Archive for the ‘Question of the Week’ category

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How Did You Celebrate Valentine’s Day Efficiently?

February 16th, 2012

Perhaps you took the bus to dinner instead of driving, kept the television off for the night, or used candles instead of lights? Maybe you bought your sweetheart an ENERGY STAR® rated computer, television, or appliance?

Or maybe you tried tracking your fuel economy using the fueleconomy.gov Your MPG mobile tool as Amanda recommended in Tuesday's post? Tell us what you did to save energy this Valentine's day!

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Appliances, Electronics, Lighting, Question of the Week, Vehicles

How Efficient is Your Fireplace?

February 10th, 2012

In the middle of winter, fireplaces are a popular topic. This week, Ernie talked about re-building his dual-sided fireplace and adding a damper and tempered-glass doors in the process. In the heating urban myth debate, Elizabeth shared her former roommate's assumption that using a gas fireplace to heat a single room would be more efficient than a central heating system (not necessarily - it depends on your utility rates).

We have several blog entries that talk about using your fireplace efficiently, and we provide some tips on our seasonal website.

How efficient is your fireplace? Is it gas or wood-burning? Do you have tempered glass doors, an efficient damper, or other devices to keep it from losing heat when you're not using it?

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Fireplaces, Question of the Week

What Are Your Favorite Winter Energy Savings Tips?

January 27th, 2012

This week, Amanda highlighted the Energy Savers seasonal website as a great place to get tips to save money and energy in any season. We want to know which winter energy savings tips you've tried. Have you covered your drafty windows, added weatherstripping to your doors, or opened your south-facing window curtains during the day? How well have these tips worked for you?

We want you to share your own favorite tips and tricks with us. What have you done to save energy and money in your home this winter? Tell us!

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Question of the Week, Winter

Have You Ever Tried Composting?

January 20th, 2012

This week, Erin talked about how she's helping her parents (and learning from them) as they maintain an outdoor compost pile. By composting, you can nourish your garden for very little cost while keeping organic garbage out of sewer systems and city dumps. Compost materials range from food scraps to worms, and you can keep your compost in an open pile outdoors or in a specialized container.

Of course, composting isn't just for homes - you can also participate in composting at the office.

Whether at work or at home, indoors or outdoors, worms or food scraps: Have you ever tried composting? Why or why not?

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Climate Change, Question of the Week

Have You Found Any Energy-Efficient Bargains?

January 13th, 2012

This week, Elizabeth shared her retail adventures in the clearance section of a store where she picked up some LED light strings at bargain prices. Whether you use them for holidays or every day just because they're irresistibly cheerful, light strings are an excellent example of LED products.

LED holiday lights have many advantages over ordinary incandescent lights:

  • Running LED holiday lights on one 6-foot tree for 12 hours per day for 40 days can save 90% or more energy when compared to traditional incandescent holiday lights
  • They last longer; they have an operational life span of roughly 20,000 hours, enough to last for 40 holiday seasons
  • They're cooler than incandescent bulbs, reducing the risk of fire and personal injury
  • They're more durable than incandescent bulbs, with lamps typically made out of solid plastic rather than glass
  • Because they use less power, it is safer to connect multiple strings of LED holiday light sets end-to-end without overloading the wall socket.

Prices vary, but if you can find them on the clearance aisle of your local retailer you may as well take advantage of the extra savings!

How about you? Have you found any energy-efficient bargains lately?

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Lighting, Question of the Week

How do You Save Energy During the Holidays?

December 20th, 2011

Between family vacations, shopping, and cooking extravagant meals, energy conservation isn’t usually at the top our list of things to do during the holiday season. But there are plenty of ways to save money & energy even now by doing little – and even fun – things to reduce our utility bills and use less energy overall.

This week, Amanda showed us how she saves money and avoids single-use wrapping paper by creatively wrapping Christmas presents in found items such as grocery ads, magazine pages, and used packing paper.

Saving doesn’t have to stop there - you can also reduce your energy use during the holidays by:

How about you? What do you do to save energy during the holiday season?

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Question of the Week

FAQs: Looking for Rebates

December 2nd, 2011

Each week, we ask you questions. Now we'll answer one of yours…

One of the most popular questions we receive in the Energy Savers mailbox is about taking advantage of rebates after buying an item.

"I just bought an energy-efficient (fill in the blank). Can I get a rebate or tax deduction?"

The best way to find out if the product you want is eligible for an incentive is to find out before you buy it. This is because different programs have different requirements for purchases. There may be a deadline to either purchase a product or have it installed, so check first before you invest in an energy-efficient or renewable-energy product for your home.

Here at Energy Savers, we don’t track actual products. Instead, we tell you how to locate and take advantage of rebates, tax deductions, and other incentives.

If you want to find out what incentives you can take advantage of, check out these links:

Research first, then enjoy shopping knowing you can take advantage of incentives.

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Question of the Week

FAQs: Looking for Rebates

December 2nd, 2011

Each week, we ask you questions. Now we'll answer one of yours…

One of the most popular questions we receive in the Energy Savers mailbox is about taking advantage of rebates after buying an item.

"I just bought an energy-efficient (fill in the blank). Can I get a rebate or tax deduction?"

The best way to find out if the product you want is eligible for an incentive is to find out before you buy it. This is because different programs have different requirements for purchases. There may be a deadline to either purchase a product or have it installed, so check first before you invest in an energy-efficient or renewable-energy product for your home.

Here at Energy Savers, we don’t track actual products. Instead, we tell you how to locate and take advantage of rebates, tax deductions, and other incentives.

If you want to find out what incentives you can take advantage of, check out these links:

Research first, then enjoy shopping knowing you can take advantage of incentives.

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question or frequently-asked-question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in FAQs, Question of the Week

This Month on Energy Savers: November 2011

November 29th, 2011

The holiday season is in full swing. We've been focusing on ways to keep our homes warm during the cold months of winter, whether we're home or on vacation. In case you've missed anything this month, here's a recap of November along with some important reminders.

Did You Know...

On the Blog, In Case You Missed It…

This Month

Weekly Questions—Did You Share Your Answer?

From the Archives: More Notes on November Efficiency

Comment Spotlight

Lorenzo G. commented on Are You Planning to Buy Energy-Efficient Products on Black Friday?: "Of course! Why? Because you save money, energy and the environment!"
heat pump installers commented on New Calculator Helps You Buy the Energy-Saving Vehicle of Your Dreams: "i think this sort of thing is a good idea as it can really show how much people are saving if they do the right thing, its about educating the public."

 

Andrea Spikes is a communicator at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its websites.

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Posted in Financial Opportunities, Question of the Week, Winter

Are You Planning to Buy Energy-Efficient Products on Black Friday?

November 23rd, 2011

This week, Chris gave us some great information on shopping for energy-efficient products. He reminded us that the cost to run appliances and home office and electronics is just as important as the purchase price, and posted a new Energy Savers graphic that shows you how to read the EnergyGuide and Energy Star labels.

It’s a great reminder that when you buy energy-efficient products, you save money and energy all year ‘round.

If you're doing any Black Friday shopping, will you be looking for energy efficiency ratings using the EnergyGuide or Energy Star labels? Why or why not?

Each week, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

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Posted in Appliances, Electronics, Question of the Week