I like to turn the air conditioning on full tilt boogie, open a window, then set outside and let the cool air blow by my face.

@JoeDirt: I prefer to just sit in front of the open refrigerator.

One of the biggest savings my fiancee and I have is the programmable thermostat. We have it set to a higher temp during the day, and about 30 minutes before we get off work it cools the place back down. Very nice!

@ddmeightball: I love ours. I share a house with two other people, all on slightly different schedules. Our thermostat kicks on 15min before the first wakes up, and kicks off 15min before the last one leaves (doesn't get uncomfortable in that time). Then it kicks on again 15min before the first comes home and kicks off at 10:30pm.

Our oil bill was about half of what it was on the 50's era thermostat that was here before.

The key to saving money on clothing is to spend less money on good quality, rather than spend less money on bad quality. The quality of a shirt does not change just because it's on sale or, conversely, marked up. The best way of saving money on clothing is to examine stiching, lining on jackets, etc. and make sure that everything is secure. Otherwise, you'll have to be reattaching buttons and replacing zippers soon.

Professional people in general should avoid clothing styles that are overly trendy. The underpinnings of a wardrobe should be classic and stylish, and the colors should be timeless. Colors like forest green and brown will always have a role in style, but neon green and bright magenta may go out of fashion pretty quickly. You really shouldn't wait 15 years for it to come back so you can wear it again.

Genuine question about the power-strips idea: how do you avoid having to reprogram all your LCD clocks every time you flip the power back on? I have clocks on the surround system and the coffeemaker along with all the obvious ones: alarm clocks and plain old clock clocks. I think I'd start having nightmares about the blinking 12:00, 12:00, 12:00.

@JoeDirt: Pointing the Air Conditioner outside helps us all. You'll be cooling the earth and reversing global warming. Thanks! :)

I'm all for conserving, but what is the true economic impact and total annual savings from turning off the power strips every evening?

If the blogger really does this, how many clocks and controls does she reset every day? The TV will have to search for signal, the computer & modem reboot, etc. etc. If you have VOIP phone, you have no telephone till the modem is repowered.

@SkokieGuy: Yeah, the only thing we turn off when we're not in the house is the lights and the air...I think I forgot to turn off the air this morning, actually.

I have a programmable thermostate (62° at night in winter), energy saving bulbs, timers on exterior lighting, hi efficiency furnace & A/C but do not turn off more than the lights.

One awesome way to save energy (haven't done myself yet) is to have a white roof. If this became law for air-conditioned homes, annual savings estimated at 1 billion, nationwide.

[saving-energy.suite101.com]

@mimbypims: You can't, and you don't.

@JoeDirt: I prefer to crank the A/C up until I get cold and need a blanket.

@ddmeightball: i bought one that said it was good for heat pumps.... and got it home to find the instructions inside say 'not for DUAL stage heat pumps' which mine is. i can't find any that specifically say they are ok for dual stage heat pumps in the easily available instructions [outside the package, manufacturer's site]
so now i'm reduced to remembering to put the settings up before i leave for work.
at least i come home after dark when it's already a little cooler out

@SkokieGuy: What some enterprising soul needs to do is create some kind of seasonally removable white roofing. As a midwesterner, I'm really reluctant to make heat retention in winter more difficult--I know there's likely to be an overall advantage, but it's still taking a winter hit.

My south-facing roof is mostly shaded in summer anyway now, but I'd consider doing more if I could make it seasonal.

I was forced to buy the 65 inch TV because, and i'm quoting my wife here: "73 inches is just too big." Like an extra 8 inches makes a difference at that point.

Employee discounts FTW. Paid $800 for that TV :)

@SkokieGuy: right? turning off my dvr before leaving the house would kind of defeat the purpose, let alone the 10 minutes the satellite receiver takes to find a signal and start up.

@novacthall:

Black electrical tape - get some.

@SkokieGuy: They don't say if that's 1 billion net, or specify how long it will take to recoup the cost of converting every air conditioned hom in the US to have a white roof.

2009 estimated US households: 112,991,763 ([www.census.gov])

The best I could find regarding % of households with AC is from 2001 - 55% ([www.eia.doe.gov])

That gives you 5,6495,881 households. The cost per household for this to be paid off in 1 year would have to be $17. 10 years? We could spend as much as $177 a house! I don't know what a reasonable price to have your roof made white is, but I expect you're looking at LEAST a 25-50 year turn around before that "savings" is realized.

