We’ve been conducting an experiment in our kitchen the past two months, ever since watching a segment on Sunday Morning about the dishwasher (and ever since receiving that $426 Progress Energy bill. As it turns out, we’ve been washing our dishes completely wrong!

I’d be willing to bet that many of you out there have been doing it wrong, too. 😛 So, unless your dishwasher was built during the Reagan campaign, here are a few tips for saving energy, water, and time in the kitchen.

1. Don’t hand wash your dishes. Of course, there are exceptions. ((Like my vintage Pyrex collection.)) But unless a dish specifically states that it’s not dishwasher safe, toss it in the machine. You don’t have to be Al Gore to know that you will waste more water by using a sink full of it, or by letting the water run, to hand wash dishes than you will by loading and running your dishwasher.
2. Scrape, don’t rinse! This has been the hardest habit for me to let go of. I’m a rinser. My mom even commented once “You’re the only person I know who puts clean dishes in the dishwasher.” She was on to something. If your dishwasher was made within the past 10 years, odds are it can handle the crap you leave on a plate. ((If it can’t, it’s time for one that can.)) This one change has cut my kitchen cleaning time in half–which is just as important to me as saving energy. It’s been almost two months and I’ve only had to re-wash one dish that was scraped. I still have the urge to rinse, rinse, rinse. But I resist, resist, resist!
3. Change your settings. Do you really need to heat dry your dishes? I’m guessing, like most people in America, you set your dishwasher to run at the end of the night and you don’t empty it until three days later the next day. So why do you need to use energy to heat dry the dishes? Just let them dry naturally overnight. Sure, that annoying little reservoir that’s held in the indent of coffee cups will be there, but we do have this amazing invention called a towel.
4. Load that baby up! I am the queen of loading the dishwasher. When Chris does the dishes and proclaims he’s done, but can’t fit in the last three glasses, who rearranges everything and makes them fit? It certainly isn’t Zachary. 😉 This is one tip I’ve always followed. The dishwasher uses the same amount of water and energy no matter how many dishes are in it, so why not get the most bang for your buck?
5. Know how to load that baby up. If you still have your manual, check out the manufacturer’s recommended loading instructions. Following these guidelines will help you optimize water and energy usage, while still allowing for proper water circulation. If you don’t have the manual, you are obviously online. Let your mouse do the walking.

I can honestly say that following these tips has really reduced the amount of time I spend cleaning the kitchen, meaning I have more quality time to spend in front of the TV. Our Progress Energy bill has gone down too, thank God. For a while there I was concerned that one of the kids was going to have to go on eBay.

This post was generously brought to you by some cool tv stands. I know this has nothing to do with washing dishes, but hey, I did mention TV. 😉

I’m pissed. I thought monopolies were illegal in the United States. That’s obviously not true since no matter where you live, you can only use the energy company in your neighborhood. Since there is no competition, energy companies can charge whatever they damn well please and you have to pay or else a) freeze to death, or b) roast to death—it just depends on what season it is.

Here in central Florida, our monopolistic energy company is Progress Energy. Every summer/fall they fleece me for an average of $350 dollars a month (May-November). The other months I’m usually able to squeak by with a bill around $250. That was before the 25% rate increase. Want to know what my energy bill in December was?

$426.

Let me say it again.

$426

For ONE MONTH’S WORTH OF NON-SUMMER-NO-AIR-CONDITIONING energy. That’s what a 25% rate increase adds up to. Have I mentioned that I’m pissed? Unfortunately, being pissed won’t pay my energy bill. Nor will it help bring the charges down in the months to come. Since PE probably won’t be scaling their rates back any time soon, I have to do what I can to give them less of my money.

So I’ve done a little research and found some easy and inexpensive ways to cut back. (And BTW, these are all good for the environment, too 😛 )

1. TURN EVERYTHING (EVERYTHING) OFF. If it glows when the lights are off, it’s using energy. Electronics chargers, AV receivers, cable boxes, even a toaster with a digital clock. They are all energy suckers. Anywhere between 6-30% of your electric bill can be blamed on these types of electronics. I’m guessing we’re in upwards of the 30% range—3 iPods, 1 Nintendo DS, 2 laptops, 1 desktop, a gazillion computer peripherals, 2 cell phones, etc., etc., etc. And remember, if it’s not plugged in and being charged, unplug the charger. If you’re not using it. Turn it off. Simple, yes?
2. SWITCH TO CFLs. Did you know that of the $1 dollar a month it costs to light a regular lightbulb, .10 of that goes to actually light the bulb. The other .90 goes to the heat that bulb produces. The Department of Energy estimates that by changing even 25% of your lights to CFLs, you can cut your lighting bill in half. Oh, and when you’re not using it, turn it off.
3. LOWER YOUR HOT WATER HEATER’S THERMOSTAT. Do you really need your hot water to be 150° F? Wouldn’t 120° F be hot enough? For every 10 degrees your lower that thermostat, you’ll save 3%-5% off your energy bill.
   
4. AIR-DRY YOUR DISHES. I know your dishwasher has that option, and I know you run your dishwasher before you go to bed. So why not cut your dishwasher’s energy by 15%-50%? Want to save even more?
   • Scrape, don’t rinse. ((I’ll be posting on this soon!))
   • Only run the dishwasher when it’s full.

Following the tips above won’t make you rich, however, they will help to lower your energy bill and help the environment.

Looking for more?

Skip the hot water heater altogether and invest in a tankless water heater. These heat only the water you need, when you need it, and costs about 40% less to operate than an average hot water heater. (And they take up a lot less space.)

Can’t justify the expense of a tankless water heater? Insulate the one you have . You’ll cut your standby heat losses by 25%-45%.

I’ve employed most of the options above, especially since that last damn bill. Let’s see if January’s bill looks better.

I happened upon ReadyMade while trying to decide what magazines to subscribe to for Zachary’s school fundraiser. I did not want another year of Entertainment Weekly, but needed to select something. In a happy accident, I subscribed to a mag called “ReadyMade”. According to their site,

ReadyMade is a bimonthly print magazine for people who like to make stuff, who see the flicker of invention in everyday objects — the perfectly round yolk in the mundane egg.

Whoever their promo writer is needs to be fired. ReadyMade is so much more than this! Sure, they do show you über-cool things to make out of new and used materials (which I’m particularly interested in), but they also have cool ideas for people who live in small spaces; their holiday issue has some groovy Christmas ideas; and they spotlight interesting people and eclectic music. For 90 minutes I was in 3 R’s nirvana! They really do show you how to make a chandelier out of those clear, plastic store hangers. And those cookie tins make a sweet multi-tier serving tray for other goodies to display. As for the luggage, check this out:

You really can turn your old luggage into a dog bed. Check out the ReadyMade website for the instructions.

What stinks is that this mag is only bi-monthly. Now I have to wait 2 more months for my next slew of projects-I’ll-probably-never-finish, since I’ve already dog-eared every other page in the first two issues I have.