energy saving tips

Is that what they put into a GEL battery?
I always wondered about that!

If you don't mind the rubbish, plant some clumping bamboo!! grows very, very fast, sounds nice when it's windy, and can grow VERY tall.

invasive species are rarely the answer...

I would think that a true evaporative solar clothes dryer would be a more cost effective method
than using low entropy and expensive electricity for such a simple task as drying clothes.
Matching the energy source to the task as much as possible gives a head start to the
conservation game. At least use natural gas. Drying clothes with electricity is like killing flies
with a howitzer.

Isn't this thread a bit old to be posting to ?

Hi,
There are some tips which can save energy.

According to the Department of Energy, a programmable thermostat can reduce your heating costs by up to 35% and cooling costs by up to 25%. If your home sits empty a good part of each day, consider investing in a programmable thermostat or manually adjust the temperature each time you leave and return home.
Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.
Plant tall, fast growth trees on the south side of your house.
Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Unplug electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use. Taken together, these small items can use as much power as your refrigerator. Televisions, cable television boxes, cell phone chargers and other electronics give off more waste heat than you might imagine. Unplug these items or consider purchasing power management devices to eliminate electric consumption entirely when not in use.

If you have a mechanical air filter or HEPA filter inside your heating and cooling system, have an air conditioning and heating technician replace the filter annually.

Allow air to circulate around your outside condenser unit. Fallen leaves may hinder the efficiency of the air conditioning unit so make it a habit to clear your air conditioning units with fallen shrubs. This means pruning any nearby hedges and keeping the grass mowed. Treat the area for fire ants, as needed. Ants commonly build mounds inside condensers and can cause your air conditioning to shut down.
Mod note - links are generally not allowed

I would highly recommend installing an energy monitor. Mine actually paid for itself in the first 24 hours. Get your consumption as low as you realistically can before thinking about solar or other alternative energies.

If you have a swimming pool, the old single speed pool pump is probably going to be the single largest source of energy consumption in your house overall. Sure, your AC may consume more, but you probably don't run your AC 10 continuous hours a day in the summer or 4 continuous hours a day in the winter time like your pool pump. A 3 hp motor can easily consume 30kwh a day if you run the pump 10 hours..

My wife is getting sick of my energy conservation efforts I have reduced our electricity consumption by 35-40% without really changing the way we live. Still have the pool pump and AC to switch out which will save another 20% but it will have to wait until the equipment actually needs replacing.