Identify Those Energy Vampires Saving Money With Simple Measures

By Therese A. Hartmann

I grew up in Ojai along with five brothers who seemed to me to be partwild, part-rascal but always fun!

We were outside much of the time, running free on the 10-acre ranch my father bought from my handsome, thrifty German grandfather. During Winter and Summer, we sought refuge from cold and heat inside the walls of that dear old house.

The home was built in the late 1800s when there was no such thing as energyefficient windows, insulation, appliances. You can imagine, heating such a structure on a school teacher’s salary was always going to be daunting, at the very least. I learned to curl up into a ball to sleep during the cold of winter, knowing the turning on of the wind machines down the street meant that we were at freezing. It wouldn’t last more than a few nights. In the Summer, we brought sleeping bags outside to drift off under a blanket of stars and to avoid the stuffy heat inside. We were reminded to shut off the lights when leaving a room, to share bathwater (I had no idea everyone didn’t do this), let ALL the boys pee before flushing the toilet and to stand near our one heater to get warmed up if we were really, really cold.

Therese A. Hartmann has more than 20 years’ lending experience. She is a Licensed Broker, California Dept. of Real Estate #01048403, NMLS # 298291, affiliated with C2 Financial Corporation. For a free consultation, call Therese today at (805) 798-2158.

I found washing dishes to be one of my favorite chores in the Winter, the hot water breaking the bone-chilling cold that often blasted through the house. I’m not complaining as it was a most pleasant existence and a reminder to me today, in this time of high energy costs, that we can do with less. Doing so means we can keep our expenses in check and also to do our part in conserving.

You all might have noticed last month’s gas bills increased by triple or more this last month. I know I did!

My first reaction was “how dare they do this,” until I found out that it is a global issue. The German government has been offsetting the costs through stipends and we might see that here but, in the meantime, there is a lot each of us can do. It’s a perfect time to do an energy assessment whether that means doing a personal inventory or having a professional from the gas or electric company come out and do an audit for you. They are generally free of charge.

My second response, and probably the better one, was to research where the most energy is used, identifying energy vampires and power sucks, as they are referred to. Audits show that most of us waste 35 percent of energy used in our homes, needlessly! I’m sharing some areas you might want to investigate to stop the bleed:

• Heating & Cooling: Combined, this one area of energy use represents 47 percent of our overall costs, in general. Be sure to adjust your thermostat down in Winter and up in Summer as much as you, your family and pets can tolerate.

Check to make sure windows and doors are sealed properly. Replace filters regularly. Shut the heater off, or down, at night and pile on blankets in cold months.

During hot weather, open the windows at night and keep a fan going rather than turning on the A.C. I survived a summer in India in one of the hottest regions by wetting a sari and placing it over the window while the fan was going. It created an evaporative cooler situation and was bearable without the need for air conditioning. Generations of villagers have used this trick and it works!

Water Heater: Using 14 percent of total overall energy, the fixes on this would be to put an insulation blanket around your water heater. They have them at the local hardware store. Additionally, turning the thermostat down and avoid taking too many baths/ showers will move the needle in your favor. Or try filling a bath with 1/3 water (it rises when you get in) and limit your time when showering.

Washer/Dryer: These appliances make up about 13 percent of our energy bills, generally speaking. Here, you’ll want to do full loads or, if you have a smaller load and the clothes aren’t too bad, use the shorter cycle setting. It’s estimated that about 90 percent of the energy your washing machine uses is to warm the water up. It turns out cold water works just fine and is often the better choice to preserve your clothing. There are cold-water detergents just for the purpose!

Lighting: Yep, I can hear my father calling out “shut the lights off when you leave a room.” It was like a mantra in our home. To be fair, I much enjoy lighting tea lights at night. The ambiance it creates is wonderful and the savings in electricity is equally invigorating. Lighting represents 12 percent of our energy use.

Oven & Refrigerator: A little lower on the list but still responsible for around 8 percent of our total energy bills, are kitchen appliances. Check gaskets on your refrigerator to make sure the seal is solid and then be careful not to leave the refrigerator/freezer doors standing open. Additionally, set the temperature to 40 degrees for the refrigerator and 5 degrees for the freezer. With cooking, sometimes it makes most sense to use a toaster oven or microwave rather than the oven. Another tip would be to batch cook food all at once and then warm the individual meal up. This works best for singles, of course.

Other areas to conserve would be to unplug energy “vampires” like computers, televisions and other appliances when you’re not using them. And, if you can afford it, trade your old appliance in for an energy-star rated model. Finally, be sure to shut the doors fully when entering and exiting your home. If you don’t, you might hear the echoes of my father’s voice reasoning with us “shut the door, you weren’t born in a barn, were you?” It was always a gentle chiding and we’d have a good laugh.

In the end, it’s always the little things, small fixes, that add up to something. This applies to saving on your energy bill and I hope you will implement at least one of two of the tips I’ve shared.

1 SHELF ROAD 3.5mi

EASY | Elev. Gain: 200 ft | Overlooks downtown Ojai.

VENTURA RIVER PRESERVE | 7mi

EASY TO MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 520 ft (Wills-Rice). Trailheads at end of Meyer Road, South Rice Road and Baldwin Road. Great for birding.

HORN CANYON 5.5mi

STRENUOUS | Elev. Gain: 1,600 ft. Trailhead near Thacher School’s gymkhana field. Goes to shady stand of 80-foot tall pines.

ROSE VALLEY 1mi

EASY | Elev. Gain: 100 ft

Trailhead at Rose Valley Campground. Leads to a spectacular 300-foot, two-tiered fall.

PRATT TRAIL 8.8mi

STRENUOUS | Elev. Gain: 3,300 ft | Trailhead off North Signal Street. Goes to Nordhoff Peak. Clear day? See forever.

COZY DELL 2.2mi

MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 740 ft | Trailhead 8 miles north of Ojai on Maricopa Highway. Short, intense hike that also connects to trail network.

SISAR CANYON 22mi

STRENUOUS | Elev. Gain: 4,800 ft to Topa Topa Bluffs. Trailhead at end of Sisar Road. Only for experienced, fit hikers.

GRIDLEY TRAIL 6-12mi

MODERATE | 3 mi to Gridley Springs (Elev. Gain: 1,200 ft) 6 mi to Nordhoff Peak. Trailhead at north end of Gridley Road.

MATILIJA CANYON 12mi

MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 1,200 ft | Middle Fork. Trailhead at end of Matilija Road. First 1.5 miles of trail well-maintained, the rest a scramble.

SULPHUR MTN. 22mi

MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 2,300 ft | Trailhead on eastern side of Sulphur Mountain Road. Views are unsurpassed.

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