I went over to my friend’s house and his apartment was covered with plastic films around the windows. I asked him what they were and he said the films block out cold air seeping in through little cracks around the edges of the windows. I thought that was a great idea and asked him if he could really feel the difference. Without hesitation, he said he noticed a huge difference. I was sold after that.

A couple of weeks later, I finally went over to Home Depot and bought myself one pack of 3M Window Insulator Kit and proceeded to install them throughout my home. The installation process is pretty simple. Just tape the edges around the window frame with the provided double sided tape. Then take the plastic film and attach it onto the tape. The final step is to use a blower dryer and run it all over the film. As heat is applied, the film actually shrinks and makes it air tight.

I’m not quite sure how much savings I will actually have during this winter season, but if you go to 3M website, they actually have an energy savings calculator. Just input your location, type of window, and thermostat settings, and you’ll know in a split second how much you’ll save.

After inputting my information, it says I will save just over $200 during this winter. I bought a pack of 9 films at Home Depot for about $14.  I have 3 windows equipped with the film and I plan on finishing the project over by this weekend. If it only costs me $30 or so and I can save $200, then that’s a good investment. Since it’s already January and in the middle of heating season, I probably won’t save $200. Even at $100, it could still be worth it. The only problem is that I have no way of knowing whether the films are actually saving me money since I have no baseline to compare to. However, as an engineer, I know that the air gap between the window and the film does prove to be a good insulator by increasing the R-value of the windows.

Do you have experience using these films to reduce energy costs?

The following tips are not just for winter or for those struggling with higher energy costs. In fact, every home can benefit by these simple tips and save money and energy throughout the year.

1. Don’t place heat-generating appliances such as televisions or computers near thermostats. The thermostat is tricked in to thinking the home is warmer than it actually is throughout the rest of the home. This might not seem like a big deal and you might be thinking there isn’t a problem but the rest of the house will just be a little cooler. The problem is not as much of a concern in winter when the extra heat fools the thermostat, thereby reducing the heating cycle. However, many homeowners turn the thermostat up to increase heating in the balance of the home and fail to reduce it once the heat generating appliance is turned off, therefore heating at the increased level remains throughout the sleeping hours of the family. Conversely, cooling systems will be tricked into responding to the increased heat by over cooling the balance of the home. The homeowner will often not realize the heat generated by a computer or television is affecting their heating bill. There is a simple no-cost answer and that is to move the heat source to another location, which is a minimum of 15 feet from the thermostat. This tip, combined with the cheapest gas and electricity you can find will save you money.

2. Rinse all laundry in cold water. The temperature of the rinse water does not influence the cleanliness of the laundry. Wash only those clothes that absolutely require hot or warm water for cleaning. Hot water washing should be reserved for diapers, towels, sheets and occasionally socks. One family simply disconnected the hot water tap to the washer to eliminate all hot water washing. After one year the savings from this one act alone totaled in excess of $475 based on an average of two hot water loads per week. Brightness of whites was not affected and the cost of the bleach already in use did not affect the whiteness of socks or cloth diapers.

3. Use a humidifier during the winter months. Higher humidity levels make you feel warmer. It’s not the heat but the humidity. Residents and visitors in dryer climates such as Arizona claim that 100 degrees in the shade isn’t that bad, but ask a resident of Florida or Maryland about 100 degrees in the shade and they will tell you, 100 degrees is too hot for human tolerance. The higher the humidity level remains in the home the warmer the home feels. Whole house humidifiers are not cheap, but can pay for themselves in less than one heating season. If possible, purchase a combination unit that will put moisture back into the air in winter and remove it in the summer, thereby reducing cooling costs.

4. Install thermal window coverings. One afternoon of time and approximately $20 per average sized window can save as much as $30 per month on an average 1,500 square foot, three-bedroom home. Over the course of a year the new window coverings will pay for themselves as much as four times. Thermal window coverings not only reduce heat loss in winter, but also reduce heat intrusion in the hot summer months.

5. Install ceiling fans. For houses equipped with radiant heat sources such as wood stoves, baseboard or old style radiators, ceiling fans are invaluable. Turning ceiling fans on in reverse to force warm air down toward the floor will make rooms feel warmer. Heat rises, therefore the ceilings are always warmer. Moving the warm air down will force circulation. The reduced heating costs are outweighed by the limited energy consumed by ceiling fans.

