6 Unusual DIY Lamps

The weather has cooled off and and it might be time to move your DIY skills inside.  As energy nerds, we like projects that involve energy and lamps were right up our alley.  Plus we like saving money, so DIY projects are kinda our thing.  We found 6 cool and unusual lamps that you can create at home. Would you take on a project like this? Or have you already?

Auto Part Lamp 

This lamp is made from a car air filter and other auto parts. 

Find it here!

 Combo Lamp

Plug in or charge up with this lamp. It's both and outlet and a lamp!

Find it here!

Lego Lamp

If you have a little boy or girl that loves to build with legos this lamp is a fun activity to do together!

Find it here!

Teacup Lamp

Have some old china you aren't quite sure what to do with? Or a dainty room that needs some light?

Find it here!

Toy Lamp

The below picture has it with different action figurines and toy soldiers, but we thought it would also be cute with trucks & cars or ponies!

Find it here!

Colander Chandelier

 Looking for some rustic charm in the kitchen? Something useful and decorative? We think you could even take of the kitchen utensils if you have an over crowded dinner party. 

Find it here!

Favorite Fall Crock Pot Recipes

Fall is a great time to break out the crock pot. We have pinned some of our favorite recipes but check out our top 5 foods below!

1. Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

One word - Yum! Buffalo Chicken Wing dip is a staple at many football parties, but have you tried the soup version? If not you are in for a delight. There are a number of different versions so we pinned a few on our Energy Efficient Foodie board. But the key ingredients are Franks Red Hot Sauce, chicken, mozzarella cheese and milk. We also really enjoy this in a bread bowl!

2. Candied Sweet Potatoes

This is great for Thanksgiving, easing up some of that precious oven space. It's sweet and yummy, plus who doesn't like marshmallows in their dinner?  Plus with around 3 main ingredients and a few kitchen staples, it doesn't require a huge chuck of your budget.

3. Chili - Chicken Style

Fall and chili almost go together. Ground meat and tomatoes all stewed together with some great spices and maybe beans... our tummies are doing grumbling. But least we forget traditional chili's favorite sibling - White Chicken Chili. A bit different take, but oh so satisfying.

4. Hot Apple Cider

It's apple season. Apple pies, apple crisp, apple sauce and one yummy beverage - apple cider. Your crockpot isn't just for food, but beverages too! Sure you can just heat up some apple cider and call it a day, but if you want to add a little extra yum to it, try it in a crockpot. Apple cider + cinnamon + whole cloves = amazing.

5.  Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Yet another shout out to our Buffalo foodie customers, but we couldn't pass up this pasta recipe with our favorite hot sauce. We haven't tried it ourselves yet, but it just looks to good not to! Check it out.

Happy Friday!

10 Energy Saving Tips for Fall

The nights are cool, and the days are warm - Fall is here!  While the leaves change and the trees prepare for cooler temperatures, it's time to prepare your house to keep the heat in and cool air out.

Here are 10 tips to make your house more energy efficient for the winter:

1. Schedule a tune up for your heating system. Not only will this help your furnace run more efficiently, but it may help prevent a break down in the cold winter months. 
2. Replace your furnace filter. Continue to replace it once a month while in use. 
3. Find and seal any air leaks caused by pipes or lines entering your house. 
4. Add caulk or weather stripping to leaky doors and windows. 
5. Check your fireplace damper to ensure it is closed when not in use. 
6. If you never use your fireplace seal the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible. 
7. Add caulking to the fireplace hearth.
8. Take advantage of the heat from the sun - open the drapes during the day to allow the sun to come in and close them at night to keep the warmth in. 
9. 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. 
10. Your water heater can account for 14%-25% of your heating costs. Turn down the setting on your hot water heater to warm - or 120 degrees. 

For more ways to save check out www.IDTEnergy.com

Fall Tailgating Tips - Energy Nerd Style

Football season is in full swing! Are you planning on tailgating with your favorite team this year? Here are some tips to put your tailgate yards head of your neighbors - energy nerd style:

• Freeze water bottles instead of dumping ice into your cooler. It will keep things cold, plus it's a refreshing beverage after it melts!

