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-   -   Top 10 Conservation Tips for Renters (https://ecorenovator.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3508)

Daox 02-12-14 01:02 PM

Top 10 Conservation Tips for Renters
 
I was poking around and saw this today:

Top 10 Tips for Renters : ENERGY STAR

Its definitely not the best list, but its somewhere to start if you're renting.

Perhaps we can find some better things to add to the list?

jeff88 02-12-14 01:21 PM

Um, why would you install a 2.5GPM shower head when you can install a 1.25 or 1.5GPM shower head? :rolleyes:

A renter can also purchase a portable induction cooktop rather than using the complex supplied appliance (gas or electric).

Use a blanket (or electric blanket) instead of the heater.

Buy a Kill-a-Watt!!!

ecomodded 02-12-14 01:35 PM

from the list:
Interesting that 90% of the cloths washers energy usage is from the hot water consumed.
I wash and rinse in warm water as Cold water leaves jeans dirty and removes less soap residue when rinsing , is what I find. Hot water is not needed for bright cloths.

jeff5may 02-12-14 02:31 PM

Hack a window air conditioner and turn it into a heat pump. Beats the holy crap out of electric resistance heat.

oil pan 4 02-13-14 02:06 AM

Pay rent so you dont get evicted and have to leave everything behind.

RobbMeeX 02-13-14 07:01 AM

Buy a house... Knocked our rent right in half!

NiHaoMike 02-13-14 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff5may (Post 35701)
Hack a window air conditioner and turn it into a heat pump. Beats the holy crap out of electric resistance heat.

Or if modding is out of reach for you, just set the unit in the room with the hot side facing you. No modding needed whatsoever. It would then take the heat that's already in the room and "concentrate" it where you want it. Might work better if you could bypass the thermostat so it will keep working down to lower temperatures, but that's easily done in minutes with common tools.

Bitcoin or something similar might be a good choice if a heat pump is not an option. You can even make use of "unprofitable" used hardware - it just has to make enough to make it worthwhile.

And there's also the "low tech" reflector incandescent or halogen bulb...

Servicetech 02-15-14 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike (Post 35721)
Or if modding is out of reach for you, just set the unit in the room with the hot side facing you. No modding needed whatsoever. It would then take the heat that's already in the room and "concentrate" it where you want it. Might work better if you could bypass the thermostat so it will keep working down to lower temperatures, but that's easily done in minutes with common tools.

Bitcoin or something similar might be a good choice if a heat pump is not an option. You can even make use of "unprofitable" used hardware - it just has to make enough to make it worthwhile.

And there's also the "low tech" reflector incandescent or halogen bulb...

A standard window AC would freeze up at outdoor temps below about 60. Not useable as a heat pump when simply put in the window backwards.

Servicetech 02-15-14 12:23 PM

Switching from electric to gas dryer (if there is a connection) will save more money than using cold water for the washing machine.

Servicetech 02-15-14 12:26 PM

Programmable thermostats only save money when set correctly. Unfortunately most are NOT set correctly.

jfweaver 02-15-14 12:38 PM

I recently switched from a 2.5GPM showerhead to a 1.75GPM (lowest that Lowes had) and I have noticed anecdotally that there is much less steam/condensation in the bathroom after a shower. I have about 2 years of bills where my water usage was just about even every month, so I should be able to see a slight change in the coming months.

NiHaoMike 02-15-14 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Servicetech (Post 35774)
A standard window AC would freeze up at outdoor temps below about 60. Not useable as a heat pump when simply put in the window backwards.

The whole unit is indoors, so it's cooling one part of the room while heating another. If you only need heat in one part of the room, it's always a win compared to resistance heat.

jeff5may 02-15-14 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike (Post 35783)
The whole unit is indoors, so it's cooling one part of the room while heating another. If you only need heat in one part of the room, it's always a win compared to resistance heat.

You could rig a portable unit to blow cold air out the dryer vent if you have one. Or use the enclosed piping to blow out the window. Works like a Geothermal heat pump, since you are drawing room air into the chiller coil. No loss of capacity at sub-zero temps.

P.S. - I did this in a previous house. No matter what people say about makeup air, heat soak, blah, blah, it works very well. Straight up beats down a space heater for less wattage.

jfweaver 02-15-14 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike (Post 35721)
Bitcoin or something similar might be a good choice if a heat pump is not an option. You can even make use of "unprofitable" used hardware - it just has to make enough to make it worthwhile.

I have a couple of video cards paying me a few thousand Doge per day to run them. The free heat is a nice side benefit, for now. :D

RobbMeeX 02-16-14 10:12 PM

Dogecoins, Dread Pirate Roberts and I2P....

There is a ton of knowledge on the interwebs.

jfweaver 04-13-14 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfweaver (Post 35778)
I recently switched from a 2.5GPM showerhead to a 1.75GPM (lowest that Lowes had) and I have noticed anecdotally that there is much less steam/condensation in the bathroom after a shower. I have about 2 years of bills where my water usage was just about even every month, so I should be able to see a slight change in the coming months.

This is the shower head I have been using for the past 2 months: Shop Oxygenics 1.75-GPM (6.6-LPM) Chrome 7-Spray WaterSense Showerhead at Lowes.com

So on average, my water usage has gone down by just over 100 gallons a month (was averaging just under 1000 gallons and I am now right around 880). That works out to about $1/month in water and about $0.40/month in sewer fees. I can't say how much I am saving on heating the extra ~100 gallons a month.


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