# Quirky Conservation Tips



## midwestcoast (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm the first to admit that I get a bit excentric when it comes to conservation of heat, electricity, water... Not all-out crazy, but I do have my little things that some others find, well, quirky.  This isn't the regulalr, boring stuff that acually saves significant resources, like insulating, programable thermostats, CFLs....most of us do all that, I'm interested in the dumb little things that make you special   . I figure there are many here with even stranger little habits than mine, so let's hear some. I'll start:
-I try to fill the kettle with just about the amount of water I actually need when I'm making coffee or whatever. My wife ussually just fills it right up whenever she boils water. I know better than to hound her about little stuff like that so instead I take the extra hot water & pour it into the steamer on the insert. Voila, pre-heated steamer re-fill.
-I take the (exterior) screens of my South, East & West windows in fall so that I get full-power sunlight & heat through the windows, then replace come spring.
-I close-off our spare bedroom & don't heat it unless people are staying over & sleeping in there (not that strange I guess).
-I use caulking backer rod or pipe insulation to block the grill of my car in winter. It helps the engine warm-up & get to peak efficiency sooner from cold.
-Instead of running the bathroom fan when I shower in winter, I point the floor fan in there & blast the warm, moist air out the door into the rest of the house where it's needed.

What do you do?

Just to put things in perspective here, I have a buddy who refuses to turn his furnace on in winter. He puts an oil heater in the room he's in, bundles up in hats, coats, slippers... and uses an electric blanket when he's working on the computer.  It can be 40 degrees in his house & I've seen ice in the toilet.  He can tell you how many cents per day the electric blanket costs to run. My wife refuses to visit him this time of year. 
Oh and I have a neighbor who drinks her coffee while sitting on the toilet each morning because she leaves the furnace off until after work & only heats the bathroom with a space heater.


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## woodgeek (Dec 3, 2010)

Nothing personal, but most folks I know with a list of 'quirky conservation tips' make their spouses crazy, give reasonable frugality a bad name, and most importantly--could have saved 10x the energy/whatever by putting the same effort into real but 'boring' conservation strategies such as window weatherstripping/airsealing/insulation.  IMO, I want to do conservations steps from the low-hanging fruit first to the top of the tree last--not compulsively worry about, say, leaving the hot bathwater in the tub until it has cooled (in the winter of course, never the summer), every day of the rest of my life.

That said, I too only run the bathroom fan during showers during A/C season!

So, not to hijack, but I think every one person like your friend convinces ten people that conservation means a lifestyle hit and that they're not interested.  Carter telling folks to turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater set the movement back, IMO.  If he had said, spend a WE putting some insulation in your attic (to give a 70s appropriate example), and enjoy extra cash in your pocket forever, we all would have been better off.

In other words-->90% of folks are NOT doing that 'regular stuff' you mention.  If we are serious about conservation as a society, we need to ask ourselves why not?


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## btuser (Dec 3, 2010)

-I boil just enough water for myself because I leave earlier than my wife.  After I pour out my water I fill the kettle with enough for my wife and put it back on the hot burner in order to reclaim the residual heat from the stovetop.  Its just enough heat to boil another cup of water so my wife doesn't have to turn the stove back on.
-Every year I change the oil in my snowblower, but its never that dirty at the end of Winter so I reuse it in my lawn mower for the Summer.
-Instead of mulching the flower beds to keep the weeds down I compost the leaves from my yard and spread them in June before weeds can spread.
-When I make pies I make 3-4 at a time, then freeze the ones I don't cook right away.  I wrap them in plastic then in plastic grocery bags, then stack them in the freezer with some plastic rings I made from  some flexible plastic I was going to throw away anyway.
-Every year I use less fertilizer for the lawn.  I know this is not a victory but I'm slowly weening myself from the suburban lifestyle.  There are some lawns in my neighborhood that have so many chemicals sprayed on them they glow at night.  I mulch clippings, and apply 1/3 the amount recommended at 4 weeks instead of 6 weeks, so I use less than 1/2 and use incecticide treatments every other year.  Plus, every year I claim more of the lawn for veggies/flowers/fruit trees so the eventual lawn footprint is going to be 1/3 the original footprint.
-I use stone whenever possible because it lasts and always looks good.  All my hardscape materials are reused stuff someone else was replacing with a new style.  I picked up 2000 clay pavers for $100.  I bought 250 linear feet of granite curbing for $2/ft (2 DOLLARS A FOOT)


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## Dune (Dec 3, 2010)

I drive the speed limit.


