energy saving part deaux

In a world with so much energy consumption, I like to throw out a few ideas every once in a while that will help you, my loyal constituents, to save money doing easy tasks, that will take only a minute of your time. It's all because I care about you. Who looks after you while you sleep? That's right, Jack Nicholson does, but I'm there while you are awake, because I'm not creepy like Jack.

As many of you know, my favorite times of the day are when I am standing under the steaming hot streams of water spewing from my shower head. That rushed shower in the morning while I am most assuredly running late for work, and the extended shower I take in the evenings upon returning from the gym are close to the two greatest moments of my day everyday. Since I love to shower, and I realize the financial investment I make every time I turn that hot water knob just a little farther, I have found certain ways to save as much green as possible so that I can afford to continue to shower in the way that I have grown accustom.

1) Set your water heater's temperature to 120 degrees. Seriously, if it's going to scald your skin clean off, you probably don't want it hitting you. You might want to check the manufacturer's recommendation for your dishwasher, but 120 is a pretty safe bet.

2) Install a water heater blanket. I read on the EERE website HERE that it can reduce stand by heat losses by 25-45%. That equates to 4-9% on heating costs. Who doesn't want to save 4-9%?

3) When you are brushing your teeth, or using just a small amount of water, be sure that the faucet nozzle is turned toward cold. Turning it toward hot uses energy to heat the water even though there is a good chance it won't reach the faucet.

4) Repair leaky faucets IMMEDIATELY!!!! I recently found out that a leak of one drop per second wastes more than a staggering 250 GALLONS of water per MONTH. What do you think that does for your water and energy bills? Not to mention the hours of lost sleep from hearing the annoying drip all night long.

5) I will give you advise that I will never take, but many people do this. Install low-flow washers or flow restrictors in faucets or showers. We've all seen the Seinfeld episode where the building installed low flow shower heads in all the apartments and Kramer went out and bought a black market high flow shower head that was used to wash elephants...that would be me, I can't stand the low flow shower, but if it floats your boat, do it, it will save you money and energy.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle, because knowledge is power. Armed with the knowledge of how to save energy and money I release you to the world ready to solve others energy conservation needs.

If you need to talk to the genius that writes these thought provoking, entertaining, educational articles, feel free to email me at MrWright79@KW.com. Or, you can IM the Genius That Is Yours Truly on AIM at KWR Matt. If you are feeling randy and want to hear the voice of knowledge call me between the hours of 0900 and 1900 EST. I can't wait to hear from you and remember, the market may go up and down, but I will always stay unfaltering for you.