Summer Energy Efficient Tips

Right now is a perfect time to save on energy! The heat is off and the AC hasn't been turned on yet.

It's also a great time to start preparing for the summer - keeping your energy bills low by conserving energy.

Here are IDT Energy's top 5 energy efficiency tips to get ready for the summer:

1. Change the filters once a month.  Don't make your A/C work harder than it has to. Pushing air through a dirty filter takes more energy; plus, who doesn't want clean air!
2. Install a programmable thermostat.  You have heard this one time and time again. So why are you waiting? Your couch and favorite lazy chair don't need to stay cool while you are busy at work. And who has time to remember to adjust the temp when you are running out of the house barely remembering to put shoes on! Set the thermostat to automatically adjust.
3. Clean the condensation lines.  Keeping this clean of sludge and debris is important to maintain the efficiency of the AC unit.
4. Check that the condenser (unit outside) is level.  If the cement pad that the condenser sits on outside is not level the machine has to work harder.  That means you have to work harder to pay those energy bills!
5. Clean the condenser.  While you are outside making sure that the condenser is level, make sure it's free of any debris. Debris blocks air flow, making the unit work harder.

Looking for more energy saving tips? Check out IDT Energy's Facebook and IDT Energy's Pinterest.

IDT Energy Introduces SmartBudget

Over the past few months IDT Energy gave back close to $4 million dollars to customers faced with the Polar Vortex price spikes. In addition, we are introducing a new program to help better protect consumers from energy market volatility. The IDT Energy® SmartBudget promotion will lock your electricity supply rate for the next twelve months with no termination fees. This is especially important for utility customers in PA who will see significant rate increases on June 1 for electricity supplied by their utility.

For more information see the article in Yahoo! Finance and stay tuned to this blog and IDT Energy's Facebook!

DOE Helps Consumers Design Home Energy Savings Plan

The US Department of Energy encourages citizens to save money on their energy bill, and helps people to do just that.  Using the motto, “Save money, live better, help the earth!” the DOE has set up a website to point out tips, give advice, and help consumers create a custom-made energy-saving plan.

Visitors to the web site enter their zip code and then become a personal energy-use analysis. Users pick whether they are doing a hypothetical analysis, inspection of actual house, energy audit of actual house or designing a brand new home. Then the user’s home address, year the home was built, and number of people living in the home is entered. Energy prices are already added if an address was given.

The next page asks about building design, including how many stories, amount of heated or cooled floor area, type of foundation, floor insulation, attic or ceiling type, and other information. Window area and type are also questioned. There is a form to discuss appliances and equipment, including water heater, refrigerators, cooling and heating equipment, and more.

Another page allows users to calculate current yearly energy costs and compare to the cost of energy after upgrades are implemented. There is also a place to have all the upgrade recommendations summarized. For anyone interested in saving money on their home energy bills, this website from the DOE is highly useful.

Enjoy Learning About Energy with Your Kids this Spring

Here are a few great ideas to get your kids interested in energy issues and to learn something, too.

Potato Battery Time

• Did you know that you can create “lightning” on a small scale with simple materials that you have right at home? All you need is a balloon, a piece of wool fabric, like a sweater, and a darkened room. Just blow up the balloon, rub it about 10 times on the sweater to give the balloon a ‘charge’ and then discharge the balloon by placing it near something metal, like a door knob. You will see a spark of electricity jump from the balloon to the metal. Cool!

• Some older folks among us may remember making a battery from an uncooked potato. It’s a really awesome project sure to mesmerize your kids. For detailed instructions on how to get two potatoes to run a clock that usually uses batteries, go to this site: http://www.kidzworld.com/article/4726-how-potato-batteries-work 

• Now that spring is here and the summer sun is on its way, consider making a solar cooker. You can follow the directions here: http://www.txu.com/en/about/community/solar-academy.aspx and learn about alternative sources of energy while having a great time with your kids.

IDT Energy wishes our readers a great summer of learning about energy issues and having fun while doing it.

Brrrr.... Winter Energy Projects

It is cold out here in the Northeast! Are you looking for some projects to keep busy indoors? We have compiled some of our favorite energy projects (and a few others). Of course check out our IDT Energy Pinterest for more ideas.

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Fact: Laughing warms you up! Here are some funny (not energy related) winter warm up project. This funny list includes a nod to the famous A Christmas Story.

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You flick a switch and a light bulb lights up a room. Wouldn't it be neat to teach your kids exactly how it works, using only simple household projects? Check out this project that builds a simple light bulb using "circuit science".

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One of the favorite, easy projects that you can do is to simply draw any design on a lightbulb and light up your room with some funk.

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Are you a history buff or like vintage things?  Chances are you have seen these old insulators at garage sales or in an antique store. In a past post, we talked about some of the interesting different ways people are turning insulators into lamps. Also, make sure you read the post where we talked about the history of the insulators.

Turning food into power? Crazy but very possible. Here is a simple description of how you can turn simple household food into energy to light a bulb.

IDT Energy Can Help You Earn Money

Active IDT Energy Customers Can Refer a Friend & Earn $

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Are you already an IDT Energy customer? Looking for more ways to make your electric for your you?  

IDT Energy can earn YOU money.  Share this great deal with your friends & when they sign up you earn $25 for each electric and natural gas enrollment.  That's a $25 check for each natural gas account and $25 for each electric account...  Cash money in your pocket. Just send them to IDTEnergyFriends.com to enroll and make sure you receive proper credit. 

Have 10 friends enroll both natural gas and electric, earn $500. Have 20 friends enroll both natural gas and electric and earn $1,000! There's no limit to how much you can earn!

