Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities That Lower Cooling Charges
Without Replacing Your HVAC System— Part 8
(Many Of These Ways Also Lower Heating Bills)
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This Is Part-8 Of Our Article — Click Here To Read Part-1: AlsPlumbing.com 50 Ways to Lower Cooling Costs Part-1
Part-8 Of Our Article Discusses Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities. Al’s Plumbing, in Plano, Texas Provides Full-Service Plumbing; Maintenance, Repairs, and Replacements For Every Plumbing Component In Your Home. We sell and install gas and electric water heaters. Al’s is near your home in; Murphy, TX; Rowlette, TX; and Wylie, Texas. We service all homes in southern Collin County, TX, and northeastern Dallas County, TX with no additional travel charges.
Call Al’s Today To Discuss Any Concerns Or Problems You Have With Your Home’s Plumbing.
We will arrange an appointment at your convenience.
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Lower Cooling Charges With These Top Energy Saving Opportunities & Habits
PLUS: “Energy-Vampires”.
Image By Paul Brennan from Pixabay
Lower Cooling Charges (& Heating) — Year-Round Savings
- Programmable or Smart Thermostat. A Programmable Thermostat can reduce unneeded cooling/heating when you aren’t home, and at night.
- Smart thermostats are better yet. You can adjust them from anywhere in the world.
- A Smart thermostat will learn your cooling & heating settings. You don’t have to program it (but you can if you choose).
- Some programmable and many (if not all) Smart Thermostats are compatible with Amazon’s Alexa products. Alexa can adjust the temperature with a voice-command.
- Both types of thermostats will return your home to the temperature you want — at the time you want it.
NOTE: These thermostats don’t provide savings in a home — that’s always occupied OR kept at the same temperature 24/7.
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Water Heater: Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities
Image Source: Shutterstock
Shown: Gas Water Heater’s Temperature Dial
- Water Heater Set to 120 Degrees. Reduce its operating cost by -3% (gas) to -5% (electric) for every -10 degrees the temp is lowered AND it reduces scald-risk.
Lighting Uses Up To 3% Of Total Household Electricity Use
- Turn Lights Off when not being used.
- Incandescent Bulbs Produce: 10% light & 90% heat.
- CFL Bulbs produce 66% light & 34% heat. NOTE: CFL bulbs have mercury inside — and require special disposal.
- LED Bulbs Bulbs Produce: 90% light & only 10% heat.
Available Wattages: 40W, 60W, 75W & 100W (incandescent equivilent). Available In: 2-pack, 6-pack & 16-pack.
Available Colors: 2700K (Soft White) // 3000K (Bright Warm White) // 3500K (Natural) — N/A // 5000K (Daylight or Cool White)
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Click Here To See Examples Of LED Light Bulb Colors: Example Of LED Bulb Colors
(If Link Doesn’t Work — Copy This Into Your Browser: https://lamphq.com/led-color-temperature/
Kitchen: Lower Cooling Charges With These
Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities
Image by Solomon Rodgers from Pixabay
Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities — Cooking
- Match Pot Size To The Burner Size. A big burner, with a small pot — billows heat upward along the sides of the pot.
- Baking During The Heat Of The Day. This places notable additional demand on your A/C.
- Note: Many electrical-plans charge higher rates during “Peak Demand Hours”.
- Self-Cleaning Oven. Wait until cool fall weather when you can have the windows open. Note: Self-Cleaning an oven often creates a little smoke.
TIP: Cover the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil to catch drips. Note: Don’t cover the holes along the sides of a gas oven’s bottom. Those allow airflow to/from the burners.
GAS Range Burner Liners
These Lower Cooling Charges By Reducing Heat In The Kitchen
And Keep Your (gas) Range Cleaner With Little Effort.
A reflective surface around your gas burners reflects heat upward toward the pot. For years, gas ranges came with chrome drip trays. This newer product improves upon chrome. This reusable, silver, non-stick gas burner liner — can be put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.
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Amazon’s Website Says:
- The silver, nonstick, fiberglass (gas) stove burner liner is made of fiberglass.
- The liner can be washed in the dishwasher.
- Reusable and resistant to; grease & food.
- TIP: Turn the kitchen vent off as soon as you’re finished. They remove (cooled/heated) indoor air while running.
ELECTRIC Range Burner Liners
These Lower Cooling Charges By Reducing Heat In The Kitchen
And Keep Your (gas) Range Cleaner With Little Effort.
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Reduce Heat In The Kitchen With New Replacement Chrome Drip Pans For Electric Range
NOTE: Different Range Brands Require Different Drip Pans. The One’s Shown Fit Frigidaire & Kenmore Ranges
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- TIP: Turn The Kitchen Vent Off As Soon As You’re Done Cooking. They remove (cooled/heated) indoor air while running.