Note: This article was submitted by a representative of uswitch.com

Nowadays, it is common for consumers to shop around and choose which companies they are going to deal with on a ‘green basis’. It is easy to find out what the companies to be found on moneysupermarket.com adopt as their green policy; for example using emailing instead of sending through the mail. There are things that we personally can do in everyday life this summer that can make us greener and cleaner. Decisions that we make from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed can reduce costs and make us more conscious of green issues.

One of the best things about trying to be greener is the fact that it can save a lot of money. The spiraling cost of gas is big news and one of the best ways to save money is to walk or cycle to work instead of driving. This will not only decrease traffic and fumes, it will save the money being spent on fuel and help get commuters fit and healthy without having to pay to go to the gym. Email is now an everyday part of life both at work and at home and using it saves paper and delivery ‘miles’. It is also quick and convenient. Making a conscious decision to only print out vital emails can save on paper, ink costs and time.

Back at home, there are many ways of saving money and the planet by making small changes to the way technology is handled. Just unplugging phone chargers and devices left on standby can save a small fortune in utility bills. One of the easiest ways to save money in the long run is to change light bulbs from standard to energy efficient wherever possible. Trying to get the children into the regime of switching lights off as soon as they leave a room will always help. As the summer months wear on, try some outdoor pursuits of an evening instead of watching the television. This will stimulate the brain as well as saving electricity.

Another top way to save money in the home is to get out your winter clothes if the weather is a little chilly, rather than putting on the heating. If you must put the heating on, turn the thermostat down one or two degrees. This will hardly be noticeable and can save a small fortune. Another way to save money is to save water. Inviting a hippo into the bathroom may sound strange, but a hippo device fitted in the cistern can significantly reduce the amount of water used when flushing. Saving water in hot months makes sense and an easy way to slash the amount being used is to shower instead of running a bath. Simple things such as turning the tap off while cleaning your teeth can also make a huge difference. Washing clothes uses huge amounts of electricity and water. Washing at a lower temperature and hanging clothes outside to dry instead of using a tumble dryer can have a dramatic impact.

Who would not want to improve their garden for free? Wonderful, rich, nutrition packed compost can be yours for free if you build a composter and put in all your garden and kitchen waste. Another way to save water and improve your garden is to invest in rain butts to collect rainwater. This can then be used to water the garden liberally without pouring money down the drain in water bills. Instead of holidaying abroad, consider taking a ‘staycation’ instead. Not only will this be much greener in terms of travel costs and mode of transport, but you might discover things you never knew about your local area. There are hundreds of ways in which we can make small changes in our lives to help keep the planet greener. The fact that we can save a small fortune in the process is an added bonus.

Note: This article was submitted by Moneysupermarket.com

Recent research carried out by Harris Interactive found that more and more Americans are being turned on to improving their household’s energy efficiency. The study found that 84 per cent of Americans save energy by turning off lights and appliances when they’re not needed whilst over half reported that they have replaced incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent or low wattage bulbs. Furthermore, 53 per cent of respondents said that they now buy Energy Star appliances and the energy efficiency scheme saved enough energy in 2010 to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 33 million cars as well as saving consumers nearly $18 billion on their energy bills. But, if you are still in dark where energy efficiency is concerned, what can you do to save energy and save money? Follow these simple tips to find out…

Heating
Install a thermostat that can be programmed to enable your heating system to go off half an hour before you leave the house and come back on half an hour before you expect to return. This will ensure that your house is kept comfortably warm in the winter, cool in the summer and you will not run the risk of leaving the heating on all day. Turning the thermostat down by just one degree can save around $40 per year. Although this may not seem like much of  a saving, when you factor it in with other savings you can make they all add up to a substantial amount. Make sure radiators are not obstructed by curtains or furniture and, speaking of curtains, close them at dusk to help keep in any heat that has been generated during the day. If you have loft space it is also a good idea to make sure that this is insulated and consider getting cavity wall insulation.

Lighting
Use energy efficient light bulbs, such as Energy Star recommended compact fluorescent light bulbs, as these can last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs and use a lot less energy.Also ensure that you turn off any lights around the house when they are not needed.

Water
Try to take a shower instead of a bath as this will use around 60 per cent less water. Lower the temperature on your hot water tank’s thermostat down to about 120°F as this is a comfortable temperature that will cut your heating costs. When using a kettle to boil water try to use only as much water as you actually need.