Best way to save money, learn to fix shit. It's surprisingly satisfying and what you have will last longer. You will also find yourself buying less low quality garbage.

@mimbypims: Ignore them.

(Not as many of them blink these days, anyway.)

I'm assuming they also don't unplug the refrigerator, water heater, and heat/AC unit.

The problem is, all of the remaining energy usage (even lighting) is a small drop in a very big bucket. It might make you feel better to unplug the TV, but that's about it.

@Jakuub: Would replacement be required immediately (ridiculous) or simply require that new construction and replacements must be white (more logical).

If people are paying to replace a damaged or worn out roof anyhow, the choice of color would create no additional cost. If white became the default color and 55% of all roofs were white, the cost would actually drop do the increase in manufacturing volume (perhaps driving up the cost of other colors that would become less popular).

If the average lifespan of a roof is 25 years, then we could claim that in 25 years, there will be no more dark roofs and the savings will be ongoing.

@HIV 2 Elway: I can agree with that.

Also you'll find yourself buying things at garage sales and fixing them for use in your own home.

Also learning how to DIY home projects can also save you a LOT of money!

@MissPeacock: That's when you crank up the heating pad, right?

@JoeDirt: Crank up the air conditioner and the oven and the same time and see which is the superior appliance.

I have a questiom for those who may know... I live in Phoenix and my Father-in-Law swears that you actually save electricity by keeping it on all day when you aren't home as oppossed to turning it off before I leave for work and turning it back on when I get home. Is there any truth to this claim?

@Jakuub: I'm still skeptical about the white roof theory with houses in northern climates. What does it do for heat retention in the winter?

@SkokieGuy: I thought it was a 15 year lifespan on roofs? Or is that old data and the newer roofs last longer?

@TexasP:

Bingo. I am certain you will save less than 60 watts by unplugging these items all the time. And that's if you turn off EVERYTHING. You can save that 60 watts by remembering to turn off the light in the basement you always forget, of by remembering to stop the microwave the moment your soup is hot enough, or by simply lowering your heat a 1/4 of a degree...

Totally not worth it.

@SkokieGuy: A radiant barrier basically does the same thing as white paint/shingles on the roof. It reflects UV radiation, and if it's a foil barrier creates an air pocket of insulation as well. It also reflects heat back into the house in the winter. Win Win.

@wrekxx: No. Your air uses a compressor which only turns on to cool as needed. You set your thermostat to a temperature and it cools to that temperature and turns off and on through the day. You're constantly using electricity during this period. It's not like a car where it takes more gas to turn on the engine than to let idle for 2 or 3 minutes.

@chiieddy: Certainly not an expert, but in summer, the sun is higher in the sky, hence more roof exposure and trees might shade the sides of the home.

In winter, lower angle of the sun and less foliage blocking sun hitting sides of home.

But with super insulated attics that energy experts recommend, does this mitigate the benefit?

@SkokieGuy: My TiVo doesn't work when I turn off the powerstrip, sadly :(

@SkokieGuy: What's the average savings per household if the grand total savings for five million households is only 1 billion? $1.77/year. Yes, if there is literally NO cost difference between white shingles and other colors, or no fee to paint the roof after they're applied, then yes... you could save a whopping $1.77 a year. Just doesn't seem worth it for any individual.

Also, in 25 years, wouldn't it make more sense for our money to have been invested in say, providing cleaner, greener electricity to heat/cool homes, power electric cars, etc? Doesn't that seem like a slightly more realistic plan than 'everyone has to have white roofs', which would surely be much lamented by home owner's clubs nationwide?

@HIV 2 Elway: THIS! Once I learned to replace light fixtures and switches and thought "that wasn't so bad" I moved on to other stuff... installing a dishwasher, disposal, crown moulding, all kinds of stuff. Electronics I can't do, but I have extended the life of fridges, washers, even a garage door opener. That is where the savings are.

@Necoras: Okay, now that is some interesting information--thanks. I've got a few years yet before I need to reroof, and this is the kind of thing I'd definitely be interested in, especially as there's limited options for increasing insulation in my house.

