The Two Critical Facts You Must Know About Your Air Conditioner

For the vast majority of the United States, air conditioners are a near necessity. As the years have progressed, a higher percentage of homes have gotten them, and older homes have been retrofitted.

If you have an air conditioner to cool your house, there are two critical specifications that you must know. These facts are important when you are shopping for a new AC unit, and are equally important when trying to get a handle on your current electricity bills.

Further, these two facts are often confused, resulting in homeowners spending too much on a AC replacement.

How One Bad Driving Habit Can Cost You $600 A Year

I drive on a divided highway most of my way to work. It is about a 22 mile drive one-way, with a speed limit ranging from 55 mph to 65 mph for most of it.

I’ve always been surprised at the number of speeders and dangerous weavers on this road, and I often have to try very hard to not take it personally when other drivers jeopardize my safety. I know, it is easy to get behind the wheel and only think of yourself – i.e. “I have to be to work by 8:00 AM”, or “I hate waiting for traffic”, etc.

But not only is this driving dangerous, it is extremely wasteful. 

I think most people know that jack-rabbit starts are terrible for fuel efficiency. But the one area that people don’t often think about is how speeding impacts fuel performance.  In fact, it can cost you $400 to $600 in an average car, and much more if you drive a truck or SUV!

Five Frequently Asked Questions About Reducing Your Electric Bill

When I tell people about this website, I often immediately get asked a simple question or two about reducing electricity bills.

These questions are often based in a dispute that the asker has had with their husband or wife, and often "loaded" in some way. Often, something based in fact has been twisted just enough to make the answer difficult.

For those who love semantics, you'll love this Q and A session. When you read the first question you'll see what I mean.

Bye Bye Standby

Remote Control Outlet

Vampire power. Some people call it ghost power, phantom power, or standby power. Basically, they all mean the same thing - power that is consumed by devices even when they are supposedly turned off.

Last year I devoted an article to vampire power and what it can really be costing you. Some worst case scenarios may include home entertainment centers or computers with peripherals using 30 or 40 watts of power, even when "off"!

Now consider all of the devices in your house that are always plugged in - TVs, monitors, stereos, cell phone chargers, coffee maker, microwave, alarm clocks, etc.

In 10 years, 100 watts of 'vampire' power could cost you $650 (assuming devices should be off 14 hours a day, and a 12.5 cent per KwH electricity cost).

An Innovative Piece of Door Hardware That Saves You Money

Anyone reading Home Power Saver for any time knows that I love to profile easy projects and simple products that save energy.

Back in the early days I profiled an innovated piece of door hardware that creates a tight seal.  Best of all, it only takes 30 seconds to install!

Well, this innovative product has gotten even better!

Six Ways to Save on Gasoline and Improve Efficiency

It's been all over the media - $5 per gallon gas by 2012 was predicted by a former president of Shell Oil.  This story has been bantered around and even morphed into "$5 by 2011" by some media outlets.

Many industry analysts aren't quite so pessimistic about gas prices, but almost all agree they WILL go up, and we ARE past peak oil production.  In other words, it is getting harder, more dangerous, and more expensive to extract oil from the Earth, so expect worldwide production to stay at a plateau or decrease slightly, even as demand rises.

Today we'll look at how you can prepare yourself and start saving money immediately with six simple tips. Follow these tips and you could see big savings, reduce pollution, and reduce dependence on foreign oil!

In Case You Missed It - Most Helpful Posts of 2010

Last week we covered the most popular posts on Home Power Saver, including ways to insulate, reduce your computers power consumption by $100, and a no-brainer way to better seal your exterior doors.

However, the most popular posts are not always the most helpful.  Sometimes a post happens to have the right keywords, or gets linked to by a popular blog, and it skews the statistics.

This week I'm profiling the six most helpful posts of 2010.  Follow these posts and you are sure to reduce your electric bills in 2011!

New California Lightbulb Standard In Effect

On January 1, 2011, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (signed into law by George W. Bush) went into effect in California.  California has chosen to enact the law one year earlier than required.

