Saving Energy
When John Muir (1838 - 1914) was young, he settled in California and grew fruit. After some years, during which he prospered modestly, he sold out to devote his time to saving nature and writing. Once he was on a trip with the railroad magnate E. H. Harriman. On the trip an Eastern member of the party said to him, “Muir, I hear you made a killing in fruit in California.” “Yes, I did. In fact, I’m wealthier than Harriman.” “What?” said the man in astonishment. “It’s true,” answered Muir. “I have all the money I want. He hasn’t”
That story is a sideways slide into my topic, saving energy and thereby saving money. Many a family can live on a smaller salary if they learn and practice habits of thrift, even frugality.
But first, I must share our adventure with saving energy if not money. We purchased a tankless hot water heater when our old one started leaking. The hot water heater, which was purchased at the big Lehman Hardware store in Kidron, OH, cost a bit more than the usual hot water heater which keeps a tank of water hot at all times. This gas hot water heater heats water as it is being used and stores no hot water when not in use. Our particular model also is ignited by a spark from a battery. This was helpful when the tornado knocked out the electric power. We don’t have any records to determine how much energy we save on a daily basis but we’re sure it is considerable.
However, during the very cold, below zero weather we had this winter, the cold air came down the flue of our tankless hot water heater and froze the water in the pipes. Our plumber advised that we line the flue with a second flexible pipe. Then to prevent freezing from occurring again, we kept a hair dryer directed toward the hot water heater.
Later we found that a light bulb directly under it was sufficient. It looks like our scheme will be tested again in this, the last week in February. If it were calculated, it will be many years before we save enough money heating water to pay for the extra $200 we had to spend on the flue.
In spite of this experience, we believe there are ways to save energy that do not involve spending any money. One of the quickest ways to save money on hot water from a conventional hot water heater is to turn down the thermostat. If it is turned down enough so that you only have to add a little cold water, there is a big saving. Turning the thermostat down from 150 to 130 degrees will save 400 kilowatts a year. Most dishwashers have heaters in them which raise the temperature to 140. Incidently, dishwashers, if a full load is used, save energy over washing dishes by hand according to the Home Energy Guide. Additional energy can be saved by opening the door of the dishwasher or shutting it off before the cycle that heats and dries the dishes.
Save energy by washing full loads of clothes, and using a cold water rinse. A front loading washer also saves by using half as much water and half as much soap.
Using the dryer less saves energy. Drying bulky sweatshirts on hangers saves energy and adds humidity to the air in the wintertime.
Keeping the thermostat on the furnace a little lower can make a big difference. A setback at night when we are snug in bed can also lower fuel bills. One study, cited by the Conservation Research Corporation, demonstrated that setting back the thermostat from 70 degrees to 55 at night for eight hours would result in a 12% saving of fuel. Turning the heat down to that temperature when we go away also saves.
I think we could say that our house has “zoned” heating. We heat the family room and kitchen and close off the living room and front bedroom. The upstairs bedrooms are heated somewhat by heat that rises while cold air moves down the stairwell.
The “holes” in a house can let a lot of warm air escape. The bathroom vent, the dryer vent, the furnace vent, and a gas hot water vent all let hot air out and as we saw with our hot water heater cold air comes in. These can’t usually be plugged, but the vent to the kitchen stove in our house is just above the stove and we have fitted it with a wooden plug which can be removed when we are frying.
Refrigerators and freezers are big users of electricity. If you are like I am, I sometimes open the refrigerator door and wonder what it was I needed. This stare into the depth of the refrigerator costs money. In an experiment, the refrigerator was kept closed all day. It used 8.4 KWH. When the same refrigerator was opened frequently, it used 14.85 KWH.
All of these strategies do save energy a little bit at a time, but it all adds up. Perhaps we can all be as fortunate as John Muir and be able to say that we have all the money we want.
– Mary