Energy Saving Holiday Gifts
This holiday season, give the gift of energy savings. Here is a selection of fun, functional, energy saving gifts in all price ranges. You’re sure to find the perfect thing here for the eco-conscious folks on your holiday list.
Belkin Conserve Valet: Most chargers continue to use power as long as they’re plugged in, even after you unplug your device. The Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station lets you charge all of your mobile devices in one convenient place, and automatically shuts off power after devices are fully charged. It even senses when new devices are added so you always get a full charge.
Rechargeable batteries: The holidays always bring a selection of gifts marked “Batteries not included.” Here is a selection of rechargeable batteries for every use.
Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Monitor
Here’s a great way to help someone on your list save energy all year round. When you plug the Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Monitor into a wall socket and then plug the appliance into the monitor, it will display the power consumption of whatever you plug into it. Program in your local electric rate and you can also display projected costs by the hour, day, week, 
month, or year.
Envi Whole House Energy Monitor
While the Kill-aWatt electricity monitor (above) tracks the cost of one device at a time, the Envi Current Cost monitor shows you how much energy your whole house is using real time. Studies have shown that when people can see how much energy they’re using, consumption goes down by an average of 10%.
Cozy Toasty Toes Footrest The Cozy Legs Footrest delivers gentle heat through small holes in the surface of the footrest using 90 watts of electricity (conventional space heaters typically use over 1,500 watts of electricity), warming your feet directly. And when your feet are warm you can keep the thermostat at a lower setting.
Student’s Energy Saving Kit: Here’s something neat for the energy conscious college student on your holiday list. It includes a 10-outlet Smart Power Strip, an energy efficient desk lamp, a hand cranked radio, a LED paperback reading light, and lots more. You can find more energy smart gifts in all price ranges from the same provider here.
A solar powered backpack also makes a great gift for the students on your list. You can find a selection of them here.
Or check out The Power Monkey eXplorer portable solar panel. It is a fordable, pocket size solar panel that you can take with you so you can charge up your phone, iPod, or other portable device no matter where you are. Just flip its case open to the sun and start gathering free energy that you can store for up to a year into the eXplorer or directly to your device!
And while we’re on the subject of solar powered gifts, these solar powered, LED holiday lights are the perfect way to decorate your home for the holidays without adding a penny to your electric bill. They are available in a variety of colors and shapes. Even if you want to decorate shrubs that don’t get much sun, you can place the separate stake-mounted solar panel in a sunny spot.
For the coffee-lover on your list, the Presso Zero-energy Expresso Machine works faster than most electric machines take to warm up. The device requires only that you add boiling water and push down for a great cup of espresso. And it’s as beautiful as it is functional.
The Eco Hair Dryer uses a ceramic heating element uses half the energy of a traditional blow dryer with coil heating. It emits significantly less electromagnetic radiation (an output of only 4.1mG, compared to over 200mG for a conventional dryer). Plus, it actually dries faster and produces negative ions that help to control frizz.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Verde Energy USA!
No-cost and Low-cost Tips to Reduce Your Energy Costs This Winter
Other than the surprise October snowstorm, it has been a relatively mild autumn in the Northeast. But don’t be fooled by the beautiful Indian summer days; winter is coming. To help you save money on your utility bills this winter, here are some no-cost and low-cost energy saving tips offered by the US Department of Energy (energysavers.gov).
Take Advantage of Heat from the Sun
- Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
- Cover Drafty Windows
- Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
- Install tight-fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.
- Find out about other window treatments and coverings that can improve energy efficiency.
Adjust the Temperature
- When you are home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable.
- When you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10°–15° for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills. A programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature.
- Find out how to operate your thermostat for maximum energy savings.
- Also see ENERGY STAR’s June 5, 2008, podcast for video instructions on operating your programmable thermostat.
- You can find a selection of programmable thermostats here in Verde’s Energy Saving Store.
Find and Seal Leaks
Maintain Your Heating Systems
- Schedule service for your heating system.
- Find out what maintenance is required to keep your heating system operating efficiently.
- Furnaces: Replace your furnace filter once a month or as needed.
- Find out more about maintaining your furnace or boiler.
- Wood- and Pellet-Burning Heaters: Clean the flue vent regularly and clean the inside of the appliance with a wire brush periodically to ensure that your home is heated efficiently.
- Find other maintenance recommendations for wood- and pellet-burning appliances.
Reduce Heat Loss from the Fireplace
- Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is going. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney.
- When you use the fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly—approximately 1 inch—and close doors leading into the room. Lower the thermostat setting to between 50° and 55°F.
- If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
- If you do use the fireplace, install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.
