Your Enviro tips

[Smiling JOe]

One of the biggest energy hogs in your house can be off 3/4 of the time when you don't need hot water. Use a timer from your local Home Depot/Lowes.

I didn't know those existed. My next home will have a tankless waterheater.

 

[Poodleone]

We have a tankless water heater here in the new house and have been very impressed with how well it does. Now, if I could only find a way to get some recycling going out here in East Texas! Throwing away so many things that we used to recycle in the Metroplex is very hard to get used to.....

 

[Ocean Lover]

Estroven is my best friend.

I would also like to hear back from BR concerning the note to the renters. I am all for saving energy, but if I rented a place with that many restrictions, I am not sure I would return.

Those temps are fine if no one is there. Anything below 70 is pretty cold in the winter and anything above 75 is a little warm for summer imo.

I'm enjoying the tips so far. There's always more we can do to save paper/energy etc..

 

[Beach Runner]

Beach Runner,
Do you actually expect people on vacation that are paying thousands of dollars per week to keep the air on 80 in the middle of the summer, or 65 in the middle of the winter? I assume you charge market rates and do not reduce them for those sweating inside? I would laugh out loud if I saw a sign that said that.

He was asking them to do this when the homes were unoccupied, as many are for a good portion of the year.

RIGHT -- JUST 65/80 WHEN THE HOUSE IS UNOCCUPIED.
BR (a "she")

OK, that makes more sense. If someone told me I had to keep it on 80 in the summer I'd tell them where they could put their thermostat.

Estroven is my best friend.

I would also like to hear back from BR concerning the note to the renters. I am all for saving energy, but if I rented a place with that many restrictions, I am not sure I would return.

I didn't know those existed. My next home will have a tankless waterheater.

Only problem is that these don't work if the utilities are electric.

My question is, does it save more energy to turn the heater off? I was talking to someone in the construction business about this. He thought not. If you turn it off, doesn't it have to work harder to get it from room temp to the heat setting? Wouldn't it be better to just turn the temperature down and keep it running all of the time? That hot water stays pretty hot for a long time with no power (except in the cold months), so does it take much energy to keep it topped off all of the time?

 

[Ocean Lover]

RIGHT -- JUST 65/80 WHEN THE HOUSE IS UNOCCUPIED.
BR (a "she")

A good way to conserve and I don't think it's too much to ask.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Only problem is that these don't work if the utilities are electric.

There is always propane, and, there are companies making electric tankless water heaters. For a while, the electric tankless water heaters seemed to be troublesome, but I hear they have worked out those issues and are much improved.

 

[Ocean Lover]

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/designer-bag-hysteria-at-whole-foods/20070718143409990001

Our Kroger just now started selling cloth bags for $1 each. This will be my next step in doing what I can.

 

[Smiling JOe]

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/designer-bag-hysteria-at-whole-foods/20070718143409990001

Our Kroger just now started selling cloth bags for $1 each. This will be my next step in doing what I can.

Good for you. Last year, I convinced the Manager at WaterColor Publix to start selling the canvas bags. They listened and ordered some. I think the price was much higher, like $4.50 each , but I bought five. One of my friends also sews her own bags out of lighter weight material and gives them as gifts. I take my bags every time I think about going to the grocery store.

 

[30A Skunkape]

What about those corn based bags like they have at For the Health of It? I tested one myself last week;it was as strong as conventional plastic. Out of curiousity I had to taste it, so I tore off a bit and chewed on it...no taste, but it also stayed in one piece from Blue Mountain to around Grayton

 

[6thGen]

This whole thread reminds me of everytime I meet a Brit. One of the first questions/topics is global warming and/or my carbon footprint. They are completely goobed out over it. Good for you all though, if that is what makes you happy. For me, keeping it cool in the house, long, hot showers with many sprayer heads, watching the dogs play in the sprinkler, flushing twice and taking full advantage of modern technology like electricity and the combustable engine is what makes me happy. I spend more on bills, but I make more since I'm not following around the Dead/Widespread Panic/Phish/String Cheese Incident.

I conserve by forgoing an organic patchuli chute garden.