Here are some quick and simple ways to save energy this winter, right now and all year.

1. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, go out right now and get one. Set it to get warmer in the morning when you wake, lower during the day when no one is home, on again in time for your arrival in the evening, and then lower once again while you sleep. Set the temperature to a comfortable, but moneysaving level.

2. There is no reason for the temperature of your hot water to be above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Not only does a higher temperature waste energy, it is also dangerous if there are small children around that could be scalded by a too hot temperature.

3. Always do a load of dishes or laundry full. Less than that is a waste of energy and water.

4. Use power strips for you electronics devices. Power down these electronics using the power strip so that the appliances don’t enter stand-by mode, unnecessarily wasting electricity.

5. Turn off the computer and monitor when you are not using them. It is not true that they are damaged by turning on and off. You can also use the “power save” options on your computer if you leave your computer at varying intervals.

Now you probably know more about natural gas than you ever imagined there was to know. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty of saving on your natural gas bill. There are four main actions you can take to lower your gas bill this coming winter.

1. Make sure your boiler and/or furnace is working at its peak efficiency. Change the air filters regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Check the heat registers in your house so that nothing blocks the heat from entering the house most efficiently. Keep the vents and doors of unused rooms closed so heat is directed only to the places in your home where it’s needed.

2. Don’t dismiss the importance of using a thermostat to automatically lower the temperature when you are away, raise it again before you return so the house is already warm and ready for your arrival, and to lower the temperature when you are sleeping at night, but heat up again when you wake up in the morning. If you leave the house for an extended period of time, for a vacation or business trip, lower the thermostat to the bare minimum so your pipes don’t freeze. Compared to the small cost of a thermostat, you will save lots of money on your gas bill.

3. You can save money on heating water, too. Lower the temperature of the hot water to 120° Fahrenheit, hotter than you need but not hot enough to scald you or your children if the hot water is turned on without the cold. This is a common sense safety precaution as well as a good way to save lots of money. Is the outside of your boiler hot to the touch? Then its losing heat and not working at its top efficiency. Wrap it in an insulated blanket to keep in the heat. You can also insulate the hot water pipes to keep the heat where you want it and not lost to the surroundings. Fixing leaky faucets and installing low-flow shower heads can help save water and the cost to heat that water, too. You can save when you run your washing machine, too. Only use it at maximum capacity, and use cold water whenever possible, which is often, and is better for your clothes, too.

4. Check your home for drafts at doors, windows and other joints in your home’s structure. Insulate, caulk, and repair the places where hot air is escaping and cold, outside air is entering. Do you have a fireplace? Make sure the damper and doors are closed after use. Try hanging your clothes to dry instead of using the “gas-guzzling” clothes dryer.

When you replace old appliances, be sure to purchase products that have earned an Energy Star.

IDT Energy continues its discussion of the importance of natural gas in our lives, and explores exactly what it is, because at IDT Energy we believe the consumers should know.

Natural gas is actually a combination of several types of hydrocarbon gases. Don’t get nervous, a hydrocarbon gas is just a substance, made up of the elements carbon and hydrogen, which at normal temperatures and pressures exists in the form of a gas. For instance, methane, which composes between 70%-90% of natural gas, (before it is refined), is a molecule made up of four hydrogen atoms for every one carbon atom. Its chemical symbol is therefore CH₄. C stands for Carbon, and H stands for Hydrogen.

Ethane, Propane and Butane, C₂H₆, C₃H₈ and C₄H₁₀ respectively, make up between 0 and 20% of natural gas, before it is refined.  There can also be small amounts of other substances such as, Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), Oxygen (O₂), Nitrogen (N₂), Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and rare gases like A, He, Ne, Xe.

After natural gas is refined, it arrives at your home in its pure form, almost entirely methane; ready to work for you, cleanly and safely.

Despite the fact that natural gas is colorless, odorless and shapeless in its pure form, from the point of view as a source of energy, it is extremely  useful. Natural gas is combustible. When it burns a large amount of energy is released. Uniquely, when natural gas burns it leaves off less potentially harmful by-products into the air than other fuels when they burn, making natural gas a clean-burning fuel.

Since modern living requires a constant input of energy, for heating, cooking, electricity, transportation and much more, the need for clean sources of energy becomes more and more crucial. Because of its importance in today’s world, IDT Energy wants you to know all about natural gas.

Let’s change gears. We’ve been focusing our attention on the different aspects of electricity consumption and savings, but IDT Energy is also a supplier of natural gas, and we want you to be educated on this subject as well.

What exactly is “natural gas?” First we should make clear what natural gas isn’t. In the United States we refer to the substance we use to fuel our cars as gas. Although it is a fossil fuel, it is very different from natural gas. We also use “gas” in our backyard barbecues, but it is really propane. Propane is often found in natural gas, and it is closely associated with it, but it is still quite different. Natural gas happens to be among the cleanest, safest and most useful of the energy resources we have. As such it is important to learn about this remarkable resource.

When a product is labeled “300 watts” this information tells the consumer what the maximum usage the appliance will ever use. For instance a refrigerator only uses its maximum, let’s say 300 watts, or close to it, when the compressor is running. When the fridge is quiet it is then using much less electricity, perhaps only 5 watts just to run any electronics it might have.  Many appliances whose settings change or are periodically on/off will be using different amounts of electricity at different times. Appliances like these are stereos, which use more watts set at higher volume, or use more electricity to open/close the DVD door. Calculating the amount of electricity these types of appliances use will be the subject of a future post.

Some appliances are labeled 120-240 volts. These versatile electric products have the ability to be used safely in any country, whether the standard voltage is 120 or 240 volts. Usually all you need is a little plastic adaptor so the prongs fit properly into the outlet, but not expensive, heavy transformer is needed for the product to be used successfully.

Did you ever notice on some appliances, instead of being labeled 120 volts, as you would expect in the United States, it may have written 110, 115 or 120 volts? This is because the appliance/device is built to accept a range of voltages. This is a very good thing, since the actual voltage coming out of the electrical outlet in your home can vary. The true amount is dependent on several factors, including the actual conditions at the power plant and in your own home. So when a product is labeled 120 volts it really means the product can accept a range from 110-120 volts.

IDT Energy wants to know how much energy consumer electronics and household appliances use. The more energy something uses, the more potential savings there is when its use is curbed.

All electrical devices that plug into the wall say right on them how much energy they use. Sometime you need to hunt for a label, or the number is printed right into the plastic or metal. If the item uses an adaptor, then the rating is written on the AC/DC adaptor itself. Watts is the amount, or rate the device uses electricity. The more watts, the more electricity it uses over time. If the energy is written as amps, it is easy to convert the amps to watts by multiplying by the amount of volts being used. In the U.S. the voltage is standard at 120 volts. In most other countries around the world the standard is 220-240volts. If you have a hair dryer that uses 10amps, just multiply by the volts, 120, to get the watts, 1,200. If you were to leave that hair dryer on for one hour, then it would have used 1,200 watt-hours, or more conventionally, 1.2 kilowatt-hours.

At the end of a long work day it is easy to just pack-up your things and rush out of the office. But what if you knew that turning off your computer not only saves electricity, but also reduces the harm to the environment caused by the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere contributing to global warming? In that case probably many people would like to turn off their computer at the end of the day. If only there was something to remind them.

It so happens that there is a widget that can be downloaded that not only reminds you to turn off your computer, but keeps track of the energy that you save when you do. It shows you the impact of your own simple action and that of the rest of the world.

IDT Energy wants to remind you that small efforts can make a big difference. Although your own actions may seem small when you practice the three r’s, reduce, reuse, recycle; combined with everyone else’s efforts, together we can make a big difference indeed.