Appliances
When washing clothes in a washing machine try to use low temperature settings and try to always use a full load. Try to air dry clothes outside whenever possible instead of using a dryer and also apply this to drying dishes. If you do need to dry your clothes indoors try to use a rail instead of radiators as this will stop the heat from reaching the rest of the house. Never leave the refrigerator door open and be sure to regularly check that the door seals are sound. Regularly defrost your fridge and try to avoid putting hot or warm food straight into it as this increases the workload placed upon the fridge and requires more energy to be used. Try to buy products that have the Energy Star label and always be sure to turn off any household appliances when they are not in use as they still use energy when left on standby.

Change your energy provider
You can save a lot of money simply by changing your current energy supplier. This is something that people in the UK have been doing for some time now as there are a number of websites that offer this service. Many people have found that they can make savings with Moneysupermarket and other price comparison sites and the US now has sites such as The White Fence Index that offer a similar service.

Guest Post: Representative of Moneysupermarket.com

How often do you change your light bulbs? If you use the out-dated incandescent light bulbs, you probably find yourself replacing the bulb once every 6 months or so. If you use the more energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, you might find yourself replacing them every 3-4 years. Now, imagine if you didn’t have to replace your bulbs for 17 years! That’s truly a “set it and forget it” kind of deal.

Recently GE announced a new bulb that will last 17 years before it finally dies. It is an LED (light-emitting diode) version, which is even more efficient that the compact fluorescent counterpart. Their use is very comparable to incandescent as you do not need to wait a few minutes before it is fully bright, as compact fluorescent light bulbs do.

However, the cost for each bulb will be in the range of $40-50 each.

Here’s what you can expect from these new 17-year LED bulbs:

• Expected to consume just 9 watts—compared with 40-watt incandescent/halogen or 10-watt CFL, while delivering nearly the same light output;
• Expected 25,000-hour rated life—will last 17 years (4 hours per day), which is 25 times longer than a general service 40-watt incandescent or halogen bulb and more than 3 times longer than a standard 8,000-hour rated life CFL;
• LED technology delivers the instant full brightness of an incandescent or halogen bulb;
• Durable solid-state design with no filament to break;
• Contains no mercury and will be RoHS compliant; and
• Feels cooler to the touch than CFLs and far cooler than incandescent bulbs.

Expect these new LED bulbs to hit your local supermarket shelves later this year or early next year.

When I first started my blog Money Green Life, the direction of the blog I was hoping was to write articles about saving energy and saving money at the same time. Since I have extensive knowledge about saving energy, I figured it was a good match. I still have visions of carrying out such hope as I will continue writing about the topic. However, I also have been having visions of expanding and writing about other topics that I am passionate about. I love the topic of energy, I’m always in the lookout for money saving/making opportunities, and I love playing poker. If these topics were to be combined together, you get a single common denominator in personal finance.

In this new direction of the blog, I plan to write about tips, advice, and reviews of products that help save energy thus saving money as I have been doing currently. In addition, I will also write about poker strategies that I have learned over the course of a few years I have been playing. With the money saved and money earned from saving energy and playing poker respectively, personal finance will come into play and I will write about tips and strategies that help to optimize money savings.

I am very excited with this new direction of this blog. I hope that you will find it useful.

Save energy when you search the web. Google is by far the most used search engine in America. It’s used so often that people are using the name as an action verb. “Just google it!” is a common phrase I’ve been using to tell people if they have a question and I don’t know the answer to. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.

Well, what if I told you that you can even save energy while using Google search engine? Let me introduce you to Blackle. It’s not affiliated with Google, but it uses their custom search feature to save energy in all your search queries. Try it out, it has all black background with grayish text to display less lighting intensity from your monitor, thus consuming less energy to display the results. Perhaps, you can even save some battery life by using Blackle when searching on your iphone!

Go green and save energy with Google by making Blackle your default search platform. It’s not much, but when you save energy, you’re helping save the environment.

www.blackle.com

www.google.com

Overview

If you’re like most people, you probably spend over $2,000 annually on heating and cooling bills. About 35-50% of the total bill is probably devoted to heating and cooling your home. The remaining 50-65% of your total household energy consumption comes from lighting, kitchen appliances, and other miscellaneous home/office equipment, such as your computer and tv. There are so many ways to reduce energy costs in and around the house. I recently wrote about the cost benefits of switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs. It is probably one of the easiest and simplest things you can do to start saving money immediately. With the winter season coming up, people are looking to save even more money by discovering ways to reduce their heating energy. One of the simple things you can do immediately is adjust your heating setpoint temperature on your thermostat.

