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energy saving tips

Saving Energy, or Not: Mixing Breezes, Ice Blocks, and Toilet Paper

By Energy Rant One Comment
Four years ago, I wrote about a few home energy-saving tips in Refrigerator Sitcoms and Lethal Toaster Ovens. I said I would need to write a series because there are so many, mostly bad, energy saving tips to write about. With four years passing, it is more like a movie sequel than a TV series. Knowing the “why” behind anything helps it stick, like training. Here goes. The Ceiling Fan Famous advice for ceiling fans is to have them move air down (counterclockwise) in summer, and up in winter. A ceiling fan can do two things only. It can generate…
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Summertime Energy Use and Your Abode

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant One Comment
Now that winter, followed by a couple months of flooding rains have passed, at least for a few days, summer is here, and this brings about some energy saving tips, rumors, bologna, and truths about summertime energy use around the house.First, allow me to destroy the inappropriate and overused term “humidity”.  When someone complains about 90% humidity, it would be entirely wrong in most instances.  For demonstration, see the chart nearby.  Each curve represents relative humidity (RH) over a 24 hour period. Which represented day is more comfortable from a RH perspective?  The correct answer - I can’t tell because…
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Bounteous Savings at Home

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Continuing on from the surface scratch delivered in Refrigerator Sitcoms and Lethal Toaster Ovens, this post provides more fact, fiction, and maybe some things you’ve never considered for saving energy. First, I came across some interesting data while reviewing evaluation reports for a major Midwest utility last week.  Recall in Bait and Switch, and again backed by ACEEE as explained just last week, regulatory agencies need to stop stopping fuel switching from dumb uses of electricity to smart uses of natural gas.  The specific item is the electricity guzzling clothes dryer.  As it turns out, the saturation of electric clothes…
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