The label proposal requires that performance related information is put on all common household light bulbs in the same format. This means that all light bulbs types will get the same label, which in turn will make comparing products much easier.

The proposed new label requires manufactures to note the light output, energy use and bulb life.
Also the yearly cost of using the bulbs (given three hours a day of use and standard electricity rates) should be put on the label.

Especially the energy use and yearly cost is where we are interested in, because those two can be used to save us money. (Saving energy = saving money.) Because each light bulb will get the same label, you can easily choose the right type of light bulb and the one that will save you money.

Original post by MoneyAside.com

New Light Bulb Label Proposed by FTC

1. Emergency Appliance Fund

It can be very expensive to replace some of your appliances and if you are as most people you probably didn’t save money up-front to replace these broken appliances.

It’s a good thing to start saving up-front for appliance repair or replacement. Open a savings account (note that you receive high interest) and start saving $25 or $50 a month. This savings account will be your appliance emergency fund. Make sure that you only use the money on the savings account for appliance repairs or appliance replacement.

2. Appliance Budget

But as with everything in live, all things come to an end, an appliance need to be replaced. So before you go out and buy a new one, it is better that you determine what you want or need. For instance: what features the appliance needs to have or does it need to have an energy savings hallmark.

After you determined what you need or want you should determine how much you want to spend. In other words determine an appliance replacement budget.

You need to have this budget in your head before you go shopping. This way you don’t spend more than you want. (Don’t give in to shop assistants that want you to buy a different appliance (usually more expensive) than your budget allows, you need or you want to buy.)

3. Sales

Besides an appliance budget, you should also watch for sales before you go shopping. Pick a brand you want, then call at least three stores that sells the brand (research Internet for prices and which stores have which brand) and ask the store the following questions:

• What is the lowest price for model xy?
• Is there a sale in the near future for model xy?
• Is delivery included?
• If yes, how much does delivery cost or if you pick up the appliance yourself, how much will you save on delivery costs?
• Are there installment fees?
• Will there be additional repair fees that are not included in the warranty?

Note: It is always possible to negotiate about a price, but you need to go to the store. Haggling over the phone doesn’t work. If they don’t want to reduce the price then ask for free delivery, free/reduced installment fees, extended free guarantee or xy additional feature for free.)

4. Energy Efficient Model

Saving energy will save you money, so try to buy the most energy efficient model that comes close to your feature wish list or the brand you want. You can check recent issues of “Consumer Report” magazine for brand comparisons. (Check the appliances for the energy saving label before you buy it.) Energy efficient models will save you money in energy costs over the lifetime of the appliance.

5. Older Models

Some stores have “no frills” models or have a special area in the store with last year’s models. Consider buying such model, because they will cost less than most of the recent versions of an appliance.

Note: you should ask if the guarantee is still valid on these older models!

We hope you’ve learned something and that you save money on the next appliance that you buy!

Original post by MoneyAside.com

How to Save Money on Appliances

If every American would change one light-bulb to a compact fluorescent lamp or LED lamp this will help save energy as much as one million cars use in gas. Isn’t that little investment worth it?

Compact Fluorescent Lamp and LED Lamp

Chris Prelitz with New Leaf America take you through some extremely interesting and cost effective lights.

Solar Panel or Light-Bulb

Should you place a solar panel to make energy and save money on the energy bill. Or change just replace some light-bulbs to save energy and thus save money on the energy bill. This is what Chris Prelitz with New Leaf America calls Solar Economics. Take a look and you make the choice:

Original post by MoneyAside.com

Money Saving Lights

With his foundation Make it Right he wants to build 150 low-energy houses. Each house has solar-panels on the roof and several other energy saving gadgets. The average cost of one house is around 118 thousand euro, but according to Pitt the cost per house will drop.

This is of course all good news, but what we liked the most was energy bill of these low-energy houses. According to Pitt the average energy-bill will only be 24 euro (around 35 US Dollar!) Only 24 euro! That is very low.

This makes it clear that saving energy will save you money in the long run.

A video of the project:

Original post by MoneyAside.com

Brad Pitt Shows Energy Bill

And the best thing is that most of these little Green home-improvements you can do yourself.

Below you will find two YouTube video of how to install a programmable thermostat and low-flow shower-head that will help to save you money.

The YouTube videos are produced by Owen Bailey and the Sierra Club.

Installing a Programmable Thermostat

Owen Bailey shows you how to install a programmable thermostat so that you can reduce your families energy consumption on heating.

Installing a Low-Flow Shower-head

Owen Bailey shows you how to install a low-flow shower-head to reduce water consumption and energy use.

Original post by MoneyAside.com

Save Money with a Programmable Thermostat and Low-Flow Shower-head

Super Therm paint is designed with three separate ceramics. Two are reflective and the other acts as a dead air space between the coating surface and the substrate. The result is an actual insulating coating (not just a reflective coating) that will help reduce your energy costs on heating and air-conditioning. Of course you to make an investment, but after some time you will save energy and money.

Note: in some countries you need to have special permission to make changes to your house (even if you own it!) So check local rules before you pick up the brush!

Edmund Haemmerle of NJ Renewable Energy made a YouTube video of his paint-job. Watch it and see how much it helps:

More info on Super Therm paint can be found here.

Original post by MoneyAside.com

Save Money with a Super Therm White Roof

A great way to save money and to do something for the environment is to reduce your energy bill. So before you start changing things in your home, a great way to start is to do an home energy audit. At the end of the audit you get a report with things you can change to help reduce your energy bill. Of course improvements cost money, but they will tell you exactly which things have a quick ROI (return of investment) and when you start saving money on the energy bill.

Edmund Haemmerle of NJ Renewable Energy provides a detailed tour of his home weatherization project on Youtube. Take a look below:

Original post by MoneyAside.com

Save Money with a Home Energy Audit