How can I save energy around the home reusing/recycling stuff?
Lizzy left a comment on the Suggestions page, asking:
How about Recycling things into energy saving things? For example, I use leftover cheapo clingfilm as secondary glazing on all single-glazed windows in winter – stick it round the edges with no gaps and hairdry it to make it pull tight and go ‘invisible’.
Also, the shiny silver insides of food packaging (cleaned) can be stuck on a piece of cardboard to be used as a radiator reflector panel. Living in a house that loses heat like a sieve (no cavity walls *shakes fist at builders* ) I would love to hear more ideas from all the imaginative people out there :)
I’m there with Lizzie on this one – I’m amazed by how few energy saving measures the previous owners of our new house have implemented and we’ll have a few busy weeks ahead getting the house into a better, warmer state before winter properly kicks in.
So any suggestions? I like Lizzy’s idea and will certainly be investigating a secondary glazing option for our chilly (single-glazed!) porch. I’ll also be making sure all our hot water pipes are insulated – people have previous suggested using old yoga mats, waffle foam or foam drink holders for doing that.
Old bedding can be used to add another lining layer to curtains and fabric scraps/old clothes can be turned into draft excluders for the bottom of doors. Also don’t forget to turn old woollies into slipper socks and/or wrist warmers so you don’t feel the cold quite so much.
Other ideas?
We all know about making those “draft busters” that look like a fat snake for the bottom of a door. Yet, the single biggest, energy wastin’,
draft (that is almost never addressed) is that one you get when you open the refridgerater door and stand there in front of a large blast of cold air. One solution is to get 3 spring tension curtain rods, and some heavy clear plastic(think shower curtain), and hang 3 see-thru “curtains” inside the fridge. Then, if you just want to get something out of the door area, like milk for example, not so much cold air will be lost from the rest of the fridge. Also, if you have a really old fridge, like mine, check your gaskets. Maybe it’s time for a “draft buster snake” for your fridge door.
Here’s a great way to reuse those used dryer sheets. ( I rescue them from the garbage can at the laundromat.) Cut them into 1 inch strips and tie a whole bunch of them together (makes a small pom-pom kinda
thing) then use it to REGULARLY clean the coils on the fridge as this makes the beast more efficient, and therefore saves energy.