I know I usually blog about very pretty local attractions such as Caramoor, The Katonah Museum and the Hamlets of Katonah & Bedford. Complete with VERY pretty pictures….

Well, what I am going to share now is something very pretty in its own way: Saving Money & Not Wasting Natural Resources (being VERY Green). This applies to wherever you may live!

It is just over a year ago that I heard during the dog days of Summer, the furnace going on several times throughout the day. When we are out of the house we may not notice it but the furnace is going on to maintain hot water!

I went down to my furnace room and found a dial on the hot water heater/holding tank. I now keep it at the lowest setting (below 1) and go down the stairs in the morning (after I put my coffee on) to put it up to between 2-3 which is still low but gives us the temperature we want/have always had. I believe it goes up to 9. Within 15 minutes we have all the hot water we need for our showers for several hours, the water is replenished and reheated while we are in the process and then I have it turned down again. We still have enough hot water to wash our hands during the day and the pots and cooking items that do not go into the dishwasher. Most things do go into the dishwasher, our clothes are washed mainly in cold water and we fill the kettle with cold water as well! Only if I have a project such as bathing the dog or cleaning will I have to turn it up again. Also if someone wants an evening shower the holding tank has held enough for just that! We may also jack it back up again in the winter when someone later in the day needs to shower. I may also keep it at perhaps 1 on the dial during the bitter cold days of winter just to keep the pipes warm. Some people will say - well it takes more to start it up from scratch. I say, well if it is not on for 21 hours and it only needs 15 minutes to heat I am still saving a great deal!

I would think that I have reduced my oil consumption by half. My monthly budget amount to the oil company kept getting reduced and when the balance was once again building it certainly was nice to get a big fat check back from them! When I think back to all the years I did not do this it is quite upsetting. The Oil provider is not going to tell you - they LOVE selling you more oil. I remember seeing the oil man actually scratching his head when he came to fill the tanks last winter and he was reviewing my greatly reduced bill!

Friends have told me they would love to do it but there is not a dial on their tank. I say - turn it off at the circuit box! We may even be extending the life of the hot water heater. When it is time to replace the heater insist on a model with a dial. Perhaps you would still be ahead of the game if you were to replace the heater now with a cost effective model. Why wait to save money as well as natural resources!

These are the tips I enjoy sharing with my real estate clients - they are thanking me well after the closing!

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom