Well I read the whole trend, and I see my idea is already here:

Add a timer to your water heater. I have a powervent hot water heater and I bought a timer at HD. It turns off at 10PM and on at 6AM. I got this idea from my parents; they have their timed to come on at 6AM and off at 10AM (yes 10AM, There is enought hot water in the tank for the rest of the days duties, washing hands and a few dishes).

In summer, turn up thermostat to 80, and crank the humdifier to make it seem cooler indoors

Wow! Have you ever heard of the Heat Index? At 80 degrees for maximum comfort you need LESS humidity. Plus, the mold at 80 degrees and high humidity would be a bit troublesome.

Regarding attached garages. If you have any attic space above your garage, cut a rectangle the size of a return air cover (any standard size 15" X 25", etc) in the ceiling of your garage that opens into the attic. Install the return air cover with a couple of screws. Cut out a piece of styrofoam the size of the vent. Total cost 0 to $25 (for a new return air vent)

In the summer, don't use the styrofoam. All the heat from your cars, the outside sun, etc. goes straight out the vent ESPECIALLY if you crack the garage door for maximum airflow. In the winter, put the styrofoam either inside the vent or attach it to the outside of the vent via strip magnets or a screw holding it up snug against the grates of the vent.

Another idea is to install the forced air vents the same way. You can just use the already built in levers to open/close the louvers in the summer/winter.

Some homes lose 20% of their heat through their electrical outlets. I've put in insulation (bought at Menard's) in all my electrical outlets and placed plastic outlet protecters in all the outlets that don't have plugs in them

StevenColorado said:Showers use a lot of water. Low flow shower heads are the way to go.

I feel like I could go through every idea here and offer a suggestion based on the original Idea.

I encourage you all to do the same. Perhaps someone can collect all of the ideas and we'll put them in a list.

There was a simple product that someone made and then it was actually available for sale. At an exorberant price I might add.

They took the drain pipe from the shower and wrapped a pipe around it. The pipe connected to the cold water. So when warm / hot water from the shower went down the drain this wrapped drain pipe transferred heat to the cold water coming into the shower faucet. Basically cold water was warmed slightly.

This meant that the user could reduce the level of hot water usage and save money.

To make something like this would cost about $10 more than the cost of the regular drain pipe. There's no reason that someone with some business sense couldn't set up shop with a plumber or machine shop and turn them out.

They should probably be a fixture in every new home. As long as the manufacturer doesn't get $100 / piece for a $10 item.

I read that it saved about $5 worth of heat / month. After 20 years that's $1,200.00. One just one item.

fatcool said:Freaking gas bill is 300$ if I keep the home at 70C


If I keep the home at 65C.....Freaking medical bills are around the same.


All measures are taken to seal windows doors.

What to do now?

I am embarassed to tell you what I did 'cause you'll think I live in a barn. But my house is old and leaks.

I took the kind of bubble packing that comes from ODepot or in packages I order online. And cut it to size and tape it nicely over the glass.

I use two sheets and the bubbles insulate the windows. Also it seals any leaks that happen to get through.

WHAT ABOUT LIGHT?
The clear plastic allows light to come in. If you need to see outside then
it's not the best. But no one can see inside. I find it's actually kind of unique and attractive. It's fine for the bathroom as I can be sure no one can see in but i get light. And my hanging plant likes it.

There are 3 grades of wrap. small , med. and large bubbles. The large bubbles are the best insulator. They're 1/2 " in size.

But it's up to you.
Mainly the cold window is now not cold. That has to help. And I have noticed that it killed the draft. It might take some paint off when I remove the clear tape. But they do sell special tape for this purpose.

WHAT ELSE CAN I USE?
There is a window sealer kit that uses a hair dryer to shrink the plastic tight after applying it to the window. Basically it makes a double pane window out of the single pane. I have found that companies like Viking shipping products sells a shrink plastic used for packages that will shrink with a hot hair dryer.

This product is sold in large sheets and might be much cheaper than the kits that are sold at home stores. But you'll have to figure out your own mounting. (tape?, tacks?)

rogue409 said:exigent said:If you have a garage attached to your living space, and especially if you have a room *above* the garage, insulate the garage. One particular place where people fall down on this is with regard to their garage door. If it's just a metal garage door, either insulate it yourself (this is the cheapest option) or replace it with an insulated door. Wood garage doors offer some benefit over metal, but fall far short of an insulated door. This helps moderate you heating *and* cooling bills (the latter is especially true if your garage door faces west).

Any specific products you'd recommend? Or just go to the hardware store and get whatever?

I agree with the idea. Especially with the part if your garage door faces West or South. It will heat up like a frying pan in the summer.

However insulating it can be difficult. While I have never done it there
are some ideas that come to mind.

