Going Green Can Save You Money
Today many people are looking to conserve energy and “green” their homes.
Did you know that Florida homes, air conditioning accounts for 40-50% or more of your electric bill?
The top 9 items you can do to lower your monthly electrical bill as related to your air conditioning system’s electrical consumption.
1 - Keep your thermostat at 78 degrees while you are home. If you leave the house, turn the thermostat up to 82 degrees. Cooling down a home from 82 degrees consumes less electricity than cooling down from a higher temperature as well as less electricity to cool the house at 82 degrees than at 78 degrees during the hours you are away from the house. You might want to consider buying an inexpensive programmable thermostat to do this for you automatically.
2 - Keep the “auto” fan feature on at all times. The air conditioner will only turn on when it is needed rather than running all the time.
3 - Remind family members or guests that turning the thermostat down to a temperature lower than 78 degrees will not cool the house any cooler.
4 - Ceiling fans make us feel cooler there the natural evaporation of moisture from our skin - they do not make a room’s temperature lower. So when you leave a room - turn off the fan.
5 - Change or clean your air filter every month. A clogged filter can cause your air conditioner to work harder. In addition, if you have pets certain pets’ dander can cause your coils not last their full useful life. This can actually save you significantly - actually thousands of dollars.
6 - Be sure to keep all doors and vents open. We do call it central air conditioning!
7 - We love the our sunny weather in Florida, but did you know the sun entering the home causes the interior temperature to increase and requires your air conditioning system to work longer and harder? So, when you leave your home, be sure to close the verticals, shades or drapes.
8 - Be sure to check your ducts for leaks. Florida Power and Light offers a program where for a reasonable price they will check your ducts for leaks, recommend a local contractor for repair work, and possibly receive an incentive to cover part of the costs.
9 - Are you having semi-annual system checks? You might want to consider this service through a local qualified air conditioning service company. This will ensure many years of efficient electrical usage of your system, as well as, the benefits of having clean coils and clean air (dirty coils do have mildew and mold!). Pet dander can reduce the useful life of the coils, so the semi-annual tune-up will discover any issues.
Another large consumer of electricity is the swimming pool and a pool heater if you have one. With a pool you must run the filtration system to keep the pool sparkling and beautiful. But did you know running your pump 8 hours per day costs about $32 to $58 per month, depending upon your pool pump’s horsepower? By reducing the hours to 6 hours during the summer results a saving of about $8 to $15 per month. At other times of the year by reducing the hours of operation to 4 hours will save you about $16 to $29 per month.
If you have an electric pool heater and use it you should use a pool blanket to retain the heat - your monthly savings for electricity will be about $45 to $71.50.
If you have a gas pool heater your monthly savings will be about $80 to $125 per month.
If you don’t presently have a pool heater, but would like to have nice warm water during the winter, consider a solar heater - after all we do live in the Sunshine State and the sunshine is still FREE.
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Money saving tips for around the house
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Green Cleaning Tips:
Coffee, Red Juice, Wine, Tea, Or Ink Stains
If you have any of these things on your carpet, you can get them out by following this stain cleaning solution.
Blot up any and all liquid from the stain. You should do this as soon as possible and make sure to get up as much of the stain as possible. Do not scrub or rub the stain further into the carpet. Use club soda on the stain. Apply to the area and allow to sit for just a minute. Then, blot it up again. Keep repeating until the stain is fully removed. Once it is gone, apply clean water to the location and blot up as well. This will be a rinse. If this does not work, mix 1/4 tsp of dishwashing soap with a quart of water. Apply to the stain and then blot up to remove the liquid and stain.
Still there? Then use hydrogen peroxide. Allow this to set on the stain for several hours. It will chemically react with it and release the stain. Blot if off again.
Oils and Greasy Carpet Stains
For stains that are greasy, apply a dry cleaning solvent to the area in a small amount. Use a terry cloth to apply it. Blot off and then rinse. If there is still a residue there, you can add a bit of baking soda to the location and allow it to absorb the stain. Vacuum it off.
Chocolate Stains
Scrape up and remove any excesss that you can. Then, use one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and one cup of water. Apply gently to the stain. Be very careful not to rub it in. Blot the stain out with a clean terry cloth. Repeat as necessary. Afterwards, rinse with clean water and blot again
Candle Wax
Have a fallen candle or a few drips on your carpet? If so, scrape off all that you can with a dull knife. Then place clean white paper towels over the stain and apply a warm iron to it. This will help the stain to move from the carpet to the paper. Keep moving it around until it is totally absorb bed. If any greasy spots are left, you will want to apply baking soda to the area and then vacuum up. Blot, repeat, and then sponge it with clean water.
How to remove Cola Stains:
Take one teaspoon of neutral detergent and mix with a cup of lukewarm water. Blot. Mix one tablespoon of household ammonia with a half cup of water. Blot. Repeat step one. Sponge with clean water. Blot.
Remove Oil/Grease Stains:
To remove grease, put some talcum powder on the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, you should brush off the powder and then wash the stain with one teaspoon of neutral detergent and 2/3 cups of cold water and scrub brush or sponge.
Hope this was helpful… Own of Mighty Kklene
Thanks. This is really useful information and I’m going to pass it on to both my friends and to new Florida residents I sell homes to here in Sarasota.