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## daveswoodhauler (Dec 3, 2010)

After I use the oven in the winter and fall, I leave the over door open a crack to allow the warm air to help heat up the room.


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## oldspark (Dec 3, 2010)

Been driving small cars since 1971, until we get enough people on board you might as well pee into the wind.


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## joecool85 (Dec 3, 2010)

daveswoodhauler said:
			
		

> After I use the oven in the winter and fall, I leave the over door open a crack to allow the warm air to help heat up the room.


The warm air will make it into the room anyway, it has to due to the laws of thermodynamics.  No point in leaving the door open unless you just want the stove to cool off faster/give more heat for a shorter time.




			
				oldspark said:
			
		

> Been driving small cars since 1971, until we get enough people on board you might as well pee into the wind.


I do this as well and always promote the idea.  People love my wife's 2002 Ford Focus wagon, big enough to be comfy, small enough to get 30 mpg.


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## Jags (Dec 3, 2010)

I can single handedly heat an entire room with my breath by yelling at the other occupants of the house that are wasting energy.


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## midwestcoast (Dec 3, 2010)

woodgeek said:
			
		

> Nothing personal, but most folks I know with a list of 'quirky conservation tips' make their spouses crazy, give reasonable frugality a bad name, and most importantly--could have saved 10x the energy/whatever by putting the same effort into real but 'boring' conservation strategies such as window weatherstripping/airsealing/insulation.  IMO, I want to do conservations steps from the low-hanging fruit first to the top of the tree last--not compulsively worry about, say, leaving the hot bathwater in the tub until it has cooled (in the winter of course, never the summer), every day of the rest of my life.
> 
> That said, I too only run the bathroom fan during showers during A/C season!
> 
> ...



I agree with a lot of that, just thought this would make for a lively thread.  I have already done the big stuff & don't feel the need to defend my green cred. And no, I don't drive my spouse crazy, I am self-aware enough to know it's worth lobbying for the big changes that make a real difference & let the small stuff go. She doesn't do any of the things I listed & I don't expect her too. She does have her own brand of crazy, er, I mean unique outlook, though. She will wash & re-use Ziploc bags 'till they wear thru. I can't be bothered washing chicken grease out of a little baggy & just use a new one.


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## midwestcoast (Dec 3, 2010)

btuser said:
			
		

> -I boil just enough water for myself because I leave earlier than my wife.  After I pour out my water I fill the kettle with enough for my wife and put it back on the hot burner in order to reclaim the residual heat from the stovetop.  Its just enough heat to boil another cup of water so my wife doesn't have to turn the stove back on.
> -Every year I change the oil in my snowblower, but its never that dirty at the end of Winter so I reuse it in my lawn mower for the Summer.
> -Instead of mulching the flower beds to keep the weeds down I compost the leaves from my yard and spread them in June before weeds can spread.
> -When I make pies I make 3-4 at a time, then freeze the ones I don't cook right away.  I wrap them in plastic then in plastic grocery bags, then stack them in the freezer with some plastic rings I made from  some flexible plastic I was going to throw away anyway.
> ...


Thas what I'm talkin 'bout! My grandfather would be proud.


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## midwestcoast (Dec 3, 2010)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Been driving small cars since 1971, until we get enough people on board you might as well pee into the wind.


If you have that many people in a small car, I'd advise everyone peeing out the back, with the wind. Would be more efficient.


