Blog Archives

Know your bubbles

8/27/2022

Someone recently told me that she knows by the sound and size of the bubbles in her electric kettle when the water is just the right temperature for her coffee, so she doesn’t waste energy heating the water more than is necessary and then must wait for the water to cool back down. This applies to other appliances and activities as well – learn about and remember your particular settings so you can use “just enough” energy and resources. Here are some ideas:

Learn how long it takes to heat frequently cooked items in your microwave and only use the preselected cook times or express settings if they work for your item.
If your clothes dryer doesn’t have humidity sensors to know when the clothes are dry, learn how long it takes to dry various kinds of clothing so you don’t continue to run the dryer after the clothes are dry.
Customize the settings for various types of loads in the dishwasher and the clothes washer. Lightly soiled items will require less time and energy to wash so you can use “light” settings.

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Opening and closing

8/13/2022

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Every time you open a door, window, or cover, heat from the warmer area flows into the colder area. If you are trying to keep the warm areas warm, extra energy will be required to replace the lost heat. If you are trying to keep the cold areas cold, extra energy will be required for your refrigerator, freezer, or air conditions to cool the area. When there is a large temperature difference between the separated areas, minimize the number of times and the amount of time the door, window, or cover is opened. Here are a few examples:

If you open the oven door to check on the items cooking inside, you lower the inside temperature of the oven. Extra energy will be required to heat the oven back up, the item will take longer to cook, and some items (such as cakes) may have a less desirable texture when done.
Don’t stand in front of the refrigerator or freezer with the door open, trying to decide what to take out. Plan what you need to take out and put in, so you don’t open the door many times in a short period of time.
Removing the cover of a slow cooker or cooking pot reduces the inside temperature and more energy is needed to bring it back to the appropriate cooking temperature. And covering the pot may help your food cook faster with less energy use, although some things need to be cooked with the pot uncovered.

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Keeping cool

8/4/2022

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With much of the northern hemisphere experiencing higher than normal temperatures and deadly heat waves, there is a lot of interest in keeping cool. Many do not have access to air conditioning, but even if you do, finding ways to reduce the amount of time you run your air conditioner will help reduce your carbon emissions. Also, if you use some of these tips, you can set your air conditioner settings higher and use less electricity., I found an article describing cooling tips used in a very warm area of India and have provided a link to the article. Here are some additional thoughts:

If you live in a low-humidity area and water availability is not a problem, instead of an air conditioner you can use evaporative cooling equipment such as the “swamp cooler” described in the article.
Use fans - the air moving against your skin makes you feel cooler. Turn the fans off to save electricity when you’re not in the room, because they don’t actually cool the air.
I read that “76% of the sunlight that falls on double-pane windows becomes heat” in the summer. Put heavy curtains on windows and close them when the sun shines on the window or when the temperature outside is warmer than the temperature inside. Or, install heat-reflecting transparent film on the window (unless you want the sunlight to heat your home in the winter). A low-cost solution could be putting aluminum foil on cardboard and putting the covered cardboard in the window during the day to reflect the sunlight.
If the overnight temperature falls low enough, open the windows to let the cool air in. Then close the windows and shades when the outside temperature rises.
Choose and prepare meals that require little cooking. Cook early in the day or late at night when it’s cooler.
When possible, operate appliances and electronics early in the morning or in the evening. Electrical appliances and electronics give off heat, which will warm your home.
If you are getting ready to buy an air conditioner, check out heat pumps – they’re much more energy efficient. See my recent post for more information.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/08/02/1114354904/opinion-life-hacks-from-india-on-how-to-stay-cool-without-an-air-conditioner

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