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Old 09-19-2010, 06:34 PM
 
4,423 posts, read 7,332,386 times
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There are windmills all over the northeast. I don't get why the sunshine state can't get some good solar power programs working. We've so much sunshine to harness. It's a shame that we, the Sunshine State, fall so short in this regard.
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Old 09-19-2010, 06:50 PM
 
Location: Floribama
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Bahia grass? That stuff is a noxious weed IMO, your neighbors may hate you for it because it reseeds like crazy. You'll have to mow it often or it will have those ugly seedheads, so that may take away any savings from watering.

Anyways, solar screens are better than tinted glass. Tinted glass actually heats up because of the dark color, and then some of that heat is released inside of the home. Solar screens filter the sun before it reaches the glass, therefore it doesn't get nearly as hot. You can also remove them during the winter.

A lighter colored roof also helps to keep the attic from getting as hot. Preferably a light colored metal roof.
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Old 09-19-2010, 11:03 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55 View Post
I got a new washing machine about 2 years ago (15 year old Maytag died). And the writeups on those new "energy efficient" front loaders were pretty dismal (perhaps they saved a little energy - but they had lots of other problems). Also - they cost a ton. You'd probably wind up in the same place in terms of $$$ by buying a cheaper unit - using warm/cold water - and washing only full loads (so you run your machine less often).
They're more efficient for 2 reasons. 1) the washing machine uses a lot less water and 2) the spin cycle is approximately 1100 rpms (meaning that it spins your clothes approx 3 times faster and gets out a lot more water) so your drying time is a lot less. The dryer uses a lot of electricity, so the reduction in drying time is your real savings.
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Old 09-20-2010, 07:33 AM
 
1,255 posts, read 3,472,640 times
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Originally Posted by verobeach View Post
There are windmills all over the northeast. I don't get why the sunshine state can't get some good solar power programs working. We've so much sunshine to harness. It's a shame that we, the Sunshine State, fall so short in this regard.
I'm sure it's because a lot of energy companies (gas, oil, electric) have a lot of politicians in their back pocket. Florida is in a unique position to push these technologies further than they are.

And don't argue it can't be done or it's too expensive. The know-how & the technology is there, just look at what Brad Pitt's foundation is doing in New Orleans. Those homes are nice, affordable & most are 100% self sufficient off the grid.

But, here we all are. Still sucking on that utility energy teet like there's no tomorrow, paying up the nose for it & not questioning it like the good little consumers we are. God forbid we break from the norm & actually do something about.
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Old 09-20-2010, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Jacksonville, FL (Mandarin)
2,558 posts, read 6,463,070 times
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Originally Posted by stevep View Post
They're more efficient for 2 reasons. 1) the washing machine uses a lot less water and 2) the spin cycle is approximately 1100 rpms (meaning that it spins your clothes approx 3 times faster and gets out a lot more water) so your drying time is a lot less. The dryer uses a lot of electricity, so the reduction in drying time is your real savings.
We just upgraded to front loaders during our move. So far, we are very pleased. Water usage is probably a third of what a traditional top-loader has, and the spin cycle is very effective, too. Water usage was important, not because of the cost savings, but because of the fact that we have a septic system at the new house. Since we have the potential to do a lot of laundry in a single day, we didn't want to overwhelm our holding tanks.
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Old 09-20-2010, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Black Hammock Island
4,620 posts, read 14,921,386 times
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904jax --

Here's #7 to add to your list ... unplug appliances not in use. Even though something might be off, such as a coffeemaker or curling iron, leaving them plugged in means they're still drawing electricity, especially the appliances or other things that have an 'instant on' feature (TVs are notorious for that). Obviously you cannot unplug a stove or dryer when not in use, but you can go all over the house and unplug everything else. Just doing that and we significantly reduced our electric bill. It became a very easy habit to plug things in when needed and to unplug when done.

EricBoyd --

You are so right - it's a Catch 22. We reduce our consumption and the electric company's revenues decrease but their expenses don't, and so rates have to go up to compensate. It would seem logical that if the company doesn't have to produce as much electricity then their expenses would go down, but we all know that the bulk of the expense to produce a kilowatt is mostly fixed overheads and such.
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Old 09-20-2010, 08:12 AM
 
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You could switch them off using the breaker box instead of unplugging. Thats what we do. A lot of houses have separate breakers just for where the major appliances go.
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Old 09-20-2010, 04:27 PM
 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach FL
14,617 posts, read 21,388,060 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EricBoyd View Post
We just upgraded to front loaders during our move. So far, we are very pleased. Water usage is probably a third of what a traditional top-loader has, and the spin cycle is very effective, too. Water usage was important, not because of the cost savings, but because of the fact that we have a septic system at the new house. Since we have the potential to do a lot of laundry in a single day, we didn't want to overwhelm our holding tanks.
Glad to hear the front loaders are apparently working better now than they were when I bought my unit. One complaint I heard a lot when I was looking was the spin cycles were too effective - they chewed up the clothes. I have pretty much given up on dry clean only clothes these days (the cost has gotten ridiculous - and you don't get many uses out of clothing between cleanings in this heat). So a really gentle delicate cycle is important to me. FWIW - most new washers force you to save power - they don't have the option of anything other than a cold rinse cycle. Robyn
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Old 09-20-2010, 04:46 PM
 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach FL
14,617 posts, read 21,388,060 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KerryB View Post
You could switch them off using the breaker box instead of unplugging. Thats what we do. A lot of houses have separate breakers just for where the major appliances go.
I don't think I'd use a breaker as an "on-off" switch or a plug for couple of reasons. First - breaker boxes frequently don't have great lighting or great labeling. You might be turning off the refrigerator when you think you're turning off the oven.

Second - and more important - I suspect that any appliance that is even partially "on" when the breaker switch is on usually has some kind of computer in it. And when you turn off the breaker - you'll lose your settings and need to "reboot" and/or run "set up" again. For example - even with my relatively old ovens - when I turn off the breaker - the ovens "boot up" - just like a computer. Takes about 3-5 minutes. Turning off the ovens at the breaker was a useful trick I learned to use when I get an "error code" on the ovens (once every 5 years or so - but it's saved me the cost of new ovens and at least a couple of service calls). But I don't think I'd want to "boot up" twice a week. Robyn
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Old 09-20-2010, 07:02 PM
 
1,255 posts, read 3,472,640 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55 View Post
I don't think I'd use a breaker as an "on-off" switch or a plug for couple of reasons. First - breaker boxes frequently don't have great lighting or great labeling. You might be turning off the refrigerator when you think you're turning off the oven.

Second - and more important - I suspect that any appliance that is even partially "on" when the breaker switch is on usually has some kind of computer in it. And when you turn off the breaker - you'll lose your settings and need to "reboot" and/or run "set up" again. For example - even with my relatively old ovens - when I turn off the breaker - the ovens "boot up" - just like a computer. Takes about 3-5 minutes. Turning off the ovens at the breaker was a useful trick I learned to use when I get an "error code" on the ovens (once every 5 years or so - but it's saved me the cost of new ovens and at least a couple of service calls). But I don't think I'd want to "boot up" twice a week. Robyn
Well, obviously Robyn you'd need to have proper labels on your breaker stuff there, dear. And even if you dont, who cares? Figure it out by seeing what switch controls what then label them. It ain't rocket science.

And most people dont have "computers" in their washers, dryers & such. Argue much??
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