Door County Energy News

In the spring, I asked readers of the Door County Environmental Council’s (DCEC) newsletter to share their tips and ideas on things they do to make a difference protecting our planet. Here are their suggestions:

• Nancy M. said she saves paper towel cardboard rolls and slits them down the long way to open them up. Then she wraps her holiday lights or extension cords around the core to keep them organized and tangle-free.

• David J. uses pipe insulation to wrap his hot water pipes. It keeps the water warmer and you don’t have to run the faucet very long to get hot water.

• Charles A. suggested turning down the temperature on your water heater to 120°. That’s hot enough for all your needs with the exception of a dishwasher that doesn’t have a booster heater. He suggested getting a dishwasher with a booster heater because it will heat only the dishwater’s water to the proper temperature for sanitizing. In the long run, this saves energy.

• Janet K. always turns off her water heater when going away for a few days and also turns off the water heater between visits to her summer cottage. It only takes about 30 minutes to warm up the water when the heater’s switched back on.

• Jane F. vacuums the coils on the back of her refrigerator twice a year for better efficiency. She also keeps her freezer at least half-full because it runs more efficiently than an empty one. If she doesn’t have enough food to keep the freezer half-full she makes extra ice cubes and stores them in bags to fill up the space.

• Andrea E. always makes up her waterbed in the morning because the covers act as an insulator and reduces the energy needed to heat the bed.

• Margaret M. tries to buy all the kids cereal in the bulk pack but sometimes buys the boxes so she compensates by reusing the wax bag inside for store vegetables or packing the kids lunches. She’ll then cut the box in half the long way and uses the halves to store the kids’ school papers or magazines on a shelf.

I’d like to thank everybody for sharing these great ideas that we can put into practice in our own lives as well

If you would like to share your tips, email them to [email protected] or write to: Make a Difference, DCEC P.O. Box 114, Fish Creek, WI 54212.