42 ways to help elimnate your electric bill

I have compiled a list of ways to reduce your electric bill to almost nothing. All of these techniques are environmentally friendly. Some items that are listed have a higher initial cost then others but all of them will generate a return on your investment in one to two years. Keep in mind these are only suggestions but I have personally tested each item and it does work. Also these are only some ideas and not all of them. Enjoy your savings……

1.Convert all light bulbs to (CFL) Compact florescent light

2.Use rechargeable batteries instead of one’s for one time use

3.Replace lights that are used most often with LED bulbs

4.Caulk inside and outside of all your home’s doors and windows

5.Tint windows that have the most sunlight come through them or rooms that are
having trouble staying cool or warm.

6.Replace thermostats with a digital one

7.Make sure all thermostats on located out of direct sunlight and on a wall close to the center of the house.

8.Use diverted air on indoor vents to help direct air flow

9.Use only the cheap air filters for your A/C

10.Make sure you have your HVAC system checked regularly for optimum performance

11.Use only Energy Star rated appliances

12.Put all electronic devices on power strips so you can make sure they are off when you are not using them (this includes your computer)

13.Unplug phone charger from wall when you are not charging your phone

14.Turn off the lights when you leave a room

15.Use gray duct tape to repair any rips or tears in your duct work for your heating and air system

16.Make sure your heat pumps outside are in an open area with a breeze and also not in direct sunlight

17.Make sure your heating and air system is large enough to heat and cool your home.

18.Dig a drain pond in your yard for storm water run-off

19.Use rock, shells, or anything similar to create border around the base of your home to aid in water run-off

20.Move the dirt around in your yard to create a plane that diverts all storm water run-off to your drain pond

21.Fill old pasta jars with distilled water and place them in the fill tank on the back of every toilet in your home

22.Plant flowers and shrubs that are native to the area you live in

23.Make sure your home has soffit vents and roof vents

24.Consider using a clothes line to dry your clothes instead of the dryer

25.Locate the water heater breaker on your panel box and switch it off when no one is home

26.Make sure you insulate your attic floor

27.Consider investing in solar power or solar heated water

28.Insulate the back of your garage door

29.Insulate and drywall your garage (this makes a huge difference!)

30.Do not buy a plug in hybrid car unless you want your power bill to soar all this car does is move the problem from one industry to another

31.Watch less TV and do more activities

32.Make things instead of buying them whatever you can

33.Grow your own food instead of planting flowers throughout your home plant food like corn, apples, etc…

34.Invest in a gutter system to help control storm water run-off

35.Use rain barrels to recycle rain water for your garden or other things

36.If you have a fireplace……use it!

37.Invest in a compost barrel to recycle organic matter. It goes in the corner of your yard and you fill it with only organic matter (food leftovers, peels, etc.) and in a little while it will convert it to some of the best fertilizer you have ever seen.

38.Replace all plumbing fixture with low flow water fixture. Easiest and cheapest to start with are shower heads. Only $5.00 at any hardware store. (Buy local!!!!)

39.Place bowls of ice in your refrigerator to help your fridge run less

40.Consider replacing carpet with hard surfaces. Mopping and sweeping doesn't use electricity however the average vacuum cleaner will pull 4 amps or more

41.Consider not having a giant home theater system. The speakers on the TV work just fine. Think about the fact that when you have your A/V receiver, cable receiver, TV, and sub woofer on you are pulling anywhere from 4 to 8 amps depending on how big your system is. I know that when you combine a 42 in TV, with a 700watt Harmon Kardon receiver, with a direct TV receiver plus a powered sub woofer you can pull almost 6 amps! Keep in mind the whole room is on one 20 amp breaker and you are using a 1/3 of it just to watch TV.

42.Consider using a French press instead of a coffee maker. (I still haven’t listened to my own advice on this one. You may take away my surround sound but do not touch my coffee.)

Do I have to have an electric bill?

