The sad truth is: "When it comes to wasting energy, statistics show Americans win the Gold medal." Then we complain about the energy bills being so high. Yes, we all know the electric cost per Kilowatt is expensive and that is harder for us as individuals to control, but we do have the ability to keep our bills low.

Okay, I understand an example is needed that we can relate and act upon. Lets use the electric cost and refrigerators. We all get electric bills and hopefully we all have refrigerators. Now accountability and responsibility are two words used often in emails and comments I receive from readers. They talk about how Corporate America all too often fails to be accountable and responsible. Nevertheless, we consumers are also at fault. We don't take time to review the complete picture. We buy products, like refrigerators, irresponsibly. This causes us to spend more money on special features that we don't need and will barely use. In the long-run we have a product that uses more electricity, more energy, and costs us more money. Much more money. Corporations want more money from us so they sell us a "Bill Of Goods" and we want more bells and whistles all because of an ugly word spelled g-r-e-e-d.

Why this example, because a while ago I heard about the new "Talking" refrigerators. No, not the kind with various sarcastic recordings that play when the door is opened to help someone lose weight. This is about the new line of appliances, such as refrigerators and ovens designed to communicate with a home network or your smart phone. Now your refrigerator can tell you to buy milk while you are trying to watch a movie or when you just fell asleep, because your teenage son arrived home and drank the remaining amount of milk. Thus causing your cell phone to wake you up for that all important alert message:
"Buy More Milk"

In addition, if you take the time to rescan all your items you put into your fridge after buying them, you can receive an alert message while on the toilet that your cheese just became old and moldy. "Yeah right!" Is it not enough we scan our food at checkout, now we must rescan everything into the fridge just so it can tell us the cheese is bad. "Aah hello! I am already on the toilet, just a little too late!"

Wait, there is more! This French door designed talking fridge has a LCD panel that gives you access to online shopping, calendars, a list for groceries, and photos. Praise the almighty computer chip, I now have photos! Yet, I already have photos on my refrigerator, held up by various decorative magnets.  Okay, but this computer stuff is better! Right? Yes, until the electric bill comes in the mail.

Great Grandma was right when she said: "Waste Not, Want Not."

Today we need to Want Not, so we Waste Not or at least take the time to consider the complete picture. To be accountable for our purchases is no more than realizing the difference between what we need and what we want. If we do this and stick to what we need, then we will not be sold a "bill of goods" all the time. We will save energy, money and our environment for our own great grandchildren.

Bill Lauto, GTG

Christmas and the holidays are here and everyone is cooking up something. The electric and gas bills will also be going up between all the lights and all the cooking. (My next Going True Green Blog posting will be on LED Christmas lights.)

An excellent comment and question was posted on my December 9th 2013 Blog posting called:
What Professional Chefs Prefer

The query was about counter top electric roasters. Based on the numbers for a more efficient way to cook, here is information on using that appliance:

If you are cooking a feast for many family and friends, your oven may not be able to handle all the food you have to cook and all the pies you may wish to bake. So using a counter top electric roaster will help save time. Lower energy bills will also be the outcome if the following is true.

If you have an electric oven, that will use more electricity to roast your food due to its larger size and additional space that must be heated to temperature. The smaller counter top electric roaster will cook faster and use less electricity due to its smaller size. The same stands true for an electric Toaster Oven vs an Electric Oven. When you are cooking or reheating food for just one or two people, the Toaster Oven will be faster and cheaper than your larger electric oven. However, if you still have to put your electric oven on for roasted potatoes and a pie or two, then the lower electric bill will stand true for cooking everything in your one large electric oven.

Now if you have a Gas oven, especially a convection gas oven, the electric counter top roaster will cost more in electricity compared to the cost of the gas consumed by your oven. So despite some of those holiday ads presenting counter top electric roasters as an alternative to cooking in your oven, that is not the complete story as discussed above.

Bill Lauto, GTG

The holidays are here and I trust we are spending time with family and friends to celebrate and honor what is really important in life. To help with saving money on the cost for the "energy side" of the holidays, this blog posting deals with cooking.

Yes, the very way we cook and the type of appliances we use to cook, can add to the electric and gas bills. So if you are shopping for a new stove and / or oven this season, I am sure you have several questions as to what is the best stove and oven to buy:

What is the best type of Oven for Energy Savings? That answer usually gets over-ruled by one's personal taste. Nevertheless, before you decide on what to buy based on personal taste, please consider these basic facts and data:

As a general rule Wall Ovens will use more energy than a well made Range with an oven. We have not seen a Wall Oven with an Energy Star Label. However, more expensive wall ovens coming out in the future with NASA technology may change that.

The fuel you use to heat your oven will make a difference in the energy bills. Over-all GAS will be much less than Electricity simply because of the difference in efficiency. How much of a difference? A much as 75% less for a gas stove and oven. So if it cost you $1.00 cooking with an electric stove, the bill would have been as little as 25 cents with gas. So go with gas and range design.

1.) A "Self-Cleaning" oven is more efficient than an oven without this feature, because self-cleaning ovens usually are better insulated.

2.) If you always open your oven door to take a look-see, then buy an oven with a window and light. This will reduce the times you would open the oven door and let heat escape.

3.) With Gas Stoves: An electronic ignition (piezoelectricity) will use up to 40% less gas than an oven and stove top with pilot lights.

Now if you already have Pilot lights then the burner flame on gas stoves should be BLUE, like in the photo above. If your flames are yellow in color, then clean the ports by following the Manufacturer's Instructions.

Of course if you have any questions, feel free to ask us through our comment box or become a member at EnergyHotwire.com to ask for FREE detail answers for your specific questions.

Bill Lauto, GTG