Here are some simple and helpful ways to put some of your hard earned cash back into your pocket where it belongs.

Lower Your Gas Bill

1. Do not overheat your gas water heater. Set the thermostat down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for considerable savings without having to sacrifice a nice, hot shower.

2. In the winter set your house thermostat down to 68 degrees or less when you are home and down to 62 degrees when you are away from home or asleep.

3. Keep the vents and doors closed in rooms that are barely used.

4. On sunny winter days, open the curtains to let the warm sun shine in and naturally warm up your house, for free.

5. Replace the filters on your furnace often.

Lower Your Electric Bill

1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs, especially on the more frequently used lamps and light fixtures.

2. When running your air conditioner keep the thermostat at 80 degrees or higher. Overly cooling your home is quite expensive.

3. When computers and other electric appliances are not in use, they should be unplugged.

4. During the summer keep curtains and shades closed to keep out the hot sun and keep your house cooler.

5. Whenever possible use solar products and get the power for free from the sun.

IDT Energy is an ESCO which provides electricity and gas to power consumers in the New York area.

This question can apply to ovens and stoves, clothes dryers, and water heaters.

The answer to this question depends on two factors only: how much the gas versus the electricity costs and how much gas or electricity does it take to run the appliance. Costs of gas and electricity vary from state to state, but the amounts can be found pretty easily. IDT Energy reminds consumers to remember to calculate the total cost of delivery as well as for the fuel found on the bill.

Just for clarity’s sake, we will examine the cost of running an electric versus a gas oven. An electric oven uses about 2.0 kWh per hour, while a gas oven uses about 0.25 therms per hour.
In New York State the cost of one kilowatt hour can vary from 10.20 cents to 16.73 cents.  The average price of natural gas in New York is about $1.26 per therm. From these numbers it seems pretty clear that using gas appliances can actually cost more to run than electric appliances, depending very much on the cost of those sources of power. For one hour of operation the gas oven will cost 1.26 X .25 = 30 cents, while the electric oven costs from 20.40 cents up to 33.46.

IDT Energy urges consumers to check not only the prices of electricity versus gas in New York, but the prices the various energy suppliers, or ESCOs charge, including IDT Energy. Then consumers can make a truly informed choice, not only about which appliances to buy, but which ESCO to choose for your household energy supplier.

1. If you’re in the market for a new oven, look for a convection oven.  It will consume a third less energy than a standard oven!  It creates a more evenly distributed cooking experience and requires less cooking time.
2. Only run the dishwasher with a full load to cut down on electricity costs.  Use your range hood while the dishwasher is on to vent excess heat and humidity.
3. While this may sound strange, you should vacuum your refrigerator’s cooling coils every three months.  If you have too much dust building up, it will hamper your refrigerator’s energy efficiency and the life expectancy of the compressor.  Also make sure you don’t have any gaps in the door seal.
4. Don’t stuff your refrigerator or freezer.  Cool air is needed to circulate through the interior of the appliance and you make it work harder and less efficiently when you stuff items into the space.

1. Set the thermostat as low as you can handle it in the winter and as high as possible in the summer.  Purchase a programmable thermostat as well so that you’ll only be using energy at key times throughout the day.

2. Clean filters on furnaces once a month and clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators as necessary.

3. Turn off exhaust fans in the kitchen, bath and other areas within 20 minutes after you’ve finished cooking or bathing.  If you need to replace exhaust fans, use high-efficiency, low-noise models.

4. Pay attention to your drapes and shades (or install some if you don’t already have them).  In the winter, keep drapes and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day for more sunlight and closed at night to reduce a chill from cold windows.  During the summer months, keep the windows closed during the day to prevent extra heat from the sun.

In both Washington and Oregon, which are the highest hydropower-producing states, consumption actually decreased just a bit.  Interestingly, Alabama recorded the biggest increase by 54.6%.  Kentucky came in second, with an increase of 52.1.%.

Hydropower is one of the many interesting and useful forms of renewable energy sources that IDT Energy supports as part of its “Buying Green” program.