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Old 12-11-12, 11:20 AM   #1
Daox
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Default 6 things you can buy that will pay for themselves in a year

This is just a good and quick little article on fast ROI items that help you conserve energy. I'm sure there are many more little items but I think they nab the big ones. Can you guys think of more?

In any case, there are 6 good items to add to the Christmas list if you don't have these already.

6 things you can buy that will pay for themselves in a year

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Last edited by Daox; 12-11-12 at 11:33 AM..
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Old 12-11-12, 01:32 PM   #2
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That's a good list, and talking about shortterm ROI items will get people's attention.

for the programmable thermostat, in most climates it'll save lots of money, even with a simple day/night program. The power strip is good only as long as it is used as more than just an extention cord/surge protector. I keep explaining to Dad-in-law that it saves money only if it is turned off.

What else would pay for itself in a year? A sweater + warm socks! (Assuming they go together with lowering house's the temperature.) And they make great presents, too

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In any case, there are 6 good items to add to the Christmas list if you don't have these already.
Yeah, imagine stuffing a water tank blanket under a friend's Christmas tree
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Old 12-11-12, 02:20 PM   #3
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Yeah, imagine stuffing a water tank blanket under a friend's Christmas tree
Reflecting radiator foil would have more "Bling-factor" as a present.
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Old 12-11-12, 10:19 PM   #4
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Heat shrink window film pays for it's self and on a lot of windows you might not need to remove it for years and years!

The power strip that is on that list has a "trigger" outlet that signals that the other outlets need power, the kind of thing that you could plug your cable box, DVD player, video game system and so on, in to and plug the TV in to the trigger outlet, my radio has a switched and a non switched outlet on the back of it, the switched outlet is only live with the radio is on.

LED lights should be on that list, the ones I have have better quality light then CFL's and use half the energy, they also come on instantly, my 1.5 watt LED is bright enough to light up my living room as a really bright night light, almost all of the rest of my lights in my house are LED's.

A Kill-a-watt meter or other energy meter like a Watt's Up should be on that list! being informed as to what the energy hogs in your house is valuable! and when you are done with it you loan it to a friend.

A can of expanding foam should also be on that list, kill drafts in your house!
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Old 12-11-12, 10:36 PM   #5
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How about LED light bulbs, does that count? I haven't used one yet, would like some feedback from those who have.
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Old 01-08-13, 08:46 AM   #6
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I don't know of too many LED bulbs that will pay for themselves in a year (and will continue working long after), but its a definite possibility.

Still looking for other ideas too!
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Old 01-09-13, 07:49 AM   #7
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Quote:
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I don't know of too many LED bulbs that will pay for themselves in a year (and will continue working long after), but its a definite possibility.

Still looking for other ideas too!
I agree with Daox that LED bulbs don't have a good one year pay off time. But certain applications using them REALLY works.

For example, I hated replacing those small 5 watt incandescent night light bulbs. The ROI here is low, but the time savings is huge. Also replacing high ceiling lights way a real pain in the . . . . neck, and LEDs work there well.

Still using CFLs until I see another 50% drop in LED prices. We may get there in 2013.

You don't need to buy a special water heating blanket. Strips of fiberglass batting works - especially if it is free.
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Old 01-09-13, 08:31 AM   #8
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Quote:
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I don't know of too many LED bulbs that will pay for themselves in a year (and will continue working long after), but its a definite possibility.
I figure my LED pay back is about a year and a half.
I have not had a single LED of mine stop working and my oldest screw in LED is almost 10 years old, about 5 years ago I started finding ones that were bright enough for general room lighting instead of just task lighting and in the last year the price of those LED's that replace the most common light bulbs in my house has dropped to $10 to $13 each. I replaced all of the lights in my kitchen and living room with LED's, the most used lights in the house, According to the Kill-A-Watt meter they are using around 1/3 of the electricity of the CFL bulbs that they are replacing, labeled per year cost on the LED is $1.45 at my electrical rate if you have them on for 3 hours per day, living room and kitchen lights are on the most at 6+ hours per day so they were the first to be replaced and I figure a cost savings at that point of about $6 per bulb per year, cost of a CFL is around $2 each if I buy them on sale in a 4 pack so the cost of an LED is only $8 to $11 more then a CFL.
My parents and I also both replaced all of our outdoor light bulbs with LED's because you need them most in the winter, CFL bulbs do not like the cold and wear out quicker in the cold or they end up drawing huge amounts of power to warm up, LED's do not, so the only other reasonable choice outside is an incandescent bulb, so there again they have a quick pay back.
Replacing closest lights or other seldom used lights with LED's does not make sense of course, but replacing the most used bulbs in the house with them doe.
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Old 01-09-13, 09:52 AM   #9
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On the battery charger, it makes sense to look for one that can charge 1-4 AA and AAA cells individually. Many run-of-the-mill chargers can only charge one or two *pairs* of AA and often only one pair of AAA at any given time, and the charge management is rather dodgy.

I found a La Crosse Technology unit that can do up to 4 AA and/or AAA in any combination and it has individual charging management, with a handy display telling you what charging level is and when it is full, or if the cell is no good it says so. It comes with a detachable wall wart that run relatively cool.

BC-700 by La Crosse Technology - Tomorrow's Weather Today

I think you can find it for less than $50 - yep Amazon has it for just under $40. I also highly recommend Sanyo eneloop (the name is all lowercase) batteries - they hold a charge better and last longer and are compatible with more devices than any other rechargable brand I have used.
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Old 01-09-13, 04:01 PM   #10
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Here is another thing that can save you energy and money and since I'm generally retrofitting my house it is on the project list to eventually get done. Any house needs natural outdoor light for general psychological comfort. But if your house has 20% of its exterior walls being windows that window area defines the highest overall R value your walls can have. Even if the rest of the walls were perfect energy insulators the R value of the window area , typically R3 to R6 for good windows, will lower the overall R values of the walls dramatically. You can't do anything about it.

The newer cellular shades will help. The best have a value of about R4. I put them in the same category as LEDs since they are a major investment and will have a lower return on investment than the top 6 mentioned here. But just like light bulbs they can be considered something that will save you tons of money over time. Plus cellular shades look good.
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