t really shut the water off, but leaves a trickle running. This is better, especially in the winter when the water in the pipes will cool quickly. By keeping the water moving slowly, it retains the temperature so when you turn it back on, it is not cold. Excellent!
And this new water saving shower head will sit well with my home energy audit that I will be starting shortly. An energy saving improvement before I actually do the audit.
If you are looking for a new water saving shower head, I definitely recommend the WaterPik ECO 563
Find over 110 more energy and money saving tips and articles at Easy Energy Saving Home.
Home Energy Audit – New Article
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The Home Energy Audit
The Easiest Way to Save Energy and Money.
By performing an easy to do it yourself, energy saving Home Energy Audit, your home can become one of the growing number of Energy Efficient Homes that you are hearing about. Simple things like sealing cracks, changing to water saving shower heads (just had to change one of ours, and, though the old one was good, it looks like this new one definitely will use less water, therefore, less hot water – saving us money), maybe turning down the thermostat, or even changing to a double setback programmable model, developing energy saving habits plus a whole collection of small, easy to implement things, will definitely save you energy and save you money. And good energy conservation is good for all of us on this planet.
Dave Andersen has created an excellent kit of materials: an easy to follow book, PLUS quite a few Excel spreadsheets so you can record the information about YOUR home as you walk around your home scoping out the places where you can start saving more energy. The really great thing about these spreadsheets is that you can save them over time and compare how you do when you first start home energy audits and after you have done them for several years. This way, you can really see what you have done and how it is saving you energy and saving you money. And, of course, his book has many excellent suggestions about actions you can take to effect those money saving ideas. Good Stuff!
Money Saving Ideas for College Students
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Hey all you College Students!
It’s important to realize that saving money in college is all about being aware of what’s going on. Almost every night there’s something happening on campus, and many of those events are free for students. Just make sure that you’re paying attention to the news, the website, and the ads plastered around the campus.
Dollar Hoarder helps you save money on everyday items and shows you ways to get full enjoyment from college life – but for less money.
Save Money and Energy on Holiday Lighting
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The holidays are coming rapidly upon us. Here in the United States, it pretty much starts at the end of October and goes through Christmas and New Years. It’s a festive time. One for celebration, family, food, friendship, and fun… and decorating our homes with lights. Beautiful, colorful, watt and money-sucking lights. Here’s a quick way to save energy and money as you add decorative lighting to your home.
