I am looking for energy efficient, green options to save some cash on a monthly basis. I have a gas water heater and there is only 2 people living in the house. We both shower in the morning, and probably only use it for dishes or cooking water, in the evening. Gas bill is reasonable but could be lower I think. What else can I do? I want to be environmentally conscious as well.
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Since there are only 2 people in the house and you only use hot water twice a day, consider an on-demand water heater–available in gas or electric–that heats the water as you use it and doesn’t keep a tankfull of water hot all day. We put one in a church that only used hot water during occupancy. It worked extremely well and provided all the hot water needed. Also consider replacing your outside lighting with solar lighting. The initial cost is more, but you never pay for electricity for your outside lights again! Several types of exterior solar lighting can be found at SolarLightingSpecialties.com.
turn stat to 62
Do ALL of the above and you will save a fortune!! I DID!!!
insulate your attic with r40 pink fibreglass
Make sure all windows and doors are sealed good so cold air cannot get inside around them. You can also put a towel or anything like that at the bottom of the doors going to the outside to keep air from coming under the doors. You can turn down your heat to maybe around 65 or 67. You can turn down the temp on the water heater making the water temp a bit cooler. If you have ceiling fans you can switch them to turn backwards to help spread the air. If your cook stove is gas, the more you use the oven the more gas you use. If you can use the oven less will also help. You could also shut off rooms that are not used as much and shut the vents some to make the heat go to rooms that are used more. Just make sure you don’t shut them off enough to cause any water lines in the area to be in danger of possible freezing. It is best to set the temp on the furnace and leave it there. Moving it up and down may cause the furnace to use more gas to warm everything back up. Also remember, when you open any door to the outside, the longer the door is open the more cold air comes in thus making the furnace to use more gas. Kids like to open the door and do not realize an open door allows a lot of cold air to come and when the wind is blowing that makes the situation even worse.
trade up your current shower head to a water-efficient shower head such as the Waterpik® EcoFlow® which helps reduce water consumption
Efficiency Solutions Will Lower
Natural Gas Prices
Energy efficiency is a smart investment that will
pay off right now and in the long run. Some
efficiency solutions that will lower natural gas
prices include:
1) Highly efficient natural gas equipment in
homes and businesses, such as high-efficiency
furnaces and high efficiency or solar water heaters.
2) Highly efficient electrical equipment, such as
lighting, air conditioning, refrigerators, washing
machines, and more, in areas where power plants
are fueled with natural gas.
3) Highly efficient buildings, through measures
such as sealing leaks and installing high-efficiency
windows and insulation. A new Energy Star
home saves an average of 30 percent of household
heating and cooling energy use per year compared
to a non-Energy Star home. A builder that goes
even further and constructs a home that uses 50
percent less energy qualifies for the federal energy
efficiency tax credit. While few homes currently
qualify for the federal tax credit, the number is
growing rapidly, more than tripling from 2006 to
2007, and the average homeowner of one of these
energy efficient homes can save $400 or moreper year.
Efficiency is not limited to new homes;
existing buildings can be retrofit with new energyefficient
materials
Well, not knowing where you are living – but if it has to do with heating a house vs heating one room – It is a big savings. Turning the hot water heater on several hrs before you shower would help – blocking most windows and doors with heavy curtains and sealing doorway and other leaky areas can make a big difference.
I hope this is what you were looking for – An electric heater used in one room will help some what but here in Calif gas is much cheaper when it comes to heating.