Depending on where you live and whether you use gas or electricity for heating, you can save about an average of 1-3% on your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat temperature setting. If you normally set your temperature at 72 degrees all day, then lowering the temperature to 70 degrees will probably save you 2-6% on your heating bill every month. This is simple and very cost effective since it doesn’t cost you any additional money to start saving. However, if you spend just a few dollars on a brand new programmable thermostat, you can save more money be presetting your temperature for different times throughout the day. Once you program your new programmable thermostat, you won’t need to worry about it anymore. It’s almost like, “set it and forget it” kind of deal.

Programmable Thermostats

If you, like many people, have a regular 8-5 jobs and are away from home for several hours throughout the week, then you can benefit greatly from a programmable thermostat. Bottom line is that programmable thermostats will save you energy because it forces you to use less energy. Energy Star recommends you program your  programmable thermostat to the following preset temperature schedule:

5-2 Programmable Thermostat

The times and temperature can surely be changed to accommodate to what you’re comfortable with. For instance, I wake up at 7am and leave for work by 7:30. During that time, I would like my home to be warm. 62 would be too cold to jump out of bed and to start washing up. So, I would like my heater to start warming up the house starting at 6am so it’ll be nice and warm. Since I’m out of the house by 7:30, I could probably tell the programmable thermostat to stop heating the house before 7:30, say 7:15 or even 7am. When i’m at work, I can tell the programmable thermostat to stop heating so I can set it to 62 degrees. I come home at around 5:30 and I want the house to be warm when I arrive. I can probably start heating the house at 4:30. When I sleep at midnight, I can tell it stop the heating process.

Again, if you said Yes to all of the items below, then you need to get a programmable thermostat right away:

1. Have a routine daily schedule where i’m away from home for an extended period of time every day (going to work every day during the same times)

2. Set thermostat at a certain temperature, and leave it on all day, all night, everyday.

How much money will I save?

How much money you will save depends greatly on your current heating use, your regional location, the size and make-up of your home, and the utility rate your local heating company charges you. Let’s assume that you follow the schedule as outlined above. Let’s also assume that you are an average home owner and leave the temperature set at 72 degrees all day, all night, everyday. The table below shows the difference of temperature of your home before and after installing your new programmable thermostat.

Given the above assumption, you save your heater about an average of 8 degrees of “work” per day. Now at an average savings of 3% per degree, you can save as much as 24% on your heating bill every month during the heating season. Last year, my total utility bill was just over $2,400. November-February made up 50% of that total.

So, $2,400 x 50% (heating season) x 50% (heating only) x 24% = $144. Now, that’s just heating seasons only. You will save additional money during cooling season, which will be another topic. You can find more energy saving tips at energy star website.

How do I install a programmable thermostat

Installing a new programmable thermostat is simpler than you probably thought. All you need is a screwdriver and 20-30 minutes. Follow these 7 easy steps and you’ll be on your way to start saving money.

5-1-1 Programmable Thermostat

1. Determine what type of programmable thermostat you need. There are different types with different built-in programs for your home’s weekly schedule. A 5-2 model has one schedule for all 5 weekdays and another schedule devoted for the weekend. A 5-1-1 model has one schedule for all 5 weekdays and two schedules for each of the weekend days. Then there’s a 7-day thermostat which has capability to set a different schedule for each of the 7 days.

2. Turn off the power supply to the thermostat. You can do this at the breaker switch panel. Most likely, the breaker switches will be marked or labeled, but if it’s not, you’ll have to use a trial and error method to figure out which switch belongs to which equipment/room. Now, gather the tools you will need. Most likely, you won’t need anything other than a simple screwdriver.

3. Remove the old thermostat. Unscrew any screws with your screwdrivers. Typically, the thermostat will snap off of the wall if you pull on them. Make sure you don’t cut any wires that are dangling on the old thermostat.

7 Day Programmable Thermostat

4. Carefully, detach the wires from the old thermostat and attachment to your new programmable thermostat. Refer to your new thermostat’s installation manual on how to connect the wires.