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## oldspark (Dec 3, 2010)

midwestcoast said:
			
		

> oldspark said:
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 Didn't see that one coming %-P


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## Delta-T (Dec 3, 2010)

my mother in law washes styrofoam plates and reuses them until they dissolve. I won't use styrofoam, so I could not do this, but it is very amusing to look into her dish rack.


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## Shari (Dec 3, 2010)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> my mother in law washes styrofoam plates and reuses them until they dissolve. I won't use styrofoam, so I could not do this, but it is very amusing to look into her dish rack.



Ummm.... visiting my Grandmother on nice sunny summer day I couldn't help but notice she had washed her paper plates and was drying them on the clothes line.......... She went to an assisted living center shortly thereafter...  

My tip:  We were just forced into hooking up to city sewer (nothing wrong with our septic system, just 'progress' in our area of town).  So, now we not only 'pay' for the city water coming in we now have to 'pay' for the amount of water going out.

Switching over to 24/7 wood heat means our basement is much cooler.  Our water heater is down there.  Our master bathroom is the farthest from the water heater.  Hmm... takes longer to get hot water in the morning.  All that cold water going down the drain was driving me crazy considering all I wanted to do was wash my face.  Solution:  Granny's old electric teapot now sits on my bathroom counter!  Fill it up 1/2 way & plug it to heat while getting dressed in the morning = just enough hot water to wash my face.  

Shari


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## midwestcoast (Dec 4, 2010)

Great story Shari.  I can see those warped paper plates waving in the wind, hah! My warped mind has a special place for displays of depression-era frugality. Good to know where the line is between "Oh he is just a little excentric", and "I think it's time we gets some help"      No offense meant to granny. You know what they say...not 'till you've walked a mile in their shoes.  Assuming they HAVE shoes.

I hear you on wasting the cold-hot water. My home set-up is similar & it bothers me too. I had a plan to pipe that water out to the rain barrels, but the wife vetoed.  I looked into moving the heater & found many road-blocks.  I've just let it go for now, but you know a tiny part of me screams out in agony watching that water go down the drain while the shower warms up. I paid for that water; paid to heat that damned water; now I'm paying to dispose of the F@$%#%! WATER!! NOOOOOooooooo!  :lol:


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## btuser (Dec 4, 2010)

From my wife's grandmother's house, I took over 30 lbs of aluminum pie plates out of the basement.  She would wash the pie plates and keep them (along with everything else) in the basement.  I'm not crazy like that. 

 No, I'm not, not, I'm not crazy.


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## Jaugust124 (Dec 4, 2010)

How about keeping a plastic bucket in the shower. While waiting for the water to heat up, the bucket gets partially filled which can then be used for flushing the toilet. (Or other things, I suppose)
There are times when it seems to take a long time for the hot water to get to the shower.  I haven't tried this yet, but have heard of others who do.


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## PJF1313 (Dec 4, 2010)

btuser said:
			
		

> . . .
> No, I'm not, not, I'm not crazy.




I keep on hearing that, bouncing off the walls of my rubber room


P.J.


PS - NO - WE are NOT crazy, the REST of the world is


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## jebatty (Dec 4, 2010)

We have one level house with basement. Two bathrooms are back to back. Put the hot water heater right under the bathrooms to get immediate hot water. Now, kitchen is 30' feet away, and the solution for the kitchen was to have separate hot water from a 5 gallon heater hung from the basement ceiling right under the kitchen sink and dishwasher. We rarely use more than 5 gal of hot water in the kitchen, and now immediate hot water in the kitchen too. Hot water heaters are electric, also added 6+" insulation, and insulated all hot water pipes. Also added separate metering for off-peak discount (electric for hot water only 11pm-7am). Monthly electric hot water bill before off-peak discount is $12, after discount is $4.


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## btuser (Dec 4, 2010)

Our showers are about 50' from the hot water heater.  We try to take showers in series so the water in the lines is still hot for the next person.  My parent's hot water needs are closer to 100' from the hot water heater.  My plan next Summer is to put a 5 gallon HWH in their bathroom closet and use it to cut down on the endless wait for them.  Every morning my mother is using about 10 gallons just to wash her face.  

