Chilly? Put on a sweater, sweetie!

Your grandma was right. If you're cold, put on a sweater before you adjust the thermostat. It's a low cost way to warm up and saves you money. As reported on The Daily Green, for every degree you lower the thermostat, you'll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. If you put on a light long-sleeved sweater, you'll add about 2 degrees in warmth, while a heavy sweater adds about 4 degrees. So cozy up and don't touch the thermostat.

I always try to make putting on a sweater a habit (slippers too). I also keep cozy blankets in the family room for watching TV. It's amazing how much warmer you can get with an extra layer or two.

TIP: Turn off your PC, save $90 per year

In one year, if you shut your computer off before bed each night, you’ll save an average of $90 worth of electricity, according to the Department of Energy and The Daily Green. Go one step further and turn off all the ancillary stuff too, like your printer, monitor, scanner, modem and fax machine, which use electricity even when you're not using them. But rather than having to power down all the gadgets attached to your PC, invest in a Smart Strip Power Strip. This power strip is smart enough to know when you power down the main appliance, it automatically turns off other items that you use with it. It works great with computer set ups and for entertainment centers. You can arrange to have the DVD player, stereo, etc turn off when your television set is turned off. I installed these earlier this year. It's hard to tell how much it's saving me, but it must be saving something because all those appliances were always running before and now they're not!

TIP: Reduce Gas Consumption part 2

TIP: With so many people planning road trip vacations this summer, we're offering some money saving tips for reducing your gas consumption this summer, according to The Daily Green. This is Part Two of our series on saving money by changing your driving habits. You can get better gas mileage just by changing your driving habits. Here are two things you can do to save on gas:

1) Don't put luggage on top of the car. When you pile the luggage on top of your car in your roof-top carrier, you increase the air resistance and thus the gas mileage by 21% in tests conducted by Edmunds.

2) Pack light. Your gas consumption increases for every additional 100 lbs of weight. So lighten up!

The scoop on those tax credits

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included tax credits for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their homes. Today I found a website that has all the details about that credit and the tax credit for consumers who buy a hybrid or diesel vehicle.
Check out the Alliance to Save Energy for the details.

TIP: Save $63 per year with BillPayer

TIP: Switch from paper checks to BillPayer and save about $63 per year. Let's say you pay 10 bills each month, you'll be paying $4.40 per month when the price of first class postage goes up May 11. That means you could save $52.80 per year if you use free online BillPayer. (I can't imagine why you wouldn't use BillPayer, I can't imagine life before BillPayer. It takes me a fraction of the time to pay bills with BillPayer than it did in the days of writing checks.)

Plus if you figure in the cost of checks and you save more. If a box of 150 checks costs $10, then it costs about 6 cents per check. You'll go through about 1 box of checks each year just paying bills. Add $10 savings to your $52.80. (Just use your Visa Check Card and forget checks altogether!)

You're also saving paper, which is good for the environment. Add electronic statements and eBill to your bill paying routine and you're saving even more paper. The Daily Green suggests BillPay as a great way to save money, energy and paper.

All you need to sign up for BillPayer is a Hawthorne Checking Account and online banking. Then, just pay at least one bill per month and BillPayer is free.

Earth Hour is tomorrow: Sat 3/28 at 8:30 PM

Earth Hour is tomorrow at 8:30 pm - that's the hour when we're supposed to turn off/unplug as much electricity as possible and save the earth a little energy. Last year I realized how many "things" I had plugged in that were using electricity, that I rarely ever used. For example, my fax machine! Once I unplugged them, they never got plugged back in. Only the stuff I use regularly got plugged back in. If everybody eliminated a few "energy vampires" like these, think how much we'd save.

Give it a try for one hour tomorrow at 8:30 PM. Maybe you'll discover how much you love candlelight. Or how putting on an extra sweater or snuggling under a blanket is a fun alternative to turning up the heat. I'd like to hear your experience with Earth Hour - what did you find out?

