[Homeowners] Got Any Energy Saving Tips You Want to Share?

It isn't as hot as you think it is. If you have a lot of windows, get some blinds... The room I am in most of the time has two PCs, two 19" monitors, a mini fridge, a tv plus countless other electronics but because I keep the sun out it actually stays rather cool. Ceiling fans help a lot too... Either way, I could set my thermostat on 72, but those 6 degrees aren't worth the extra 75-100 bucks a month.

 

Ditto. To me, it's worth the extra money to be comfortable. Unfortunately, 70's comfortable for me.

 

What the fan is doing in this room is creating a breeze in the summer time, making it easier to breathe, evaporating perspiration and generally making you think it's cooler, this is called the Wind Chill Factor, and in the winter it pushes the hot air that gathers at the ceiling across the ceiling and down the walls resulting in a warmer room with no draft. The most common exception to the rule is the cathedral entrance / foyer / stairway area usually with a high vaulted ceiling and open to the floor above. In this area you would use the forward direction and high speed in the summer, to create your breeze, but in the winter the forward direction is again suggested this time in the slow speed so in this case you blow the hot air down and the breeze dies out above you. The reverse direction would not work here both because it's to round and about, and your lacking walls to ricochet the hot air down.

I think this makes sense so I'll try it in the areas I don't have high ceilings...

 

I actually had two 1.5 ton brand new units installed before I moved in.

It's just the problem with tons of windows without blinds or curtains and the extensive size of the place (compared to my older apartments which were 1/5th the size of this house)

 

When I wake up in the morning, I turn it up to 80.

When I get back home from work, I turn it down to 77.


Last month, I was at 78 & 76. But my bill was almost 200 bucks. So I'm trying it a little higher this month to see if it helps. Hopefully it will.

 

How often do you have to change the air filters in the vents? It's been about 11 months since I have changed it. I keep hearing a creaking noise whenever the AC unit pushes out air.

 

dude.....

 

I was just about to post to check the filters every 3 months, and never let them go over a year. There may be times when they're NOT that dirty, oftentimes because you're not picking up dust too much. I buy the $10 filter that's top-notch at Wal-Mart. Saves me tons of changes, because it allows air to go through even if it is dirty.

Do the REMOVE test. Let air go through, then put it back on, and see how much noise you hear when it is back on... must mean that it is dirty. If the AC stays on for a longer time in automatic, that means it's not sucking up enough air through the vent.

 

If you are single, get a window unit AC for your bedroom, then you can set the house temp for 78 or higher overnight and run the window unit as low as you want at night. No need to pay for cooling the whole house at night.

 

First, get compact flourescent bulbs for the lights you use the most. While halogens are energy efficient, they throw off a ton of heat, driving up your elec bill that way. The CF bulbs are like $5-$7 each, but well worth it.

Second, make sure you have R-30 insulation in your roof. If you don't look at getting a radiant barrier put in your attice (basically tin foil). This one is still debatable, so do some more reading. Current code requires R-30, so its not a real benefit to add. But if you have an older home, either get more insulation or put in the radiant barrier.

 

New homeowner.... still a beginner at this.

 

Crap. I knew I was going to forget about this!

 

I use a programmable thermostat like others in this thread :

During the day my thermostat is set at 78 and I use ceiling fans.
At night, right before I go to sleep, it's set to drop to 74.
When I leave the house to go to work, it goes up to 84 or something.
It drops back down to 78 when I come home.

More advice :

Check your insulation in your attic. I had the builder dump more in mine. I'm also thinking about using solar screens on the rear and side windows of the house after hearing good reviews about them. I don't want them on the front because the effective ones are dark and make the house look pimped out or something.

 

Wow! Listening to some of your electricity bills makes me glad I live in Minnesota for a change. Of course we've had a hot summer here this year but it will only last for around to months.

The best was living in Northern CA where I didn't worry very much about heating or cooling since it never got much cooler than 50 or warmer than 80.

 

Holy crap dude. That's a lotta money for a condo. How many sq. ft.? The most I've paid so far is around $190+ I think.

 

Pull 'em out. Look at 'em. If they're dirty, replace 'em (or be cheap and knock the crap off them if they're fiberglass filters and put 'em back in). If they're not dirty, stick 'em back in.

 

But what is your winter heating bill?

 

if you keep your ceiling fans on while away at work how much energy do you think they are consuming?

 

Only 2200, much smaller than yours.