It goes beyond hypermiling...

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by HAHA

One of the most low tech and simple ways of saving energy is to collect the hot showering water and let it exchange its' heat before it is flushed out. This is most easily done by letting it sit in the bath tub but I guess a more sophisticated device could be built downstream if one wants to avoid the extra bathtub cleaning.

This little idea was actually rewarded in an energy savings contest 30 years ago in Sweden...

That's actually an awesome idea

[GasSavers_BIBI]

Originally Posted by theclencher

i can't believe you accept a $75-$83 elec bill as "normal"- mine are usually under $30 (includes water too).

Yes that is a problem, but the problem of electricity use isnt only rely to HOME used, but also to all the private corp. building, shopping center, hospital, governement building, etc.

I work in an hospital and in north canada (mid lets say...) and during winter, you can find open windows, but the thing is that this building is like 50 years old and more (like a lot of building in north america) and the quantity of heating lost is huge. Also, its freaking hot, I FOUND, but people that stays in bed doing nothing (old ones), are cold as f***, even with 3-4 blanket!.

Anyway, in Quebec, we have another problematic about electricity, its cheap AS **** (less than 7 cents a KW, compare to New-York, about 18 cents I THINK), so people don't give a damn about saving electricity, we produce so much hydroelectricity with ours rivers in the north, but we wasted all. If we really wanted, we could sell all this wasted electricity to the US in winter for heating, and in summer for climatizing. BUT, I know that these electrity can be wasted in the US too...

[Danronian]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

i DO know those htign sSUCK for liek shop lights lol turned one on in the dead fo winter(ya know single digits) in a unheated garage and it was dimmer than a half dead flashlight. took forever to warm up. but in reality, how cold does your house get? we have every bulb in the house replaced with the cfl bulbs. dunno how much we saved but its dang nice not havign to replace the one in my celing fan every month( stupid hting would break the fillament beacuse of the vibration)

I think the flourescents work good in cold temps. I worked in a frozen dept for a while where we had them in a sub zero cooler, and a normal one. We only had to change them about yearly as they blew-out from vibrations of the motors.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by BIBI

...we produce so much hydroelectricity with ours rivers in the north, but we wasted all. If we really wanted, we could sell all this wasted electricity to the US in winter for heating, and in summer for climatizing.

What do you mean by "wasted" electricity? Power plants can't produce more than the grid consumes... Wait, do you mean the end user is wasting electricity (keeping lights on, heaters up high, etc.)?

[csrmel]

LoL i wish my electric bill was $75. its more like $400 a month suring sumer. $300 during winter.

[2TonJellyBean]

Originally Posted by HAHA

One of the most low tech and simple ways of saving energy is to collect the hot showering water and let it exchange its' heat before it is flushed out. This is most easily done by letting it sit in the bath tub but I guess a more sophisticated device could be built downstream if one wants to avoid the extra bathtub cleaning.

Actually, rather than letting shower water pool in the tub and having to deal with excess humidity than can cause mold, there actually is a thing called a gravity film exchanger, or GFX, that can be used to add some of the BTUs of the water going down the drain to warm up the water going into the water heater and also into the cold side of the shower.

[palemelanesian]

I keep the water in my tub until it cools off. Those GFX units are great, but a real hassle to retrofit and require some kind of vertical drop. If you have a drain that goes sideways or is in a cement slab, it's just not possible. Keeping the water in the tub is something anyone can do, right now.

I've read about some water misters on the outdoor AC units in the summer - evaporation pre-chills the air before it goes over the coils.

[GasSavers_BIBI]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

What do you mean by "wasted" electricity? Power plants can't produce more than the grid consumes... Wait, do you mean the end user is wasting electricity (keeping lights on, heaters up high, etc.)?

The end user.

[Jim Dunlop]

Originally Posted by theclencher

one more reason healthcare costs a fortune...

In a situation where improving technology causes prices to increase, the only plausible explanation may be that the free market is not fully being allowed to determine prices.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

What is this "free market" you speak of and where can I find one? I think it'd be a hoot to ride my Unicorn through one.