I LOVE the teapot idea.


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## midwestcoast (Dec 4, 2010)

Excuse the Safety Moment, but: To anyone who may use the tea-kettle water heater system, make sure the outlet is a GFCI & test it regularly. Always un-plug kettle before pouring water into the sink.


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## benjamin (Dec 5, 2010)

woodgeek said:
			
		

> putting some insulation in your attic (to give a 70s appropriate example)



Why is attic insulation no longer appropriate? And here I've been harping on attic insulation, and nobody told me we're not supposed to do that anymore. 

In my single days I had a "shower" that consisted of a 10 gallon water heater with a modified Tstat that would heat to about 110 degrees, a short length of garden hose connected to the hot outlet and a shower head, and a short length of hose that connected to a longer length of hose that connected to a frost proof hydrant that was only connected while in use. Combined with a small enclosed shower curtain this provided a frostbite resistant shower in any weather. 


http://www.sunfrost.com/efficient_shower.html in case anyone wants to build off of this idea.

I've heard stories of a friend of a friend who would survive without heat by sleeping in his coveralls and burrowing into the middle of a big pile of insulation. 

The biggest problem with no heat WI living is dealing with mattress moisture. When the ambient temp is below zero the dew point is inside the mattress, resulting in a moldy mess. Propping up the mattress during the day helps.


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## Shari (Dec 5, 2010)

midwestcoast said:
			
		

> Excuse the Safety Moment, but: To anyone who may use the tea-kettle water heater system, make sure the outlet is a GFCI & test it regularly. Always un-plug kettle before pouring water into the sink.



Ah... yes... forgot to mention that.

Shari


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## Highbeam (Dec 6, 2010)

While waiting for the hot water to arrive at your appliance, you are not just wasting water. You are wasting HOT water. Every drop that comes out of that hot tap is a drop of cold water added to the water heater that must be heated. My family has a tough time understanding this one. Thinking that they will only use a half gallon of hot water to wash their face (or whatever) but the tap will run for a long time while waiting for hot water to reach the tap.


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## semipro (Dec 7, 2010)

Hmmm. 
- Using doors on the leeward side of the house when its windy to keep the air from blowing in
- Not heating the bedrooms, using only space heaters, what heat migrates upstairs, a mattress pad, and my wife for heat. 
- Using bathroom vent fans only for removal of unpleasantness
- Really making use of our setback thermostat.  Studies show most that have them don't use them.
- Disconnecting the "emergency heat" wire on our thermostat so that a setting differential of more than 2 degrees doesn't engage the aux. heating element.  
- Water heaters on timers, temps set at 120 degrees
- Power strips all over the place where electronic devices might create "vampire" loads
- Opening blinds when sunny, shutting them at night to keep the heat in
- Use microwaves for heating whenever possible because they are more efficient than electric stoves
- Pruning southside trees "just right" so that the summer sun hits the yard around the house but not the house
- We put many of our electronics (e.g. wireless router) in one kitchen cabinet to hide them and then use that cabinet for bread dough rising
- Using a clothesline instead of our electric dryer.  (my kids really hate this since I've disabled it for enforcement)
- Keeping closet doors closed as there's no reason to waste heat there (but the clothes are cold when you put them on)
- Rotate through clothes until they look bad or smell
- Two bath towels in rotation, allowing one to dry well while using the other, only cleaning when needed
- Washing babies while we showered instead of using a separate bath - made them tougher too!
- Using our dogs to clean our dishes.  Not really though we did invest in a really efficient dishwasher.


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## woodchip (Dec 7, 2010)

Some may say the English are crazy, so here are some of my crazy conservation schemes.............

We have a home made rainwater storage collection and storage system which can store over 2000 gallons. This is used for flushing the loo, why use expensive drinking water?