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• Amplify the sound. Forgot the speakers? Use a toilet paper roll and two cups

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• Use your cooler to cook the corn on the cob in larger quantities

  

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• Turn your cooler into a food warmer. Keep your food warm for hours!
• How to: 
• Wrap 4 bricks (the kind used to build walls) with aluminum foil. 
• Heat the bricks in a 350° oven for an hour. 
• Using potholders, carefully place them on pieces of cardboard in the bottom of a cooler. 
• Cover with more cardboard and use cloth towels for stability. Pans of food, straight from the oven will stay hot for hours.

The NYC Energy Marketing Conference Honors IDT Energy, Inc. with its Industry Leadership and Integrity Award

We are proud to announce that our CEO has accepted the "Industry Leadership and Integrity Award presented by the NYC Energy Marketing Conference.

"Most CEO’s of REPs saw the crisis of 2014 as dangerous and catastrophic. Yet the CEO of IDT Energy saw it as an opportunity: a chance to separate his company from the industry, to grow as a business, to improve the customer offerings, to show his integrity and to lead by example,” said Jack Doueck, EMC Founder. “IDT voluntarily suffered economically, but they did the right things, the painful things, and in so doing, they overcame and grew from the adversity and became a better, stronger, and more responsive business.” 

Read more about the award and how honor IDT Energy received.

Air Leaks: Checking and Sealing

Fall is here! And it's time to start prepping your house for the colder weather. Did you know that even if you  have insulated your walls and updated your window there could still be small leaks sucking out the heat and costing you money? Small spaces, like your light sockets and outlets, could lack insulation and be the source.

(Via)

How to check for energy loss: Turn off the furnace and any fans, also shut the doors and windows in your house. Light an incense stick and hold it near the outlets and light switches. Any movement? There's a leak!

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How to correct a leak: At a home improvement store, like Home Depot, they have foam electrical outlet and wall covering insulation. By removing your outlet or wall plate, placing the insulation over the outlet and reattaching the plate, you can prevent these leaks. Not an expensive task, this minimally time consuming change could make your house a little cozier this winter!

Have questions on your energy bill? Contact an IDT Energy Customer Service Rep today!

IDT Energy: Energy Saving Ideas for Your Home

We all love our new LED lamps, but seriously, the light these wonderfully energy efficient bulbs emit is not too aesthetically pleasing. The answer is not to get rid of them since they save huge amounts of energy, and they have about a 50,000-hour lifetime. So what is the answer? How about a new device from a company called Cree.

Dimmable LED Lamp with Warm Incandescent Light

Cree developed a dimmable LED downlight. Known as the LR6, it uses a combination of red and yellow LEDs to get the lovely, warm incandescent look that most of us prefer. Best of all, the LR6 gets the effect without upping the energy consumption.

Using only 12 watts of electricity this clever light still can produce 650 lumens of light. That is the same as a 75-watt incandescent bulb. The light is even dimmable, a great advantage for use all over the home. The light also actively manages the output of the LEDs to insure that the light intensity and color does not change during the entire 25-year life expectancy of the light. They are a bit expensive, but if you divide by their lifetimes the deal is pretty good.

Energy Efficient Remodeling: Part 2 - Bathroom

Bathrooms can be one of the smallest rooms in your house, however, they can also be one of the most expensive (next to a kitchen!). So it's important to make it work hard for you and save you money on energy!

The IDT Energy geeks have identified four areas that you can make improvements to and save on energy.

1. Windows
2. Faucets
3. Walls/Floors
4. Lighting

The windows provide light and ventilation for a bathroom. However, if it is not energy efficient it might provide to much ventilation - a draft! A new, updated window can both make the room cozier and more aesthetically pleasing. By installing a window with the Energy Star insignia, it will help prevent the room from becoming too hot or too cold. 

One of the largest energy wasters in a bathroom are the faucets; 50-75% of your water usage is in the bathroom. Leave the sink or shower faucets running and gallons of water, and $$, can disappear down the drain. By installing Energy Star rated faucets, you can reduce the flow of water and limit the amount of wasted water. Additionally, by upgrading your toilet to a dual flush, it can use a fraction of the water every time you flush.