@HIV 2 Elway:

Yes!

I just replaced the ice maker in my refrigerator last night. $60, compared to what, $200 for someone to come out to do it?

Did the research and bought the ice maker online.

@wrekxx: That's a tough question which can turn on whether you mean "save electricity" or "save money" or "save greenhouse gases".

Everyone should read Cambridge Professor Mackay's (free) book:

www.withouthotair.com

His calculations are based on a house in England, but it's still valid to say that the answer depends critically on two facts about your house: 1) the temperature difference between inside and outside; 2) how leaky it is.

@mimbypims: Gotta say, given my morning 'tude, the automatic timer on my coffee maker is worth the 11 cents a month to keep it plugged in overnight.

@Geblah187: Yeah, so, sorry about your wife. Too big is just something I hear way too often.

...

About my waist.

I think one thing many people (myself included) have to watch out for is waste in the grocery store. Buying in bulk seems like a good idea when you only look at unit prices, but many times non-insignificant portions of what gets bought isn't used (particularly if you're only buying for 1 or 2, rather than a large household.)

Yes, the 128 oz. of peanut butter is a better "deal", but will I get sick of it before I finish the jar? If so, that's a waste because I'm buying other food to replace it. If it's a ginormous amount of bread or produce, then they quite likely go bad before I get a chance to use them.

Other places that siphon the $$ from my pocket include the trip to Starbucks when I've woken up too late to grab breakfast, and the tasty tasty prepared foods and pies that call me from the bakery. Mmmmm....

Anyone who wears an outfit once and donates it so as not to bee seen in it again, or who shops at high-end supermarkets so as not to be seen with low-end bags (have you not heard of reuseable?) or to be caught using them as trash can liners is too far gone for frugality help.

@chiieddy: i think the impact of having sunlight reflected vs. retained in the winter is nominal at best. first, think of the fact that many times you have snow on top of the roof (which despite being white adds a layer of insulation - woohoo!) - doesn't matter what color your roof is then. but anyway, you're not looking to generate heat from your roof - you want it to be an insulating layer between different environments.

what you want most from a roof in the winter is for it to retain as much heat generated inside as possible, so focus on increasing the r-value underneath the roof (there are a lot of great new options to add to your regular insulation incrementally & can help save you money like thermal paper & radiant barrier). & that same insulation will help save you hundreds throughout the year in heating & cooling bills.

@Applekid: Presumably you're selective about what you leave plugged in and what you don't. In my house, the TiVo gets constant power. The DVD player? Not so much.

@mmmsoap:

I will buy in bulk for non-perisables (e.g., paper towels) but not medicine or food for the most part.

Umm ... yeah, I turn my A/C up past 80 when I leave for work and I even unplug some of my major appliances such as the computer, tv, and stereo just so that no extra currents are being generated. It makes no difference in my electric bill as I am still seeing $200 light bills for my small apartment.

@wrekxx: i've heard this before - generally the claim is that your hvac units need to work "harder" to combat a (say) 20˚ change in temp over a couple hours vs. working incrementally all day long.

to be honest, i've heard conflicting answers that support both claims. it seems (from my discussions w/ hvac techs i know personally) that older units can have trouble "sprinting", but newer models generally do not. what i'd suggest is having your father-in-law ask his hvac technician next time s/he comes out to service his unit(s). they would know best. or (option 2), don't turn the thermostat off during the day - just turn it down 5 - 10˚. he'll still save money & the unit won't need to work as hard to adjust the climate.

the one very important thing i have learned: thermostats are NOT like accelerators. set & forget it! don't think that you'll get to 68˚ any quicker by turning the a/c down to 55˚. what you might do instead is freeze your lines & then you're SOL.

@chiieddy: "It's not like a car where it takes more gas to turn on the engine than to let idle for 2 or 3 minutes"

Actually the time is less than 10 seconds, which is why hybrids shut their engines off when the car is stopped for more than a few seconds.

@JoeDirt: you're being funny but I seriously have you beat with a real story.

My friend used to drive around in the winter with the windows open and the heat going full blast and in the summer time he would crank the ac with the moon roof open.

I used to be like "wtf is the point of both? if you're too hot turn off the heat stupid"