According to the Energystar.gov website, about 14% of the energy use in a typical household is from heating water. Reducing your water heater thermostat to 120 ˚F can save energy. The lower temperature can also slow mineral buildup and corrosion in the water heater, which extends its life. The energy savings come from two components: less heat lost from the water heater into the surrounding room, and less energy used to heat the water you use. Energystar says that for most households, the 120 ˚F setting is adequate.
There are a few cautions to keep in mind. Setting the temperature below 120 ˚F could allow growth of legionella bacteria in the water heater. If you have a dishwasher without a built-in booster heater, you may need to keep your water heater thermostat set at 130 ˚F or 140 ˚F for optimum cleaning. Also, people with suppressed immune systems or chronic respiratory disease may want to research potential health effects before determining the right water heater thermostat setting for their home.
0 Comments
Pollinators include bees, butterflies, other insects, bats, and some birds. The numbers of many types of pollinators are declining because of pesticide use and habitat loss. This article on pollinator-friendly gardens has helpful links and information to consider as you plan your garden or pots of flowers on the porch. One of the links leads to lists of native wildflowers by region. The article also includes information such as that some hybrid flowers are beautiful but so complex that bees and other insects cannot easily access the pollen and nectar.
http://www/mmn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/take-cause-help-bees-and-butterfllies-pollinate Friday, April 22, is Earth Day. What a wonderful time to spend a few minutes enjoying the beauty of the natural world around you! Even in the middle of a city, you can find plants, birds, animals, clouds, and weather. It’s also a good day to do one small thing to help take care of the earth. Remember, little things add up.
For most of us, our goal will be reducing the use of the dryer rather than giving it up completely. I partially dry the clothes in the dryer first, and then hang them somewhere inside the house to finish drying. Or sometimes I do it the other way around. Either way, the dryer operates for a shorter time, saving energy. If the air in your house is dry and you have good air flow, you may not need the dryer at all for some things.
In general, wrinkle-free clothing is manufactured to require heated tumble-dry to remove the wrinkles. I have found that if I partially dry these items in the dryer, removing them after 8-10 minutes, and then hang them to finish drying, they look good when they are dry. The labor for me is about the same, because the clothing needs to be hung up to prevent wrinkling even if fully dried in the dryer. All of that lint that collects in the dryer screen consists of tiny pieces of clothing. Not only does reducing the use of the dryer save energy, it will also reduce the wear on clothing, sheets, and towels so they last longer. Double sustainability benefits! If you live in a place where an outdoor clothesline is practical and allowed (many neighborhoods don’t allow them), try using the clothesline when the weather is good. Sheets and towels dried in the sunshine smell wonderful! According to the energystar.gov website, clothes dryers use more energy than any other household appliance. Fortunately, there ways to reduce the energy used to dry clothes. If your dryer has a moisture sensor, choose the drying cycles that use the moisture sensor. The sensor will shut off the dryer when the clothes are dry instead of running the dryer for a specific length of time. Do some experimenting with the dial or settings on your dryer. For example, if I set the moisture sensor dial completely to the “more dry” setting, the dryer will run quite a while after the clothes feel dry, so I start each drying cycle at a setting just a little closer to the “less dry” setting on the dial.
Another tip from the energystar website is that longer drying cycles on a low heat setting use less energy. I’ll post more ideas on drying clothes next time. It’s spring, and I am planning my garden. Flowers and bushes that are appropriate for my region of the country will:
“Use regionally appropriate, low water-using and native plants. Once established, these plants require little water beyond normal rainfall. Also, because native plants are adapted to local soils and climatic conditions, they rarely require the addition of fertilizer and are more resistant to pests and diseases than are other species. Be careful when selecting exotic species, as some may be invasive, which may require more water and could displace native plants.” Good ideas for reusing silica gel bags. I found lots of similar ideas with a quick internet search.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8lnxfqpDIo |
Archives
May 2024
|