Our wood burner has a flat top, and I usually cook on it with an old camp oven (cast iron pot), great for stews in cold weather. My wife loves that one as I get to do the cooking!

The flat top also means we boil our water for our endless cups of tea on it.

I often heat a pot of rainwater on the stove for my washing, even if it did not save money I like the soft water.........

I never use expensive cleaners on the glass front of our stove. Damp newspaper rubbed in a little wood ash is a brilliant glass cleaner!


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## Jags (Dec 7, 2010)

woodchip said:
			
		

> Some may say the English are crazy...



Most - most think that the English are crazy. :lol:


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## Tom Pencil (Dec 8, 2010)

Heard that peeing while taking a shower saves a lot of water being flushed to the same location.  Would save on electric also for those with their own well pumps.


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## Vic99 (Dec 9, 2010)

Good thread.

- when changing out fish tank water, use waste water for house plants

- collect rain water off of roof in buckets and barrel to use in summer

- shut off computer power strips when not in use & unplug appliances when not in use

- ceiling fans to circulate hot air

- also leave oven door cracked because I like the instant blast of heat

- pot of water on wood stove to add humidity and thus increase comfort somewhat

- shut off most lights when I leave rooms.  I'm amazed at how many people run lots of lights in every unoccupied room

- At work: shut off bathroom lights when leave, put photocopier on standby mode when done (yes, I'm the guy)


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## flyingcow (Dec 9, 2010)

btuser said:
			
		

> From my wife's grandmother's house, I took over 30 lbs of aluminum pie plates out of the basement.  She would wash the pie plates and keep them (along with everything else) in the basement.  I'm not crazy like that.
> 
> No, I'm not, not, I'm not crazy.



Question is....what'd you do with 'em?


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## flyingcow (Dec 9, 2010)

Bantam said:
			
		

> Heard that peeing while taking a shower saves a lot of water being flushed to the same location.  Would save on electric also for those with their own well pumps.



I'll bring that up at the next family meeting. :lol:


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## flyingcow (Dec 9, 2010)

Good, Funny thread. might be some stand up comic stuff here.


 The only thing i can think of(that hasn't already been mentioned) that we do, is use plastic shopping bags for garbage can liners. All of our garbage cans in the house are small. Haven't bought a roll of bags for years. 


Not sure if this qualifies for this thread.
 I try to drink enough beer, so when we take back the returnables, the money from the bottle deposits are enough to buy groceries. If it wasn't for my drinkin' we wouldn't have enough money for groceries.


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## semipro (Dec 9, 2010)

flyingcow said:
			
		

> Good, Funny thread. might be some stand up comic stuff here.
> 
> 
> The only thing i can think of(that hasn't already been mentioned) that we do, is use plastic shopping bags for garbage can liners. All of our garbage cans in the house are small. Haven't bought a roll of bags for years.
> ...



We set up a pretty disciplined household budget for a while where every penny was accounted for.  We were also buying our milk in returnable glass bottles.  What I didn't know was that my wife was returning the bottles for cash and using that for secret (outside the budget) spending money.


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## Mcbride (Dec 9, 2010)

I do nothing to extreme, but a few little things.
I try and remember to turn the oven off say 10 minutes before the foods done cooking, as its still hot anyways, saving a bit of electricity.
I unplug all chargers when not in use, from the wall as they use electricity even if say the cell phones not actually charging.
On the highway i let my truck slow a bit on hills, as i keep a steady gas pedal instead of stepping down harder to maintain max speed. Its not big deal if it slows 5 or 10 mph on a long hill, and it saves a lot of gas on trips i found.
I also do not let it idle for long, even on the coldest mornings. At minus 40 it idles about 1 minute, then i just drive gently for about the next 5 mins.


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## Mcbride (Dec 9, 2010)

My pet peeves for wasted energy are my kids standing there with the fridge door open for no reason.
Or its cold outside, and they take a long time to get in or out and shut the front door. Just come in and close it quickly, yeesh.
They have their own TV upstairs, and i have seen them leave it on for 2 or more hours, while they are not even up there, till i see it and go turn it off.
Lights on in the house, while its daylight, and sunshine coming in the windows making the house plenty bright.


