IDT Energy Tips for Vacation Savings

I promised you some great tips to save this summer on your electricity bill while you are away on vacation. IDT Energy encourages you to follow some of these ideas and wishes you a great vacation. dont forget to write!

Make sure to turn off your heat pump or air conditioner before you leave, as long as there is nothing in your home that might be damaged by higher than usual temperatures. Just raising the thermostat might not prevent the unit from turning on from time to time.
Put your pool pump on a timer. Otherwise your pump will run 24 hours a day while you are away.
Your water heater is a large draw on the electricity you use. Even while you are away the heater will turn on periodically to maintain the temperature the thermostat is set to. Completely turn off the water heater at the fuse box or breaker panel and you will be able to save lots of electricity. When you come home be sure to turn on the hot water faucet to make sure there is water in the heater before you turn it on.
For shorter trips of just a few days, consider raising the thermostat in your refrigerator. For longer trips of at least four weeks you might want to clean out your refrigerator completely and turn it off. Be sure to prop open the door while your away to prevent mildew from forming inside the turned-off fridge.

Get Ready to Save this Summer

IDT Energy wants you to save money this summer. Vacation time is coming and it’s time to think about how you can save on your electricity bill even while you are away from home. “What?” You must be thinking, of course I use less electricity when I’m not home- I won’t be there using it!” But this is not entirely true. Many appliances stay on, even when you are not at home. And some may work even harder without you there to maintain them properly and insure that they are properly adjusted to suit changing temperatures and other fluctuating conditions. Next time I will post some tips on how to save on your electric bill while you are away.

IDT Energy Lights up Your Life!

Tips for saving money and energy when it comes to lighting:

• Use compact fluorescent bulbs, which use only a fourth of the amount of electricity as regular bulbs. You can save 10 dollars or more per bulb in long-term electricity costs.
• Let the light shine through - dirty lights and fixtures can hamper efficiency by as much as 20%.
• Darken your doorstep – say goodbye to outdoor decorative lights. You’ll feel good knowing that by turning off eight gas lamps that had been burning year round, you can save as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter.
• Want to reduce the 11% of your electricity bill that goes towards lighting? Use timers to monitor your lighting use and only use bright lights where and when you need them.

IDT Energy reminds you that every little bit helps when it comes to saving money on utilities in New York!

10 Green Websites You Should Be Reading

Lighter Footstep has compiled a list of relative newbies to the green blogging space and highlighted blogs they felt worthy of mention (full article here).

What I like about this article: it focuses on up-and comers, not the heavy hitters.

What I don’t like about this article: the IDT Energy Blog is not on it! A glaring omission, in my opinion.

Here is the list, with my two cents inserted where necessary:

1. Daily Fuel Economy Tip: Tips that help you increase your gas mileage and save money at the pump.

2. Eco-Chick: “The blogteam at Eco-chick includes a model who has a degree in entomology, an alternative health freak who’s used herself as a guinea pig, a science nerd, a news junkie and a Barcelona-based expat; the site is run and hosted by an anarchist webmaster.” Intriguing, if a bit tricky to navigate.

3. Ecorazzi: According to Lighter Footsteps, it’s “People magazine for the Green set — without all the wasted trees.” Fun way to combine love of gossip with civic responsibility.

4. Frugal for Life All about the money – clearly still finding its way.

5. Green Options Kind of overwhelming, but seems like it is all there.

6. Jetson Green – For green building.

7. Maria Energia Love the title. Covers a business angle.

8. No Impact Man Too gimmicky. Begging to be made into reality show.

9. The Sietch Blog: solid content.

10. Vegetarian Meal Plans Works if that’s your thing…