As a temporary fix, until we can replace the windows, we put plastic on the windows. This is one of the easiest projects I have done. They sell little kits at the home improvement store that include the plastic already cut to the size of most major window sizes and double-sided tape. The only other tools you need are scissors and a hair dryer. I would bet you already have these tools. The plastic gets put up using the double stick tape, the excess is cut off, and the hair dryer shrinks the plastic to give it a nice tight fit. The Creative Homeowner has a great article explaining each step with picture, if you need a bit more explanation.

This took about 10-15 minutes for me to do, cost under $5 and now I have a much more comfortable living room. 

The first thing I did was install a programmable thermostat.  When we moved in, we had that old style of themostat that is circular and you just turn the dial to the desired temperature.  These work but I wanted to change the temperature for when no one is home or while we are asleep.  I can do this manually but I rarely remember.  So a small investment in a programmable thermostat was definitely worth it.

I picked up a programmable thermostat for about $30.  Most thermostats run between $30 and $50.  Not bad for what you get for the money.  You will have to examine your weekly habbits to know what options to look for.  The popular options are 7 day, 5-2 day, and 5-1-1 day. 

• The 7 day means there is the same heating schedule 7 days a week (not common usage for most households).
• The 5-2 day means there is one heating schedule for 5 days a week and a different heating schedule for the other 2 days in the week. 
• The 5-1-1 day means that there is one heating schedule for 5 days a week and a different schedule for each of the other two days (a total of 3 schedules).

The more complex the schedule, the higher the cost of the thermostat.  I bought the 5-1-1 day model from RiteTemp.  I love having the different schedules, but I am not a fan of the layout.  I’ve had Honeywell models before and thought they were much more intuitive to use.  If you find electronics confusing, take this into account when buying a programmable thermostat.

The installation process wasn’t too bad.  Definitely read the instructions first.  This is something I don’t normally do, but glad I did this time.  The wires in the existing thermostat are labelled with letters.  You will need to know which letter each wire belongs to.  The instructions with the thermostat will tell you how the letters will match up (it is mostly self explanatory, but not always).  Transferring the wires over and screwing it into the wall is pretty much the whole process.  Don’t forget to turn off the power before working with any wires.

I have the temperature lowered during the day (while my husband is travelling) and slightly lower while we are sleeping.  This saves the furnace from running more than it has to during hours we don’t need the higher temperatures.  Not only does it save some money in my heating bills but also reduces the amount of gas being consumed.  Look for other ways I have lowered my heating bill and gas consumption in future posts.

I was quite surprised at the results.  First, all the consoles still consume energy when turned off, which I could have guessed.  The amount in comparison between the consoles was what surprised me the most. 

The Nintendo Wii used only 16 watts in active mode, while the Xbox 360 used 119 watts and PS3 used 150 watts!  The study translated these into costs.  The Wii costs $3 while turned off per year and $10 while active.  The Xbox 360 costs $11 off and $103 while on.  The PS3 has the highest numbers with $12 costs while turned off and $134 while on.  I realize these numbers are not going to be exact costs for anyone because of the amount of time a system is actually on versus actually turned off in a year is going to be different for each system.  What I find fascinating with these numbers is the huge difference between the Wii and the other two systems.  The amount of energy the Wii uses while on is still less than that of either the Xbox 360 or the PS3 turned off.  The Xbox and the PS3 use more than 10 times the amount of energy as the Wii while turned on.

So, if you were considering a new console, perhaps this information will sway you to a Wii.  If you have a different console and are now worried about the amount of energy used, read the full study .  They talk about how to utilize the energy settings the consoles have but by default are not set up.  We actually purchased a Wii last year, and this study makes me feel real good about our purchase.

This fall we did not have a “staycation”; we took a vacation and went camping.  It was wonderful.  We picked a place that was less than a day to drive to, Shenandoah National Park.  We packed up the hybrid with a tent, sleeping bags, cooler, and all the workings for a week of camping.  I can’t tell you how many times I researched the fall foliage reports for the area to make sure we had picked the right week.  When we got there, it was just beautiful.  I did lots of research ahead of time to make sure we had plenty to do.  Hiking, cave tours, and wineries were on our agenda.  It was a pleasant week, although a bit cold at night.

I keep saying it was a great vacation, but we did not fly anywhere, stay in a hotel or visit an amusement park.  You don’t have to in order to have a great time.  Here are a few ways that this vacation was better for the environment:

• National Parks - The vendor that manages many of the park services has a wonderful environmental outlook. I have been to many national parks and most are fantastic, check ‘em out sometime.
• Camping - The campground of course had lights on in the bathrooms and they were heated, but our tent had no electricity, no television, no radio, just good companionship and a warm fire.  We even used our “wind-up” flashlight (no batteries!).
• Hiking - While hiking, we took the camera but other than that, not much else.  It was carry-in/carry-out, so we took light weight lunches that generated little trash to make it easier to carry.  
• Buy local - One of my favorite things to do on any vacation is sample the local wines.  Buying local is a great way to keep waste down.  If you are there buying direct, they don’t have to transport the products and have better control over the quality.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t take a “staycation” or that you shouldn’t take a flight to stay at an amusement park resort. I’m just saying there are other great options that many people have forgotten about.  Get in tune with nature. Visit a national park. Go camping.

The Department of Energy says that the average household should be set to 120 degrees.  I don’t know about your dial, but mine doesn not have numbers to know what temperature it is set at.  This is when I turn to one of my favorite magazines, The Family Handyman.  This article explains how to find that magical temperature setting and has a picture of the dial, so you know what you are looking for.

The other thing I want to point out is the vacation setting on your hot water heater.  When I go on vacation, there are a number of things I turn down or off.  The temperature gets turned down (in winter, up in summer).  The water gets shut off.  I would also recommend an additional item to turn down, the hot water heater.  On the temperature dial of the hot water heater, there is the word “Vacation”.  By setting the dial to vacation, it turns down the amount of gas being used to the bare minimum without turning it off completely.  You could turn it off completely, but keep in mind you may have to relight the pilot light if you do.