5. Mount the new programmable thermostat on the wall. If necessary, push all the wires inside the switchbox. Screw in the programmable thermostat securely. ensure that no wires are exposed. Turn the power back on from the switch panel and make sure the programmable thermostat is working.

6. Program you thermostat to your liking according to the instructions provided in the manual.

7. Sit back and start saving money!

Who shouldn’t use a programmable thermostat

If you do not use a programmable thermostat already and have good sense of energy savings awareness around your home and adjust thermostat temperature setting when not occupying your home, you may not need to switch to a programmable thermostat. For instance, people who have irregular daily schedules may not benefit from a programmable thermostat because the presets may not coincide with home occupancy every day. Such people might include those who work from home, housewives, stay-home moms, and retirees. As long as you manually adjust the temperatures when you’re not home, you’re already saving energy.

When are you going to switch to a programmable thermostat?

Overview

Today, many homes across the United States are saving more energy by switching from incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. Not only do you save energy, but you also save a little money, and help save the environment, all at once.

So how much money will I save by switching over?

Compact fluorescent light bulbs typically use about 1/4th the energy consumption of comparable incandescent light bulbs. That means energy will be saved, guaranteed by switching over. But by how much and is it worth it? Let’s take a look at the table below. The last column shows how much energy can be saved if compact fluorescent bulbs were used instead of incandescent bulbs. This is assuming that each bulb is used about 4 hours in a given day. I know, this is just an average number. Some people may use more and others may use less. If you have a lamp fixture that uses incandescent bulb all the time, say 24 hrs, every day, all year, then you can save 6x as much energy as shown on the last column.

This is great but I don’t know what those numbers mean, you might ask. Well, to simplify, instead of using energy units, let’s use dollar signs. The electricity rates differ greatly depending on where you live. For instance, in California, the average rate is 15.29 cents per kWh. In West Virginia, the average rate is 6.51 cents per kWh. The national average cost per kWh is about 10.42 cents. Where I live, in Baltimore Metropolitan area, my local gas and electric company charges me 11.97 cents per kWh (Maryland average is 13.57 cents). Now, let’s see what that equates to in dollars saved over the course of a year, using a 10w compact fluorescent bulb instead of a 40w incandescent bulb.

You can find the average rates for all other states here.

As you can see, you’re not going to save millions of dollars to change your life. But these figures are for replacement of ONE bulb. To give you perspective, I counted about 54 light bulbs I use around and inside my house. For simplicity, let’s assume they’re all 40w incandescent bulbs. I can save $282.96 (54 x $5.24) every year simply by replacing them with 10w compact fluorescent bulbs.

Aren’t Compact Fluorescent bulbs more expensive?

The answer is yes and no. Let’s investigate how long it will take to pay back the costs of the replacement bulbs.

At Amazon.com, a pack of four 40w bulbs costs $5.86 or $1.47 each. A comparable 10w compact fluorescent bulb goes for $23.97 for a pack of 6 or $4.00 a piece. So, yes, the more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs cost about 2.75x the cost of their counterpart incandescent bulbs. The table below summarizes how much it will cost through the life of these bulbs.

This is again assuming only consuming 4 hours a day every day which equates to approximately 6,000 hours. Let’s complete the math here. I’m going to use my house as an example. Again, I have 54 bulbs in and around my house.

That’s another savings of $65/year on the cost. So, although compact fluorescent bulbs costs more on individual basis alone, it actually costs less when you consider the life expectancy of the bulbs. To sum everything up, by switching all the light bulbs in my house to compact fluorescent light bulbs, I will save $283 on energy savings and $65 on cost savings for a total savings of $348 every year! The bulbs will have paid for itself in just about 9 months. After that, it’s all savings!

What’s the proper way to dispose compact fluorescent light bulbs?

Please check with your local county or community recycling program to see if they have any special procedures set up for recycling CFL bulbs. If your local government does not offer a special recycling program for CFLs, your local Home Depot stores have their own CFL recycling program. Please do not dispose these bulbs with your household garage. New York Department of Environmental Conservation provides good detailed information on the mercury content of CFLs and how to properly dispose them.

Have you switched?

Update May 25, 2010: As technology improves every day, compact fluorescent bulbs are the norm nowadays and the incandescent bulbs are slowly being phased out. GE recently announced a light bulb that may make CFL obsolete one day. The 17-year LED light bulb will save consumers energy and money as its life cycle is 17 years. It’s scheduled to be in the local store shelves end of 2010 or early 2011.