"Changing Habits"

As energy efficiency becomes more and more of an issue, some of us are concerned that we don't have the financial capital to keep up with all the new technology. What can we do instead? Change some of our habits - like using less water (less water used is less energy to heat it).

Source: http://www.fypower.org/res/changing-habits.html Flex Your Power "Changing Habits" Last access 7/7/09. What kind of habits do they recommend you changing? Well, the largest user of household energy is usually the heating and air conditioning. If you can begin to conserve money on your heating and cooling bills, you can drastically cut your monthly bill, so, that's where the changing habits starts. If you have an efficient system that cools your home effectivley, you should be able to turn the thermostat up a couple of degrees and still be more than comfortable!

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However (minor disclaimer:) If your home is NOT staying cool with the unit you have now, here are some things to consider.

• Adding more insulation. Especially if your home is older, it probably doesn't have enough insulation to keep out the heat so it is going to take considerably longer to cool your home, and it is going to be much harder to keep it cool. The air is just leaking right back out. Scientifically air moves from hot to cooler, so it's going to move from the outside in, unless you have everything sealed up.
• Draw the drapes and use other shading techniques (outside shades, double paned windows...etc) to keep heat out. It's easier to keep a home cool than it is to cool it down once it is hot.
• Finally, consider an upgrade to a more efficient unit. (but if you haven't done the repairs above, you aren't going to be saving too much money).

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Then they go on to explain how to conserve energy in your use of appliances and even water. You wouldn't think that behavior could make too much of a difference, but it does. The more you can cut back, the less energy you use, and the lower your monthly energy bill is. For example, washing the majority of your laundry in cold water instead of hot can save you the 90% of energy used to heat the water. Good luck in changing your behaviors!