As part of its phased approach, this law essentially requires at least a 28% improvement on the efficiency of lighting, and the phased approach starts with the 100 watt incandescent bulb.  Interestingly, and not coincidentally, a 72 watt halogen light happens to produce as much light (lumens) as a 100 watt incandescent.

Over the next few years, similar improvements will be required for 75 watt, 60 watt, and 40 watt incandescents in California, with the rest of the nation implementing each phase one year later.  Incandescent lighting, by the way, is probably the least efficient electrical device in existence - 90% of the energy used is lost to heat.

This nice thing about this law is that it is not "picking winners" in the efficiency move, though the way the numbers work out it does seem to have been specifically picked to allow halogen to meet the requirements.  However, the law does not require people to use CFLs, LEDs, or Halogens.  It simply requires a 28% improvement in efficiency as compared to incandescent. 

For what its worth, halogen is one lighting technology that largely flies under the radar.  As mentioned, it can be 28% more efficient than incandescent, it is cheaper than CFL (not including energy saved), and produces good light and achieves full brightness rapidly.  And no mercury is used.

If you've been avoiding CFLs for one reason or another, and are awaiting for LEDs to get better, you may want to look into halogens.  Even in my home state of Arizona, I've been starting to see screw-in halogens for sale on occasion, months in advance of the law taking effect here.

For more information on the California implementation of this law, check out this FAQ.

In Case You Missed It - Most Important Articles of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close, Home Power Saver celebrates its 4th month in existence.  And what a four months it has been!  I've posted over 50 times and have seen the site double in popularity each month.

But in this blog format, it is easy to miss or lose track of older posts.  For those wondering where to start in reducing your electric bills, or simply where to start in making your home efficient, your day has come.  Today, I am going to quickly recap the most popular posts of 2010 at Home Power Saver, and next week we'll look at the posts most helpful to Home Power Saver readers.

Five Ways to Use Your Christmas Gift Card

I received a nice gift card to the Home Depot for Christmas. It got me thinking - what should I spend it on?

I like to spend a lot of time on Home Power Saver talking about ways to reduce your electric bill through simple projects and improving efficiency, and I always focus on whether a product or project is cost effective.

So why not use that gift card towards a project that will pay you back for years to come?  Today I'll outline five ways to spend a gift card the Home Power Saver way!

Solar Water Heaters - Do They Make Sense?

Last week I began the 'hot' topic of water heating with an introduction to tankless water heaters. 

But if you are looking at ways to reduce water heating costs, what about solar water heaters?  You may be surprised at the choices and decision points.

Five Reasons to Reconsider CFLs

The CFL light bulb is an interesting product.  It has been around in the mainstream for around 10 years, yet continues to be as misunderstood by some as it is revered by others.

And to top it off, it has become a bit of a political lightning rod in the USA as a symbol of everything from global warming conspiracy to government intrusion.

Like many products with a lot of potential, corporate marketers have played up the best of this potential - especially long life and low energy consumption.  Those on the other side of the issue complain about harsh light, overblown life expectancy claims, and price, and mercury content.

Today we'll look at five reasons to reconsider CFLs for use in your home.

How to Save 1000 Gallons of Water a Month With 5 Minutes of Work

Actually, not only can you save 500 gallons of water with just five minutes of effort, but you can reduce your water heating costs at the same time.

When I moved into my current house over four years ago, it was brand new construction meeting the latest building standards. Over time, standards relating to efficiency have improved greatly, so I felt good about the efficiency of the house.

Of course, as I started to get to know my house I discovered quite a few areas where the standards could be improved upon, and one area that could easily save 500 gallons of water per month with less than $20 to $40 spent, and only 5 minutes of effort.

Shopping Ideas to Turn Black Friday Green

I've already discussed a few energy saving gift ideas and energy saving holiday decorations that will reduce your electric bills.  But often times you can save energy in some unexpected ways by using products that may not be marketed as 'energy savers'.

Today I'll look at five unexpected products that can reduce you and your friend's electric bills.

Three Ways to Reduce Water Heating Costs

Hot water heaters are often the most overlooked appliance in ones home.  They sit in the basement (or garage if you live in a temperate climate) and just do their thing.

Most home owners only tend to them if the pilot light goes out (which is more and more rare in newer units), or when they spring a leak.