Check out these photos of the city of Chicago during Earth Hour 2008.

Home Depot takes burned out CFL bulbs

Follow up to my 12/07 post: I wrote about CFL bulbs and how the advantages of their energy and cost savings were great, but I'd had a couple burn out long before they were supposed to. I was frustrated back then at what to do with the burned out bulbs because there weren't any convenient drop off locations that would take the mercury-containing bulbs. (They can't be thrown in the trash because the mercury poisons our water supply if they get to the landfill.) As a result I have a collection of burned out CFL bulbs, but now there is a solution!

I just found out that Home Depot and Wal-Mart collect them.

CFL bulbs are supposed to last longer than incandescent bulbs and are more expensive than regular bulbs but they use less energy. According to TheDailyGreen.com, they pay for themselves in a few months. And if every household replaced just one regular bulb with a CFL bulb, the amount of energy saved could light 2.5 million homes for a year. Now with convenient ways to properly dispose of them, it's easier to justify buying them, I think.

TIP#57 Install a programmable thermostat, save $150/yr

SAVING TIP #57: The EPA tells The Daily Green that you can save about $150 each year by installing a programmable thermostat. Check out thedailygreen.com. I have one at home, it keeps my house nice and comfy all day and automatically lowers the heat during the hours I'm out and during the night (I like it a little colder when I sleep). It keeps me from having to constantly adjust the temp. I can still temporarily change the temperature (would that be a "temp temp"?!) and it will go back to the schedule on the next change.

Ways to save this summer

Well everybody is taking a hit by rising gas prices, so much so that we are starting to get tired of the complaining. However it is a reality that everyone lives with! Here are some ways to cut your energy bills this summer to compensate (maybe a little?) for rising gas prices....this is from FeedThePig.org, a consumer group that helps folks save money!


Summer Saving Tips

As the summer heats up, here are a few savings tips to help you enjoy some fun in the sun without worrying about your wallet!
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Summer Tip #1: To save on your air conditioning bill, turn off unnecessary lights during the day. Much of the energy used by incandescent bulbs is emitted as heat.

Summer Tip #2: To save 1-2 percent on your energy bill, unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren't in use. Most new electronics use electricity even when switched off. Turn computers and printers off at the power strip.

Summer Tip #3: For a more energy efficient way to cook, use your microwave instead of your stove. Microwaves use two-thirds less energy than conventional stovetops.

Summer Tip #4: Consider replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs. They use about 75 percent less energy and give off 75 percent less heat but produce the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs.

Summer Tip #5: Make some shade! Awnings, blinds and drapes keep sunlight from entering your home. Install them on windows, skylights, doors, and other places where the sun comes through. During the day, closing the blinds and drapes to filter the sun will keep the room's temperature from rising.

Summer Tip #6: Planting trees in strategic areas can reduce the energy a house uses for cooling by up to 25 percent. Deciduous trees (that lose their leaves) help block the sun during the summer and still allow the winter sun to warm your home. Also, planting trees and shrubs around your air conditioning unit can increase its efficiency by up to 10 percent. Just make sure to place them at least 18 inches away so they don’t block the vents.

Summer Tip #7: “Summerize” your home by adding insulation and sealing air leaks around the house. Add insulation to the attic or add to already existing insulation. Weather-stripping and sealing drafty doors and windows will keep your house comfortable year-round and potentially save you hundreds of dollars.

Summer Tip #8: On a hot, sunny day, dark-colored roofs can reach temperatures of up to 150º to 190º F, heating the living spaces below. Consider adding a reflective coating to a dark roof, or choosing a lighter color when it’s time to replace the roof.

Summer Tip #9: Have an extra refrigerator in the garage that you’re not using? Unplug or recycle that spare refrigerator if you don't really need it, and it could save you up to 10 percent or more on your energy bill.
Summer Tip #10: Thinking about buying a new refrigerator? Refrigerators with a top or bottom freezer design can save you an additional 2-3 percent on your energy bill compared to a side-by-side design.