- Check the seal on the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible.
- Purchase grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room.
- Add caulking around the fireplace hearth.
- Find out more techniques to improve your fireplace or wood-burning appliance’s efficiency.
- You can find chimney sealing devices here in Verde’s Energy Savings Store.
Lower Your Water Heating Costs
- Water heating can account for 14%-25% of the energy consumed in your home.
- Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). You’ll not only save energy, you’ll avoid scalding your hands.
- Find other strategies for energy-efficient water heating.
Lower Your Holiday Lighting Costs
- Use light-emitting diode—or “LED”—holiday light strings to reduce the cost of decorating your home for the winter holidays.
- Learn about the advantages and potential cost savings of LED holiday light strings.
- Find manufacturers and brands of ENERGY STAR®-qualified decorative light strings
Tips for a Green Halloween
Solar powered skull path lights
The web site GreenHalloween.org has lots of tips for a safe, healthy, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient Halloween this year. We thought these solar powered skull path lights were especially amusing. You can find them, along with a number of other solar-powered Halloween lights here. Or, if you just want to light up your path for trick-or-treaters without running up your electric bill, you can find a nice selection of solar outdoor lighting in Verde’s Energy Saving Store.
LED holiday lights use very little energy and last practically forever. You can find a selection of LED Halloween lights here.
Here are some other energy saving lighting ideas from GreenHalloween.org.
Not-so-scary lighting choices
- Candles are the quintessential tool for spooktacular Halloween lighting. Use in jack-o-lanterns, along walkways in luminaries, and as indoor décor, nothing says fall like the warm glow from a candle’s flame. Be sure to always choose 100% beeswax or soy candles as paraffin candles are petroleum based and burn less cleanly.
- LED lights are a great option in addition to or instead of candles. They last as much as 133 times longer than incandescents and cost 80% less to use. They’re also safer around children than candles or regular bulbs because they don’t generate hear. LED lights are available in all shapes and colors, including festive Halloween themes for indoor and or outdoor use.
- Solar lighting is, of course, the crème-de-la-crème of Halloween lighting choices. Solar lighting uses no electricity whatsoever, and sun is a renewable resource!
More energy saving tricks
Use shakable flashlights to light your way. Kids love ‘em too.
- Invite lots of guests and keep your heat low or off during your Halloween party. Body heat works wonders for keeping a space warm.
- When the party’s over and your little goblins have gone to bed, wash only a full load of dishes and wash clothes (a full load too) in cold water instead of warm or hot.
Power Vampires That Cost You Money
It’s October. That means crisp autumn days, turning leaves, and then, before you know it, it’s Halloween. You’ll be answering the door to witches, goblins, ghosts, and vampires, and then, once you’ve deposited some candy in their eager little hands they’ll be gone until next year. But did you know you have vampires living in your house all year round? We’re talking about Power Vampires – appliances and home electronics that continue to use electricity even while they are switched off. The average house has dozens of them and they can account for as much as 10% of your electric bill.
Forbes Magazine recently published a list of the 25 biggest power vampires (see below), which includes everything from night lights to furnaces. Every item on the list costs you money even when it’s not turned on. In many cases, you can starve the little devils and save a few bucks. The simplest solution is to just unplug them when not in use. But often that is not convenient – the plugs may be inaccessible, or there are just too many of them to remember. Plugging things into switchable power strips makes it easier, especially if you can plug a few items into the same strip. There are even remote-controlled power strips to make it even easier to cut off the juice. And for some areas, such as a home office, it might make sense to invest in a plug load control with a motion sensor that automatically turns all controlled devices on when motion is detected, and off when the workspace has been unoccupied for a period of time. Whatever type you need, you can find several good choices in Verde’s Energy Saving Store here.
Below is the Forbes Magazine list of the 25 biggest power vampires (also known as standby or phantom loads). It is interesting to note that some items, like laptop computers, use more power in standby mode than desktop models. But desktop computers consume much more power when in use.