However, with minimal effort, you might be able to significantly reduce the costs of heating water in your home - without replacing your hot water heater.  After all, reducing your gas or electric bill is the ultimate goal of this site!

With winter knocking on the door, now is the time to expend this little bit of effort.

Efficient Landscape Lighting - Save $18 Per Year

I've thought a lot about LED lights in recent months, and the limitations LED lights have.

Then it hit me - low-voltage landscape lights are the perfect application for LEDs! I'm not talking about those solar landscape lights, which usually use LED, but traditional low-voltage  lights that plug in to a timer.

And it makes sense - brightness is not as much of a concern, color temperature is not as important in many fixtures, and these are lights that run for hours, meaning a quick payback.

A google search and check on Amazon revealed very few players, though Amazon carries an LED wedge base landscape bulb from a company called LED Wholesalers.

I ordered a couple to test, and they work great. I had been using 4 watt incandescent bulbs previously (the lowest wattage I could find), so I am saving about 3.5 watts per bulb (I have three in my setup, so 10.5 watts total).

The LED "bulb" is actually a small circuit board with 6 small LEDs - two on both sides of the board, and two pointing up.  This configuration provides a even distribution of light, and it is relatively warm colored (though not quite like an incandescent).

I schedule to turn off my landscape lighting for about 3 hours in the dead of night, so on average my system runs 9 hours per day over a year. Given my power cost over 500 KwH is 14.35 cents per KwH, my payback (after including shipping costs) is just under 3 years.

However, when I look around town most people are running systems with 5 or 6 fixtures, and generally use 7 or 11 watt bulbs.  In a scenario like that (we'll say 5 fixtures, 11 watt bulbs), you'd save 37.5 watts, or about $17 or $18 a year, and payback would be right around a year. 

Not bad for an easily overlooked power consumer!

The Eleven Habits of Highly Efficient People (Energy Efficient, that is).

Since the introduction of Home Power Saver, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about making your home more energy efficient through simple projects and innovative products. However, some of your biggest savings can be gained from simple habit changes. Following the tips below, you may save $250 or more per year, without spending a dime.

I’ve tried to come up with some simple tips and habits that will save you energy and save you money. Many of these are common sense, and you’ve likely seen them before. Hopefully a few are new to you!

Six Ways to a Green Christmas

Judging by the looks of the local Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart, Christmas decoration purchases are in full swing.  While its tempting to buy those cheap incandescent lights (which can be purchased for less than 5 cents per bulb), you need to consider the energy costs in running those.  You'll find that LED Christmas lights will save money in the long run, run cooler, and be safer.

But buying LED lights isn't the only way to make energy efficient decisions for Christmas.  I've assembled Six Ways to achieve a Green Christmas.

Mind the Gap - How to Find and Fix Energy Leaks

If you have ever traveled on the London Underground (The Tube) you are likely familiar with the "Mind The Gap" warning, telling passengers that there is a gap you must step over when entering the train.


While waiting for the tube on a trip last May, it dawned on me that "mind the gap" is also particularly important for homeowners when it comes to sealing your house, where even the smallest gaps can result in drafts and wasted energy.

Fixing gaps is a very simple project, but a thorough approach can take a few hours, if not a good chunk of a day or weekend. Today we'll look at how to approach DIY home sealing and what you'll need to save money on your electric and gas bill.

Are Energy Savings Going Up In Smoke?

Fireplaces and wood burning stoves add great ambiance, are a design focal point, and can help create wonderful family memories.  However, they can also be a source of drafts and literally suck the warm air out of your living space.  After all, they are a gigantic hole in your house. And while cool drafts are more noticeable, any source of air infiltration is also a problem during warm weather, forcing your cooled air right out of your home.

In fact, depending on your gas and electric costs, a typical fireplace may be costing you as much as $100 a year.

To make maters worse, fireplaces are actually inefficient heaters as compared to forced air systems.  Even when they are creating heat, they are drawing inside air as an oxygen source.  But few of us would trade the other tangible benefits of fireplaces for these reasons.

So how do you ensure that your fireplace is not a source of air infiltration and improve its efficiency to reduce your energy bills?  Follow these tips and check out these products designed to help.