Mankind, a race doomed to extinction due to its own self destruction. A race effected by mass media, television, discrimination, segregation, and intimidation is on a one way course with history. This race must ultimately come to an end to make way for a new race that is emerging everywhere. Humankind! Yes humankind, a people who are not lost to the ways of those who have passed before us. We are a people of unity, kindness, and love. We share positive memories of joy and happiness. We also show those who are in need of the two. Humankind will pave the way to the future in finding ways to live with our planet and not against it. Our home, Earth, is round and represents a circle of life. From the air we breathe to the water we drink to the ground we lay to, we will all eventually be in these circles over and over again. We can learn a lot from the pioneers who first settled in this country and also those native to it. They learned to live with the land and learn from it. They learned if they take care of their land that the land will in return take care of them. An everlasting kinship can be created right in our very own homes. We can start by walking outside and looking at our yards and the ones next to it. Look at how the land moves. Can this be altered to better manage storm run-off? If so, can we divert it to a container and reuse the water? Do I have to have an electric bill? Do I have to have a water bill? Can I grow my own food? These are the questions we has humankind should start asking ourselves. Our ability to adapt and create and overcome is our defining characteristic has human beings. This instinct knows no color, personality type, nor gender. It is equally the same in all of us. We as a people can unite and overcome any adversity. By thinking this way we can enhance our lives and the ones of those around us by making everyone and everything more efficient. If your car is more efficient it burns less gas, if your home is more efficient it uses less power, if you manage your water you will use less of it. This will ultimately save you money like you wouldn't believe. There is no cure all to making money. There is a cure all to saving it. We need to start asking the right questions and start making our homes and lives more environmentally friendly. This is a win-win in every regard. Research and find ways that are free to save green by being green. My blogs sole purpose is to do this for you. Some things are more expensive and harder to do than others. But my point is if you start doing a bunch of little things consistently that they will all add up to a big difference. Mankind is inevitably going to die out. Humankind is slowly taking its place. Let us all start today even and start making a difference for you, for me, and for everyone for generations to come.

An inexpensive way to improve your gas mileage and make your tires lastlonger

Car makers have been using race cars as field research vehicles for over 60 years. In the early '90s race teams started to experiment with new ways to reduce friction on the pavement, get more miles out of their tires as well as improved handling and performance.

Ok so here is the trick. One word......Nitrogen! Race teams have been using Nitrogen instead of air in their tires for over 20 years now. There are a lot of benefits from doing this. First, Nitrogen is thicker than air so it is less likely to leak out of the tire. Secondly, it doesn't hold moisture therefore it helps prevent your tire from dry rotting. (That is when your tires start to crack from old age) Thirdly, because of the other two reasons I have previously listed it reduces the friction between the tire and the road by not getting as hot inside the tire. Another good thing about using Nitrogen is if it does ever leak you can just use air to fill it back up because Nitrogen is already found in the air we breathe.

Most shops will convert your tires from air to Nitrogen for less then $30.00. This is well worth it for so many reasons. Even with an old car, driving on tires filled with Nitrogen is like driving on clouds. It is quiet and your tires last twice as long. You still need to rotate them regularly. You should have your tires rotated every other oil change for those who don't know.

All ideas posted in my blog I have tested and know they work. Using Nitrogen in your tires will improve your car's handling, gas mileage, and tire life.

The advantage of using rain barrels

For centuries those who settled on this land before us used everything they could around them in order to survive. They used every part of the animals they killed. If they needed a seat to sit in they used what nature has provided in order to make a seat. They also took advantage of the rain. They would set up gutter systems to control where their water run off went to. This was very important then and is even more important now.

Ok so here is the trick. You can either go to a home improvement store and buy rain barrels or you can make them. Both ways cost about the same. I recommend buying the ones with a water tap on the bottom of them so it will be easier to use the water you collect. If you are making one be sure to include a valve so that you can turn your water tap on and off. Gravity should be sufficient enough to provide water pressure at your nozzle at the bottom of the barrel. Now here is the key to rain barrels....placement. Where you choose to put your barrels is of key importance. Two main areas to keep in mind are on a down spout of a gutter system and also under your condensation line from your air conditioner. If it doesn't rain often where you live you can surely make up for it by catching the water from your A/C.

The term for this type of water is called grey water because of what elements are usually found in it. For general use this water is excellent for irrigation and watering of plants. You can even go as far as hooking up a filtration system and use the water for cooking, bathing, or even drinking. Another good advantage of having stored rain water is that in times of crisis where water is in short supply you can use this water to fill toilets, wash clothes and dishes.

Now if you live in an apartment you can still take advantage of rain water. For about $20.00 you can buy every thing you need to make a mini gutter system and a 5 gallon bucket to catch rain water from a window. You can use this water just the same as I suggested above.

Conserving power and water whenever we can is crucial for living in junction with our environment. These simple and easy suggestions I am making in my blog will carry savings over year after year. Not to mention these suggestions will make your home more efficient as well as safer and healthier for you and your family.

A simple way to reduce your heating and air conditioning cost

A whomping 40% of most people's power bill is their heating and air conditioning and their other appliances. (Dishwasher,washer, dryer, etc.) Anyway to keep your house maintaining its internal temperature is a sure way to reduce your power bill.

Just like humans breathe your home or apartment breathes too. It allows air to pass in and out through any hole it can. We also help this process by opening and shutting exterior doors. To make sure your home is heating and cooling to the best of its ability you need to make sure there is not an excess of air escaping through aging paint or old caulk.