Lower Cooling Charges With Teflon Oven Liners For ELECTRIC Oven
These Reflect Heat (from the heating coil) Upward.
NOTE: These Can Be Used In GAS Oven Too (on the bottom rack).
They Are Teflon — So Spills Wipe Away.
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An Uncommon Way To Lower Cooling Charges — Cook Without Generating Heat
Cooking With An Induction Cooktop
Induction Cooktops — Use Magnetism To Move The Pan’s Molecules.
Friction (from the moving molecules) Makes The Pan Hot.
You Can’t Feel Heat 1 Inch From The Pan.
SHOWN: 2-Burner, PORTABLE, Induction Cooktop. Note: Uses standard electrical outlet.
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NOTE: This Article’s Author Cooks Only With A Portable Induction Cooktop.
Portable Induction Cooktops:
NOTE: Induction Cooking Requires Magnetic Pans. If a magnet sticks to it — it works on an induction cooktop.
- Uses magnetism to get pans’ molecules moving. The friction created by that movement makes the pan hot.
- Don’t heat up the kitchen. You can feel heat 2 inches from the pans. Dramatically reduce A/C demand — and be more comfortable while cooking.
- They’re separate — no changes to your existing range or cooktop.
- Plug into an outlet. No special wiring is required.
- Easily stored when not in use.
Amazon’s Web Page States:
- Cooking-ease similar to gas burners PLUS built-in safety features; 3-hour Timer, and Lock functions.
- Induction Heating Saves Energy & Time.
- 10 temperature levels — from 140°F to 465°F. Adjusting the temperature takes only the push of a button.
- Dual Countertop: Ceramic glass induction cooktop with 2 large heating zones.
- Two Control Panels. Digital touch buttons with easy-to-read 4-digit LED displays the temperature.
Lower Cooling Charges With A Countertop Oven
A Way To Bake Without Generating Much Heat In The Kitchen.
- Using an electric countertop oven generates a fraction of the heat as the range’s oven. You’ll use less electricity than an electric range’s oven.
- The savings increases with a GAS oven. They exhaust heated air — in order to draw in fresh air for the gas burners.
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Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities — Refrigerator
Image Source: Pexels.com
How Old Is Your Refrigerator?
22 Cubic Feet Refrigerator Electricity Consumption:
Year Built Annual Electricity Usage
- Before 1976 2200 kWh
- 1976-1986 1700 “
- 1987-1989 1150 “
- 1990-1992 1100 “
- 1993-2000 850
- 2001-2010 600
- 2001-2004 550 Energy Star Rated
- 2005-2008 525 “
- 2009+ 500 “
Source: https://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/refrigerators.html
A Refrigerator Built In 2009+ Uses Less Than 1/4 Of The Electricity As A 1975 Refrigerator.
Click Below For A New Refrigerator Cost-Savings Calculator:
Replace Refrigerator Energy Cost Savings Calculator
(If Link Doesn’t Work — Copy This Into Your Browser.)
https://www.energystar.gov/products/appliances/refrigerators/flip-your-fridge
Savings Examples For: 22 Cubic Feet Side By Side Refrigerator @ 12.1 cents per kWh.
Save $1525 over 5 years — If old refrigerator made before 1980.
Save $1145 over 5 years — If old one made 1980-1989.
Save $800 over 5 years — If old one made 1990-1992.
NOTE: If Your Existing Refrigerator Was Made 1993 or later —The Energy Cost Savings Is Too Small To Justify Replacing It.
Save $415 over 5 years — If old one made 1993-2000
Save $150 over 5 years — if old one made 2001-2010
Your Actual Savings Depends On Your State’s Energy Charge:
- Charge per kWh in your state (see just below).
Copy The Link Below Into Your Browser To See Average kWh Charge — For Your State (2021): Electricity Rate In Each State
(If Link Doesn’t Work — Copy This Into Your Browser: https://www.electricchoice.com/electricity-prices-by-state/)
3 Examples:
- 32.8 cents per kWh — Hawaii
- 21.1 ” — Massachusetts
- 9.4 ” — Louisana
Refrigerator Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities – Continued
- Refrigerator Settings:
- Fresh Food: 36F
- Freezer: 0F Degrees. **
- Avoid holding the door open while “browsing” in your refrigerator. This increases energy by 7%+.
- Don’t use the refrigerator as a source of light while filling a glass. Leave a light on in the kitchen, and avoid losing all the cold air inside the refrigerator.