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## Jags (Dec 9, 2010)

Mcbride said:
			
		

> Lights on in the house, while its daylight, and sunshine coming in the windows making the house plenty bright.



On one particularly bright, sunny day I actually removed the bulb from a corner lamp to PROVE to the other half that it was habit, not necessity that was causing her to turn on the lights every time she enter a room. She never even noticed until I showed the empty light socket to her.


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## Delta-T (Dec 9, 2010)

when i get a hole in my sock, i cut the toe off, pull them up a lil higher and call them "leg warmers", thrifty eh? (oh yes, i AM the envy of my neighborhood)


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## Seasoned Oak (Dec 9, 2010)

Im a saver ,wife not so much. She will put 2 socks in the washer. SO i had to go out and buy a hi-tech washer that weighs the clothes ,adds the appropriate amount of water before washing. SHe separates colors ,not colors from black and white but each color individually. wont wash a red with a blue ect. She puts Xmas lights on everything.so i had to buy led lights so our nuclear power plant did not melt down just from our house at xmas. Shes not as green as me but has so many other good qualities im lacking so its even ,i think.


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## semipro (Dec 9, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

> Mcbride said:
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So how'd that go?  I did a similar experiment with my wife once and she didn't find it amusing.


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## Jags (Dec 10, 2010)

Semipro said:
			
		

> Jags said:
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She usually just calls me a dork.


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## Adios Pantalones (Dec 10, 2010)

My mother in law will turn on the friggin faucet and leave hot and cold on about full blast the whole time she rinses dishes thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher.  Probably 10 seconds effort more each and they'd be washed.  She carries the dishes over to the trash to scrap stuff off- leaves the sink running.  Gets stuff out of the fridge or freezer- leave the door open while she gets a glass, pours whatever, and then returns the bottle.  I can't be in the kitchen with her.


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## maverick06 (Dec 10, 2010)

I have a kill-a-watt meter and have checked a few things. Instead of using the teakettle to boil water, i use a little electric tea kettle (the cost is about 60% the cost of the microwave, which is probably about 60% that of the stove).


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## maverick06 (Dec 10, 2010)

I have a kill-a-watt meter and have checked a few things. Instead of using the teakettle to boil water, i use a little electric tea kettle (the cost is about 60% the cost of the microwave, which is probably about 60% that of the stove).


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## midwestcoast (Dec 10, 2010)

maverick06 said:
			
		

> I have a kill-a-watt meter and have checked a few things. Instead of using the teakettle to boil water, i use a little electric tea kettle (the cost is about 60% the cost of the microwave, which is probably about 60% that of the stove).



Oh, the fun that can be had with a Kill-a-watt! I've had about everything in the house plugged into mine since getting one a couple years back (mine is actually some knock-off kind).
The oddest thing I found was that my coffee-maker (with a clock & timer) actually used more electricity NOT making coffee than brewing the one large cup per day I typically drink, since the phantom-load was quite high 23.75 hours/day.  The coffee maker sold on craigslist & I now use an $8 permanent filter for my 1 cup & a French Press for company. Coffee's better too.


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## PNWBurner (Dec 10, 2010)

How about the old saying: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" with reference to a toilet.  Saves lots of water but kind of a tough sell around here...

Oh, and my father in law reuses his coffee grounds...  Sometimes 4 or 5 times.  The last few cups are like weak tea...


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## joecool85 (Dec 10, 2010)

PNWBurner said:
			
		

> Oh, and my father in law reuses his coffee grounds...  Sometimes 4 or 5 times.  The last few cups are like weak tea...



My wife does that when money is tight.  Although only 2-3 times.  I don't drink coffee, so I guess I save us money right there!