Increasing the energy efficiency of the walls and floors of the bathroom may be a larger renovation, but can make a vast difference in the overall energy efficiency of the room. People are most sensitive to temperatures in the bathroom and proper insulation helps maintain the correct temperature - preventing additional adjustments to the whole house thermometer.   If you are removing walls, one of the most important steps is to increase the insulation if it is below a R19 ( R30 for ceilings) value. Also, by insulating your pipes with in the wall, you can prevent heat loss in water, reducing the energy your water heater uses. While your walls are open, this is a good time to check and seal any leaks in the framing. 

Lighting in bathrooms is important - especially if you are applying makeup! There are a number of ways to increase the energy efficiency with the lighting. A couple simple changes you can make: clean the window(s) - a clean window lets in more light; and change the light bulbs - update to energy efficient light bulbs. A large renovation can increase the lighting overall in your room, depending on where your bathroom is located in the house, add a skylight or for smaller spaces, a solar tube. Either of these options will bring in daylight, decreasing your need for artificial lighting. 

Of course you can always check our Pinterest for more energy efficient tips and ideas. 

In the Kitchen: Energy Efficient Appliances

As a follow up to our last post, here are some more ideas to get the most out of your kitchen appliances, energy-wise.

Here are a few simple tips from IDT Energy to help you get started making your kitchen as energy efficient as possible:

• Measure the space you have set aside for your new appliance. Then measure the appliance to make sure it will fit and that there is enough space to open doors or lid, and that there is enough room for proper ventilation.

• It is not enough to only consider the price of the appliance. Check how much the appliance costs to run, and be sure to purchase the most energy efficient that you can.

• Check with the sales person if there are any special offers such as cash rebates, low-interest loans or other incentives to purchase a more energy efficient model.

• Be sure to read the Energy Guide, the black and yellow sticker that the FTC requires be placed on all new appliances, (with the exception of kitchen ranges, microwave ovens and dryers.) Reading this guide helps consumers to compare the different models and make the most informed choices about the energy they will be using and the money they will be spending when they bring the new appliance into their home.

Becoming an informed consumer will help you save money and save energy.

Energy Efficient Remodeling: Part 1 - Kitchen

Are you using this beautiful weather to fix up or remodel some areas of your home? Are you looking to update the cosmetics or perhaps lower your energy bills? There are a number of ways you can make your house work harder for you and spend less on your monthly bills.

The geeks at IDT Energy are always looking for ways to improve their own homes and as total energy geeks we look for ways to lower our energy bills. For the first part of this series we are looking at the kitchen - the heart and hub of many homes.

1. The first and the most obvious way to improve the efficiency in the kitchen is to replace and upgrade the appliances.  Older appliances tend to use a lot of energy, by upgrading to energy star rated appliances you will reduce energy usage and save money.
2. Lighting can account for 15% of your home's energy usage and because your kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the house, it uses the majority of that 15%. If you are not replacing the lighting fixtures, simply change your light bulbs from the old style to CFL (compact florescent lights). If you are replacing the light fixtures themselves, upgrade to Energy Star light fixtures. These light fixtures can use 75% less energy, generate 75% less heat and last up to 10 times longer.
3. Increase the natural lighting in the room. By removing any unneeded walls, increasing the window or door size and even adding a light tube you can increase the natural light in the room.
4. Add insulation to both the walls and the pipes. Additional insulation around the pipes will prevent the heat escaping from the water. For the outside walls add blown-in insulation if you are not opening the walls and spray foam if you are. Spray foam can be expensive so if you are looking save money, batt and roll works as well. Make sure you have an R value of at least R-30 for outside walls, but the higher the R value the better. 
5. Change out your faucet for a low flow faucet that can reduce water usage by 60%.
6. Check for any air leaks around electrical outlets, windows, doors and recessed lighting An easy way to look for leaks - use a stick of incense, use it around any possible leaks, if the smoke moves or shift there is a leak. Seal or insulate any leaks that you find. 

Stay tuned as we explore different areas of the house!