Cooking Efficiently for the Holidays

The holidays are a time for celebration complete with friends, family and lots of good food. With most Americans seeking to cut back this year, we researched some ways to continue enjoying the season's traditions while being mindful of wasteful excesses.

We've talked about how LED holiday lights help you save on your power bill. Another great way to conserve energy -- not just during the holidays, but on a daily basis -- is by making simple changes in the way we cook. Aside from selecting energy-efficient appliances, there are many easy, cost-free steps you can take to reduce energy consumption and waste in your kitchen.

According the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the key to efficient cooking is understanding your cooking habits. Both the ACEEE and the New York Times' Green Inc. blog (which you must check out if you haven't yet) share helpful energy-saving tips on cooking.

• http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/cooking.htm
  


• http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/cheap-green-energy-and-ovens/

On that note, we wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Huge TVs use Huge amounts of Power!

Though many people are looking to purchase large plasma and LCD HDTVs for the holidays, people often forget to think about how much electricity these units consume. We recently found this great and informative chart (below) comparing power consumption in HDTVs.

CNET has tested 128 HDTVs between January 2006 and October 2008. The chart is broken down by Model, HDTV type, Screen Size, Watts Power On, Watts per Square Inch, Score Overall, Score (per size), and Annual Cost (based on being run 8 hours a day, 16 hours in standby mode, at 10.6 cents per kilowatt hour).

Some of the lowest cost per year televisions are:

Charts by CNET.com

Some of the televisions that consume the most electricity are:

Charts by CNET.com

See the rest of the performance chart on CNET and don't forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page -- especially those in the market for a new TV.

So, Where Does the Power Go?

We get quite a few questions here at Dominion asking for a breakdown of where energy is consumed within the home. We look to one of our partners, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to cite a comprehensive chart on End Use of energy, which is shown below.

Things to notice:

• Air Conditioning and lighting are the two largest single sources of consumption at 15% each.



• Your color TV is a whopping 8% of your consumption. Turning your TV off when not watching could shed energy consumption.



• Water heat is another 8% of your consumption. Getting a hot water jacket really pays dividends.

Don’t forget to share this page to help others conserve energy and save money.

Bright Idea: Try our new Holiday Lighting Calculator

Looking for ways to go green this holiday season? Want to be festive and save on your power bill too?

Check out a new tool on the Dominion Web site – Holiday Lighting Energy Calculator. The calculator shows the energy savings between traditional holiday lights and efficient LED holiday lights. To use the this tool, all you need to know is what types of light strands you use, how many strands and how many hours you use them each day.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Energy Mythbuster #10

Mythbusting Fact #10:
While energy-efficient windows are a step in the right direction, walls always outperform windows. Be careful not to choose oversized windows, and take extra steps to increase the performance of windows, such as shading for western- and southern-facing windows.

-Source http://www.aceee.org

This wraps up our 10 weeks of Mythbusting Facts! Hope everyone has enjoyed learning energy conservation fact from fiction.

Don’t forget to share this page to help others conserve energy and save money.

Give the gift of energy...without driving anywhere!

Dominion gift certificates are a great gift for anyone, for any occasion. They can be personalized to include your name or be sent anonymously. They are available in denominations of $10, $25, $50, $75, $100, $250 and have no expiration date.

This is a great gift idea for the shopper who wants to save gas and reduce their carbon footprint by not having to go out to the stores.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Energy Mythbuster #9

Mythbusting Fact #9:
Energy-efficient windows save energy, but a window replacement is unlikely to pay for itself in energy savings alone. If you need to replace your windows for other reasons, the premium you’ll pay for high performance windows (ENERGY STAR or better) is generally worth the investment. And like so many other major energy efficiency projects, much of the energy savings depends on the quality of the contractor you hire to do the work. Bad installations can not only leak and cause drafts, but can also lead to major moisture damage.

-Source http://www.aceee.org

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Celebrating Energy Savings

Last month was Energy Awareness Month and Dominion celebrated by asking its employees to sign an Energy Conservation Pledge to help conserve energy at home and in the workplace. We received many great energy saving tips and ideas from our co-workers:

• “Check the condition of the weather seal on the bottom of your garage door and around the exterior doors in your home.”
  


• “Spend a little time and wash dishes by hand in the sink. It uses less water, less heating energy for hot water, gives you smoother, hydrated skin on your hands, and is a great team-building activity if you can get the kids to help.”
  


• “An easy way to reduce energy use in the office is to turn the brightness down on your computer monitor. It also helps your eyes.”
  


• “Use a mug or glass instead of Styrofoam or paper cups. Conserve by printing only what you need.”
  


• “If allowed, work with your employer’s HR representative to establish a four-day work week. This helps cut down on commuting time.”
  


• “Turn off the lights and the computer monitor when you step away from the desk for a meeting.”
  


• “Have your dog lay on your lap when it’s cold outside. The heat his body puts off plus a blanket really keeps you warm without having to turn the heat way up.”

Consider implementing these tips or a similar campaign in your home and workplace.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.