Your friends will get a great deal too. When they sign up at www.IDTEnergyFriends.com they will get 2 FREE months of electric (check here for the terms and conditions that apply).

10 Thanksgiving Energy Efficient Tips

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After spending money on the Turkey and all of side dishes, who isn't looking to save a few dollars before the holiday season? Here are 10 energy saving tips for cooking your Thanksgiving meal:

1. Use an ice chest or cooler for drinks if you're hosting a large group to cut down on wasting electricity when the refrigerator door is open.
2. Use LED lighting if you're decorating with holiday lights already. It's more energy efficient
3. Turn down your house thermostat! You’ll likely be pumping plenty of extra heat out of the kitchen to make up for the difference.
4. The sides: choose sides that you can cook with the turkey in the oven simultaneously so you don’t have to add extra time to the oven’s use.
5. Don’t worry about pre-heating the oven, it’s not necessary for a long, slow cook like a turkey.
6. Use ceramic or glass pans, you can turn down your oven by up to 25 degrees and your food will still cook just as quickly.
7. Check to see if your oven has a convection feature; it will cook more quickly and it is more energy efficient.
8. Cook on a gas grill instead of the oven. They are clean burning and energy efficient. 
9. Let your leftovers cool before you store them, so your refrigerator doesn't have to work as hard to cool the items. 
10. Cook more efficiently by using lids. When cooking with pots and pans, make sure to use lids whenever possible to retain heat. Doing so will allow you to save energy by cooking on lower heat settings over shorter cooking times.

NY's IDT Energy Enters Natural Gas Vehicle Industry

Originally posted on Gowanus Lounge

IDT Energy, one of the largest energy providers in the New York region, recently launched Evergreen Fleet Services as part of its plans to enter the Natural Gas Vehicle industry. The new program will work alongside Clean Vehicle Solutions, LLC to provide a toolkit for fleet owners, operators and managers to reduce operating costs and emissions for fleet owners.

IDT CEO Geoffrey Rochwarger said:

“I am excited to announce IDT Energy’s entry into the Natural Gas Vehicle industry. Evergreen Fleet Services, through our partnership with CVS, will leverage IDT Energy’s natural gas commodity expertise and in-market experience in the retail sector to help provide world class CNG-based solutions for fleet owners in the Northeast. We initially intend to take full advantage of IDT Energy’s regional base of operations, network for supply of the commodity and other relationships and infrastructure, and then gradually expand our geographic footprint and scope of offerings.”

IDT’s Evergreen Fleet Services joins CVS, a full service, end-to-end CNG solutions provider with a range of services, including consulting, finance, production, maintenance and training.

CEO of CVS Dean Sloane said:

“The Evergreen Fleet Services partnership brings significant value to our business. IDT Energy’s natural gas commodity procurement and related industry expertise will help to further grow our business, bringing new customers and adding value to our offerings.”

Rochwarger added “Natural gas provides powerful benefits compared to traditional liquid transportation fuels. Switching to natural gas can reduce fleet fuel costs by approximately 28% compared to diesel and 35% compared to unleaded gasoline at today’s prices, while significantly reducing greenhouse emissions. Evergreen Fleet Services will help fleet owners, operators and managers to capitalize on the extraordinary advantages of CNG.”

DIY Energy Audit: Light Switched & Outlets

You remember to turn off lights every time you leave a room. Good job! But are you letting warm air escape through the outlets and light switches?

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A professional energy audit is helpful, but expensive.  Our multi-part series on how to perform your own energy audit will save you money on the audit and on your monthly energy bills.

Your thin metal or plastic plate doesn't stop much in terms of air loss. Without insulation, these outlets are merely big holes in the wall.

How to identify a leaky light: Remove the plate from the wall. Cover the opening with a single ply of tissue and affix it to the wall with painters tape - just at the top. If the tissue billows - you have a leak.

How to correct a leak: A precut foam gaskets is only about 10 cents from a home stores. Just place the gasket over the opening and cover with the plate.

The leakage caused by light switches and outlets accounts for about 2% of your heating and cooling bill.  With that savings but the IDT Energy savings you could save up to 12% on your annual energy expenses.

Check out the other posts in our DIY Energy Audit seris: Drafty Window, Fireplace Energy Sucker, Cold Water Heater  and Leaky Ductwork  for more helpful tips. Plus go to the IDT Energy Facebook page for energy saving tips and tricks.

DIY Energy Audit: Leaky Ductwork

Do you have money blowing out of your ductwork? If your ductwork isn't properly sealed heat could not be getting to the intended location in your house leaving you cold and turning up the heat.

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A professional energy audit is helpful, but expensive.  Our multi-part series on how to perform your own energy audit will save you money on the audit and on your monthly energy bills.

Heat generated from your furnace or bolier must travel through the ductwork through your house and to various rooms in your house. If air is escaping in the ductwork in your basement it will never reach the intended destination of say, your bedroom. Overtime the adhesive tape that seals the joints of the ductwork becomes less effective as it dries out or is pulled away. 

How to identify leaky ductwork: While the furnace or AC is on shine a flashlight on the ducts - especially where they connect to the registers. Where you see dust on the ducts that has been blown away, that's a sign of a leak. 

How to correct a leak: Use HVAC tape to seal or re-seal joints between sections. Patch any small holes or misalignment's with a water based mastic sealant and mesh tape.

By reducing the air leakage by 15% you can save 3 to 10% of your heating bill. That, plus the savings with IDT Energy you can really save some money on your annual energy expenses. 

Check out the other posts in our DIY Energy Audit seris: Drafty Window, Fireplace Energy Sucker,  and Cold Water Heater  for more helpful tips. Plus go to the IDT Energy Facebook page for energy saving tips and tricks.