No. 1 – Set-Top Box
Off – Average Watts: 28.286; On – Average Watts: 30.198
No. 2 – Notebook computer
Off – Average Watts: 8.90; On – Average Watts: 29.48
No. 3 – Inkjet/Multifunction Fax
Average Watts While Off: 5.31/5.26; Average Watts While On: 6.22/9.16
No. 4 – DVD/VCR
Off – Average Watts: 5.04; On – Average Watts: 13.51
No. 5 – VCR
Off – Average Watts: 4.68; On – Average Watts: 7.77
No. 6 – Central heating furnace
Off – Average Watts: 4.21; On – Average Watts: 339.71
No. 7 — Cable modem
Off – Average Watts: 3.84; On – Average Watts: 6.25
No. 8 – Multi-function laser device
Off – Average Watts: 3.12; On – Average Watts: 46.98
No. 9 — Cordless phone with answering machine
Off – Average Watts: 2.92; On – Average Watts: 3.53
No. 10 – Desktop computer
Off – Average Watts: 2.84; On – Average Watts: 73.97
No. 11 – Flatbed scanner
Off – Average Watts: 2.48; On – Average Watts: 9.6
No. 12 – Telephone answering machine
Off – Average Watts: 2.01; On – Average Watts: 2.25
No. 13 — Computer speakers
Off – Average Watts: 1.79; On – Average Watts: 4.12
No. 14 – Laser printer
Off – Average Watts: 1.58 On – Average Watts: 131.07
No. 15 – DVD Player
Off – Average Watts: 1.55; On – Average Watts: 7.54
No. 16 – Copiers
Off – Average Watts: 1.49; On – Average Watts: 9.63
No. 17 — USB hub
Off – Average Watts: 1.44; On – Average Watts: 2.06
No. 18 – DSL modem
Off – Average Watts: 1.37; On – Average Watts: 5.37
No. 19 – Inkjet printer
Off – Average Watts: 1.26; On – Average Watts: 4.93
No. 20 – LCD computer display
Off – Average Watts: 1.13; On – Average Watts: 27.6
No. 21 — Surge protector
Off – Average Watts: 1.05; On – Average Watts: 0.80
No. 22 — Game Console
Off – Average Watts: 1.01 ; On – Average Watts: 26.98
No. 23 – CRT Computer Display
Off – Average Watts: 0.80; On – Average Watts: 65.10
No. 24 – Mobile phone charger
Off – Average Watts: 0.26; On – Average Watts: 2.24
No. 25 – Night Light (interior)
Off – Average Watts: 0.05; On – Average Watts: 4.47
Getting Out of Hot Water
You can save money with a simple twist of the dial.
Hot water is expensive.
According to the Department of Energy,the average home in the U.S. spends $1,900 on heating, hot water and electricity. Hot water represents as much as 25% of that cost. That means you probably spend $475 or more to heat water each year. Here are a few tips for getting that number down.
1. Turn down your hot water heater so that the tap water isn’t scalding.
2. Wash your clothes in cold water. Most detergents today are designed to get clothes just as clean in cold water.
3. Get a low-flow showerhead. There are a number of excellent models on the market that produce a strong, invigorating, satisfying shower.
Older shower-heads, pre-1992, often used 5.5 gallons per minute (GPM) or more. If a family of four switched to 1.85 GPM shower-heads they could save as much as 42,000 gallons of water per year. Using an average cost for water of $.008 per gallon, that’s a savings of as much as $341 per year just on the cost of water. (If you have a private well, you don’t get a water bill, but you’ll save about the same amount of money on the electricity used by your well pump.)
It gets even better. About 70% of the water you shower with comes from your water heater. The less water you heat, the more you’ll save.
Click here to find a selection of high-quality water saving showerheads in Verde’s Energy Saving Store.
4. When it’s time for a new water heater, choose an Energy Star model to save about 7% — or a more advanced technology, like a tankless water heater that can save 30% (about $140) or even a solar water heater that can zero your water heating bill. While the up-front cost isn’t cheap, the investment will pay off over time.
Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Monitor
month, or year.
Cozy Toasty Toes Footrest The Cozy Legs Footrest delivers gentle heat through small holes in the surface of the footrest using 90 watts of electricity (conventional space heaters typically use over 1,500 watts of electricity), warming your feet directly. And when your feet are warm you can keep the thermostat at a lower setting.
Student’s Energy Saving Kit: Here’s something neat for the energy conscious college student on your holiday list. It includes a 10-outlet Smart Power Strip, an energy efficient desk lamp, a hand cranked radio, a LED paperback reading light, and lots more. You can find more energy smart gifts in all price ranges from the same provider here.
A solar powered backpack also makes a great gift for the students on your list. You can find a selection of them here.
And while we’re on the subject of solar powered gifts, these solar powered, LED holiday lights are the perfect way to decorate your home for the holidays without adding a penny to your electric bill. They are available in a variety of colors and shapes. Even if you want to decorate shrubs that don’t get much sun, you can place the separate stake-mounted solar panel in a sunny spot.
The Eco Hair Dryer uses a ceramic heating element uses half the energy of a traditional blow dryer with coil heating. It emits significantly less electromagnetic radiation (an output of only 4.1mG, compared to over 200mG for a conventional dryer). Plus, it actually dries faster and produces negative ions that help to control frizz.
