How To: Save Energy - AskMen AskMen Sign up Log in AskMen 0 Shares Search AskMen Search Messages You have no messages Notifications You have no notifications Log out My guyQ My Stacks Settings AskMen Search AskMen Search submit button guyQ News All Career & Money Dating Entertainment Food & Booze Health Home & Auto Style & Fashion Tech Black Friday Sex All Sex Positions Sex Tips Sex Toys & Games Sexual Experiences Sexual Health Dating All Dating Advice Dating Experiences Best Online Dating Sites Relationship Advice Grooming All Fragrances Hair Shaving Skin Style All Accessories Fashion Advice Fashion Trends Shopping Underwear Watches Fitness All Health Mental Health Nutrition Weight Loss Workout Gear All Hobby Home Tech Toys Travel Work Man Skills All Auto Essential Home Random Survival Amplify Subscribe Terms of Use Privacy Policy Hide CAREER & MONEY Productivity How To: Save Energy How To: Save Energy Ross Bonander May 23, 2007 Share Tweet Flip 0 Shares 1 2 Page 1 of 2 The growing global warming crisis is turning most of us into cost-efficient, energy-saving crusaders. Most of the power plants in the world use fossil fuels that create a massive amount of pollution, endanger the environment, and since they are of a limited supply they threaten energy security. In reaction, some U.S. states offer their consumers “green power,” which is a cleaner-burning energy source that provides power similar to that of fossil fuels. These clean-power generators specialize in producing electricity using renewable resources. Additionally, some states allow consumers to select their power provider the way one might pick a long-distance provider. Unfortunately, these greener energy sources will not appeal to a wider audience until they become a cheaper alternative, and currently they are not. Until those prices come down and availability goes up, you can still save a substantial amount of money every year, as well as spare the environment any added grief. Simple, small, practical, and easy-to-apply changes around the house will save energy and dollars. To save on gas consumption, see the AskMen.com article 12 Tips To Save On Gas. a look at the home There are four basic areas of the home that provide ample opportunities to reduce energy use and save some money: lighting, space heating and cooling, water heating, and electronics and appliances. To prevent the reader from becoming overwhelmed, I’ll keep the focus to one or two steps for each area. The U.S. Department of Energy offers this formula [Wattage × Hours Used Per Day ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption] to ascertain how much energy you’re using in various aspects of your home. Since it’s impossible to make a reasonable estimate for the wide variety of homes and apartments, individuals should apply the formula to the various appliances in his home. The wattage use of most appliances can be found on its back, bottom or nameplate. Keep in mind that this figure is the maximum power drawn by the appliance and your current settings may vary. Since this gives a daily result, you can simply multiply it by the number of days you use the various appliances to give you a weekly, monthly or annual figure. Lighting Accounts for: About 15% of your home’s energy use. To start saving energy immediately, begin using fewer lights and try to maximize the amount of natural light that enters your home. However, when you do use lighting, there are far more efficient bulbs available that can reduce energy use for lighting by as much as 75%. Start by discarding any standard candescent bulbs in your home. Next, cut the power to your lighting fixture and use a dust cloth to clean the entire lighting unit. Then install an efficient fluorescent bulb, which will last for years (as opposed to months), consume less power and generate less heat. Space heating and cooling Accounts for: About 56% of your home’s energy use. In general, ventilation and good air circulation are the two most energy-efficient ways to cool and keep heat in the home, especially when combined with proper insulation, day lighting and energy-efficient windows and doors. To keep the temperature down inside your home, you should limit the activities that generate heat and contribute to rising temperatures, such as running the dishwasher, using the stove or oven and keeping your computer running all day when you’re not using it. Given the rising prices of fossil fuels, you might want to look into alternate ways to heat your home. Shelled corn and wood pellets have proved to be 40% more economical than heating oil and 60% cheaper than liquid propane. 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