Ok so here is the trick. Painters caulk is very inexpensive and has a vast majority of uses. Go to your local hardware store and purchase a couple tubes of white painters caulk and a caulk gun. It should total to less then $25.00. Then go home and caulk every vertical seam on the outside if your home. Also you should caulk around your windows and doors as well as where your roofline meets the outside of your house. Now inside do the same thing except this time do all your interior trim as well including the tops of all your baseboard. While you are walking around check for small holes in your walls that could be easily patched with a little dab of caulk. Keep in mind I am assuming you understand how to properly apply caulk. For those who do not know YouTube has a lot of videos to show you how. It is a very simple process.

Another important thing to do is to upgrade your thermostat to a digital one, even if it is a cheap one. This is crucial because a mercury thermostat is only accurate plus or minus 10 degrees. A digital thermostat is accurate up to plus or minus 2 degrees. Doing this will make your a/c run a lot less thus saving you money on your power bill.

I will have more content and information to share on how to cut down on your heating and air conditioning in more posts to come. Thank you for reading. Remember keep it local. If you spend your money locally it will stay locally.

How to keep bugs off your outside lights on your home

   We all have seen it.  We come home after dark to find our lights on outside and they are swarming with bugs.  We rush to open the door and run in to try and keep them outside but it never works.  There is actually a solution to this problem that is inexpensive as well as very easy to do.  Most people already know this information but for those who do not here is the science behind it.  All frequencies are vibrations and wavelengths.  Each color in our light spectrum has a frequency at which it will vibrate.  When you are a bug and have very tiny little eyes you must rely heavily on your antenna to figure out what is around you.  Most white and blue light emits a vibration at a frequency that most small, flying bugs are attracted to.  So at night when your lights are on any small flying bug with in the light emitting range will be drawn to it. 

   Ok so here is the trick.  Instead of having white or blue lights on the outside of your home, convert them all to yellow.  I recommend buying a compact fluorescent bulb or CFL or a LED bulb for lower wattage usage.  Yellow doesn't emit a frequency that attracts small flying bugs.  Another bug you will see less of after you do this trick are spiders.  Now that there are no flying bugs to eat they will have to move elsewhere.  Any store will have these colored bulbs for sale, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace hardware.  If at all possible please buy one from a locally owned store to support small businesses in your area.  If you buy local the money will stay local therefore helping local people.  This is true everywhere!

An old trick to save money on your water bill

     Good day, I am here to tell you about an old trick that will not only help you and your family conserve water, but also save you money on your water bill as well.  It is a matter of water displacement.  If you take any size container and fill it with water, the water will fill the same amount of empty space every time, given the size of the container.  If you were to take a solid, smaller object and place it with in this same container it will occupy space in which water used to.  Now not only will it take less time to fill the container, it will also take less water.

     If you take this concept and apply it to every toilet in your home you will undoubtedly reduce the amount of water you use, thus lowering your water bill.  How much you will lower it will vary based on the size of your home.  For instance, if your home has eight bathrooms in it you will see a bigger difference in your savings compared to a home with one or two bathrooms.  However, you are still conserving water usage in either situation which is better for the environment and better for everyone.  Another good thing about this trick is that it is out of sight, out of mind attitude.  Once you put it in use, it will not affect your original daily routine.  As a matter of fact you will not even remember you did it until your water bill comes around.

     Ok, so here is the trick.  Mind you it is a very simple and logical approach which in my opinion are usually the best ways to look at our environmental issues.  First, go to one of your toilets in your home and check the size of the tank on the back of the toilet.  This is the one that fills up with water every time you flush it.  Take the lid off the back tank and judge the amount of empty space in it.  Now go to the store and buy everything you need to make  a spaghetti dinner.  Why you may ask?  You bought all of this for the jars the pasta sauce comes in.  After you have made and enjoyed your dinner rinse and dry the jars of pasta sauces.  Use one pasta sauce jar per tank per toilet.  So one jar per toilet.  Fill these freshly cleaned jars with distilled water and re seal the top to them. Turn off the water at the nozzle located directly behind the toilet.  Make sure the nozzle is securely all the way to the right.  After you have done this flush your toilet so that the tank on the back will empty out.  Now place one of the jars in the empty space in each tank on the back of each toilet. (usually on the right hand side)  Be sure that the jar placement is not going to interfere with the inner workings of the tank.  After that just place the lid back on the tank and open the nozzle located behind the tank near the ground.  Make sure it is open by turning it to the left several times.  Now flush to refill the tank and enjoy your savings along with your water conservation. 

   Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I will be posting as much content as I can about ways to make your homes, cars, trucks, boats, RVs, and even you more efficient.  These tricks are design to make yourself more environmentally friendly as well as save you money.