- Energy Saving Habits – Full Refrigerators Run Less.
- When empty, all the cold air leaves the refrigerator each time the door is opened.
- TIP: Buy jugs or containers of water to fill empty spaces in your refrigerator.
** Source: U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE) https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/kitchen-appliance
Energy Saving Habits — Cleaning Your Refrigerator’s Coils
Clean Coils Reduce How Much Your Refrigerator Must Run By Up To -1/3.
If A Refrigerator It’s Running +1/3 More — It’s Wearing Out +1/3 Faster AND Adding +1/3 More Heat Into The Kitchen.
Image Source: Pexels.com
- Today’s refrigerators intake & output air through the grill below the doors. It’s black in the photo above.
- The location makes it easy to draw in dust, and hair from shedding pets.
- The plastic grill under the door(s) is easily removed without tools. Simply pull it forward from the sides of the grill.
- The EPA reported that just a light layer of dust on a refrigerator’s coils causes a -21% drop in efficiency and causes the refrigerator to run +35%. **
- Refrigerators With Dirty Coils Must Run 1/3+ or Longer — While Adding More Heat In The Kitchen.
** https://permatron.com/case-studies/the-high-cost-of-dirty-refrigeration-coils
Click Here To See Examples Of How Clogged A Refrigerator’s Coil Can Get: Completely Clogged Refrigerator Coils (scroll down)
(If Link Doesn’t Work Copy This Into Your Browser): https://www.google.com/search?q=very+dirty+refrigerator+coil&sxsrf=ALiCzsZUjF_yBmjCTINw6-jSMGdC0Ce95w:1654711690583&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj895a0uZ74AhVfoWoFHeUgDu4Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1097&bih=554&dpr=1.75#imgrc=CK8IxiL5yTjqqM
NOTES:
- Some refrigerators’ coils are at the back (see the top right photo after scrolling down).
- In this case, you must remove a cardboard panel near the bottom of the refrigerator.
- Removal typically requires a screwdriver.
The YoutTube Video Demonstrates How To Clean A Refrigerator’s Coil
Image Source: YouTube Embedded Video Link
SHOWN: Cleaning A Refrigerator’s Coil — Plus Before & After Photos
TIP-1: This Video Shows Also Using Compressed Air For Deeper Cleaning.
At the beginning of the video — you can see the coil: After Vacuuming (only) + After Using Compressed Air.
TIP-2: If Using Compressed Air — You’ll Reduce Airborne Dust By Keeping The Vacuum Cleaner’s Crevice-Tool Near Where The Compressed Air Is Blowing.
Choice: 1 — If You Want To Also Clean The Coils With Compressed Air.
NOTE: This Offer Was The Lowest Price At The Time This Article Was Written
SHOWN: 4-Pack Of Compressed Air In A Can.
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Choice: 2 — This Mini-Blower Is Priced Slightly Higher Than The 4-Pack Of Canned Air.
NOTE: At The Time This Article Was Written, This Blower Was +$9 More Than The 4-Pack Of Compressed Air Shown Just Above.
SHOWN: Mini-Blower — 120 MPH .
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Amazon’s Website Says:
- The high-pressure (120 MPG) wind by the turbine motor quickly makes your computer clean.
- Unlike Canned Air — its ultra-high-speed motor gives stable output. Air Velocity up to 120mph.
- Blower & Vacuum Cleaner In One — use it to blow out or suck away dust & debris.
- Compact — 6.5″ High & About 8″Wide. 15″ Wide with the removable nozzle attached.
Vacuuming Refrigerator Coils
TIP-A: To Clean Refrigerator Coils — Use A Vacuum Cleaner With Its Crevice Tool.
Image Source: Amazon.com Embedded Link
SHOWN: Crevice Tool
TIP-B: A Coil-Cleaning Brush Reaches Areas That A Vacuum’s Crevice Tool Can’t.
NOTE: You Don’t Need This Brush If You Also Use Compressed Air.
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As an Amazon Associate Al’s Plumbing earns from qualifying purchases.
Part-8 Of Our Article focused on Energy Saving Habits & Opportunities. Al’s Plumbing, in Plano, Texas Provides Full-Service Plumbing; Maintenance, Repairs, and Replacements For Every Plumbing Component In Your Home. We sell and install gas and electric water heaters. Al’s is near your home in; Murphy, TX; Rowlette, TX; and Wylie, Texas. We service all homes in southern Collin County, TX, and northeastern Dallas County, TX with no additional travel charges.
Call Al’s Today To Discuss Any Concerns Or Problems You Have With Your Home’s Plumbing.
We will arrange an appointment at your convenience.