Remember this is just a brainstorm. NOT RECOMEMDATIONS FROM AN EXPERT.

If you choose to use a regular fiberglas insulation then it would be prudent to find a way to hold up / in the insulation.

Again this is subject to correction So please get some expert advice before you continue the work.

I would not put any screws through the metal of the door where they will
end up outside in the weather. Putting holes through the door is not good
workmanship.

I think that steel wire strung back and forth to hold up / in the insulation would be useful. The fiberglas should go against the door with the paper against the room side. Strong tape might be used to tape the wire up against the paper side of the insulation so as to hold it in place.
Small Zip Screws could be screwed into the frame of the door on which to attach the wire. A 20 to 26ga wire should be enough. Or small holes drilled
into the frame of the door could be used to route the thin steel wire.
Again it's only an idea. Maybe far from the best idea.

Since it's not like a wood wall with studs you'll have to think about how to do it.

WHAT OTHER KIND OF INSULATION CAN I USE?
Foam insulation is pricy but is of high R value and easy to work with.
It comes with one or both sides with foil and a foam inside. It can be cut
with a knife/razor and can be simply fit and taped into place.

Strofoam sheet insulation is also easy to work with but it is flammable. It should probably be covered with the thinnest sheetrock. If the door is too heavy it may not rise and fall as it should.

Cardboard is a good insulator. There's no reason that it could not be used to knock down a lot of heat off a door that faces West/South.

Lastly ventilation at night can take away the heat of a hot garage. A side mounted ventillator through a wall or window would avoid roof leakage problems. It can be set on a timer to go on for a few hours at 4 am when it's about the coldest in the summer.

Your bathroom probably has 6 or so vanity lights above the mirror. Who needs 6 lights? Plus it's hot with 6 lights. I disable all but 2 (unscrew them slightly) and I still have plenty of lights. What's strange is that girls tend to always screw my other lights back in...

Also in the winter, set your ceiling fans to run clockwise: "In contrast, ceiling fans can also help to heat a room and in some cases, energy consumption can be lowered by as much as 10%. As a room is heated, the heat floats in layers. Up by the ceiling, the air is at its warmest since heat rises. When you have a ceiling fan, the rotation of the fan is reversed, pushing that warm air down, which breaks up the layers of air. As the air is circulated, the room becomes warm and toasty. Best of all, your furnace does not have to work as hard, which in turn lowers your heating bill. Remember, during the summer months, the blades should rotate counter clockwise and in the winter, clockwise. "

I also remember reading once that your fridge works most efficiently if you fill the empty unused spaces with jugs of water (or something to take up space). Anyone have more info on this??


I just want a rough estimate of how much electricity (cost-wise) a monitor (19 inches) and computer (350 Watt PS) uses per day. I do not like math. Someone just tell me please.

andre1000 said:
This last part is so true. Energy providers are requiired to provide services like lighting your pilot. So when it turns warm call them and see if they will turn off your pilot light or tell you how. Most furnaces now use electronic ignition (spark) to light rather than pilot. But it might apply to someone. Especially if you still have a floor or wall furnace.



ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!

The reason that pilots are used is to consume any possible gas leaks. If you turn off the pilot and you do get a leak, you are guaranteed a house-leveling explosion.

Also, in another post, the idea of using used frying oil on a car is mentioned. Don't consider this either. Your engine is optimized for gasoline, and buring other combustibles will cause all sorts of weird stuff to happen - IF the fuel is clean. Using dirty oil as a fuel results in crud traveling through your engine and carburetor.

here is another onewww.greasecar.com

Heating oil is cruder form of diesel and thus your oil heater can run on grease as well. The oil does not have to be polyunsaturated. The kits come with electric heaters to melt the oil. If you use it in place of your heating oil, the tanks are usually burried deep or in the heated basement. Adding a small heater in the very cold climates is not a big deal.

As to sources, of used frying oil, I think by the looks of the population's waist line, we don't have to worry about runnig low on used frying oil.

On the other hand, fat people have more insulation and thus should be able to go with out heat in their homes. And if they want to lose weight, the increased energy consumption to keep body temperature warm will make them burn off the fat faster. Kill two birds with one stone, save on heating bills and lose weight.

if you use an electric clothes dryer - there is a little device you can buy for 5-10 bucks at a hardware store that will attach to the dyer vent and vent the heat and moisture into the house in the winter, then you can turn the switch the other way and send it back out of the house in the summer. i have been using it all winter and it really cuts down on heat usage when running the dryer. if i do a few loads of laundry i don't even have to turn on my heat, but i live in a decent climate and have a small, well insulated house.

the same thing can be accomplished detatching the vent, putting panty hose on the end coming from the dryer and sealing the other side.