We have a duel fuel system for our hot-water heating system in our home. We use a combination of an oil boiler and an electric boiler to heat our home. The electric boiler is actually controlled by our power company. During peak times, they can shut it off. This causes our back-up system, the oil boiler, to kick in. By operating our heating system this way, we save about $150/month on our heating bill (compared to just running the oil boiler). We keep our home at a constant 68 degrees … [Read more...]

Ever wonder how much electricity that old refrigerator is using? Well, at my local library you can check out a cool little device called a "Kill-a-Watt" to find out. You can also purchase these in stores, but if your library or power company has one you can check out for free, that's all the better.To use it, you simply plug in the appliance/item you want to know about, and then plug it into the wall. The "Kill-a-Watt" measures how much electricity the item uses. It's best to let it measure … [Read more...]