If you have a fireplace but don't use it, seal it up with insulation and duct tape. (Or you could use one of these.)
U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants: Update or Close?
45 minutes ago
Tip: Protect Your A/C Compressor
Now that fall is here and winter is coming quickly, it is time to plant shade trees or bushes near your air conditioning compressor so it doesn't have to work so hard next summer. Be sure to keep all plantings at least two feet away from the air conditioner compressor so airflow is not obstructed.
Tip: No Peeking
Don't peek at food cooking in the oven! Every time you open the oven door, 25°F is lost.
Tip: Weatherstrip Your Attic Access
Add weatherstripping to your attic access. Also, consider extra insulation to fit over the attic access ladder and keep drafts out of the house.
September 2007 Utility Bill
September was warmer than normal, so we spent a little more on A/C than normal. In fact, we haven't turned the A/C off yet, like normal, because it has been so hot out. My oldest daughter moved out into her own apartment and my middle daughter went to Spain for a year as an exchange student, both at the beginning of September, so I expected to see some savings in the gas bill — and didn't. Natural gas usage went up from 6 to 11 therms when the heat was turned off and there were fewer people at home taking showers.
I also turned the sprinklers off about the second week of September, saving about $50 over August's water bill. I adjusted the sprinkler system to water the lawn less frequently back in May when I got the first $100 water bill, and since then I've been spending about $75 a month watering the lawn. I wonder what would happen to the lawn if I adjusted it again next year and only spent $50 a month? Or $25?September 2007 Data
Electricity, in kWh
Cost / Unit
Gas, in Therms
Cost / Unit
Water, in CCF
Cost / Unit
1,881
$.102
11
$1.93
30
$1.39
Tip: Replace Your Car's Air Filters, Too
Replace clogged air filters in your car's engine to improve gas mileage by as much as 10%. (Your engine will last longer, as well!)
Reminder: Change Your Furnace Filters — Fall 2007
It's fall, so it's time once again to change your furnace filters!
By the way, you should use the good filters if you can possibly afford it. They last longer, filter better, and actually save you money in the long run.Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.