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## flyingcow (Dec 10, 2010)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> My mother in law will turn on the friggin faucet and leave hot and cold on about full blast the whole time she rinses dishes thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher.  Probably 10 seconds effort more each and they'd be washed.  She carries the dishes over to the trash to scrap stuff off- leaves the sink running.  Gets stuff out of the fridge or freezer- leave the door open while she gets a glass, pours whatever, and then returns the bottle.  I can't be in the kitchen with her.




I think with that behavior, you can shoot her and get away with it.


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## semipro (Dec 11, 2010)

flyingcow said:
			
		

> Adios Pantalones said:
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Yep, justifiable homicide.


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## GaryGary (Dec 11, 2010)

Hi,
I love out of the ordinary ways to save energy.

- We use an electric mattress pad so that we can increase the setback more at night and still sleep warm.   It saves a surprising amount of propane: 
http://www.builditsolar.com/References/Half/ProjectsConservation.htm#Mattress

- We have one of those lever type faucets on the kitchen sink -- so, when you move it left you get hot, right you get cold, and in the middle you get warm.  I read a study that said that people with these faucets tend to keep it in the middle (warm water) when they don't really care what temp they get -- the study said that if you remember to push it over to the cold side when cold is OK for what you are doing it saves a significant amount of hot water!

- I guess using bubble warp to insulate windows has gotten to be pretty well known -- we do that.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm

- In the rooms we don't use much (like guest rooms), we have rigid insulation board inside panels.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/HalfShutter/HalfShutter.htm 
With these ones that leave a gap at the top, you still get quite a bit of light.


- We recently switched to a really efficient pet door.  This was after we had a blower door test, and the old pet door leaked so bad we had to plug it to get a valid reading on the blower door.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/PetDoor/PetDoor.htm
This pet door has a really innovative double magnetic seal.

- I have all the chargers for my battery powered tools on a timer so that instead of sucking a little power 24/7 they come on for half and hour a day and top up any batteries that need it.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/MotionSW.htm
The gang of chargers use 22 watts 24/7 without this timer -- 200 KWH a year.

- When we had to replace our TV a 6 months back, I really obsessed over -- finally found a Sharp 46 inch that only uses 53 watts!  A third of what the old 36 inch TV used.  CNET.com has the best reviews on TV's, and carefully measures power consumption.


- This is one that the guy who runs 12VoltMan.com sent in.  He uses the just the pilot light on his gas water heater to heat all the water for two people.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/PilotLights.htm
There are some ins and outs to this, but I think its a sound idea, and safe as long as you know what you are doing.


- Ray turned this one in -- a homemade fridge that runs on 100 KWH a year:
http://www.raycotechnologies.org/build_your_own_battery_powered_r.htm

- This one from Doug -- "Hot water/Cold Beer"  -- basically a homemade heat pump that simultaneously cools homemade beer and heats water in the hot water tank!
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/BeerCooler/BeerCoolingHeatPump.htm

- Neat idea for a really efficient shower:
http://www.sunfrost.com/efficient_shower.html



In the "I never would have guessed it wasted that much energy " category:

- Did you know that your DVR (TIVO) uses 50 watts 24/7?


- We wasted $3200 on propane over 8 years by having this hot water recirc system that eliminates the wait for hot water in the far bathroom:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/Recirc/RecircEnergy.htm
They can be very very wasteful depending on which kind you have.


Gary


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## jebatty (Dec 11, 2010)

I converted our 15 cu ft chest freezer which we didn't use anymore to a backup refrig with the simple addition of a line voltage low temperature probe thermostat. A Ranco or Johnson electronic control would do just as good. Just wire the temperature control to an outlet, with the sensor in the "freezer" to maintain the desired temperature. Still can use it as a freezer by moving the plug to an uncontrolled outlet. This freezer is in the basement, where it is cool anyway, and it takes practically no electricity to maintain 35-38F, and the chest freezer holds lots of leftovers from holiday meals, and better yet, lots of beer for the man cave bonding exercise.


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## Dune (Dec 11, 2010)

Great tips Gary. I especialy like the DC fridge, the lack of which is one of the largest hinderances to off grid living.


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