According to Yahoo News, as of late fall the stimulus program is offering anywhere between $50 to $200 to anyone who purchases high-efficiency household appliances.  This money is from President Obama’s economic stimulus bill passed this February.   According to the article, the details of the program vary from state to state.   With these new high-efficient appliances, not only can families expect to get great discounts, they can expect to save on the cost of energy which will in turn help stimulate the economy.  The best part is, there is direct NO TRADE-IN with appliances.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

Make Your Own Coffee (Save between $540 to $1,500 annually)

Negotiate lower Credit Card Rates

Compare major services such as phone, cable, cell phone service

Monitor Accounts

Change filter on Air Conditioner (Conserve Energy and Save Money)

Join an online DVD rental service.  If you’ve already tried you library, check out Blockbuster or Netflix (netflix.com)

Adjust your Insurance policies and save between 15 to 30%

Get more out of Banking: Try internet banks such as, ingdirect.com, etrade.com, hsbcdirect.com and make your money work your by yielding more interest on every penny you save.

Conserve energy and money by using less energy.  Consider fluorescent light bulbs and changing the filter on  your air-conditioning and heating system.

Cut back on personal costs.  Consider beauty schools to get your spa treatments, nails and hair care.  Also, consider dental schools to get your cleaning and annual checkups if you do not have any insurance.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

Direct excerpt from http://saving-energy.suite101.com

Standby Vampire Appliances

Instant-on Appliances Use Energy When Turned Off

Written by Beverly Bright

Recognizing energy “sucking” appliances and implementing ways to reduce costs can be a significant savings to a household.

Reducing the energy used by Vampire Appliances, or Instant-on Appliances, can remove five percent to ten percent of the energy costs of a household.

Mark Pierce, a Cornell Cooperative Extension associate in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis (DEA) in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, says “Off doesn’t mean off anymore, but standby and as a result, we are using the equivalent of seven electrical generating plants just to supply the amount of electricity needed to support the standby power of our vampire appliances when they are off.”

A report released by the U.S. government in 2008 suggests that even though there are more appliances in use today, latest studies show that standby power is decreasing, resulting from improved technologies and heightened consumer awareness.

Standby Vampire Appliances

Common Instant-on Appliances include:

· TVs

· VCRs

· DVDs

· Portable stereos

· Cordless phone chargers

· Washer/Dryers

· Microwave ovens

· Toaster ovens

· Clock radios

· Answering machines

· Computer modems

· Laptops that are plugged in and not running on battery power

· Space heaters

· Cell phone chargers

· Baby monitors

· Portable cordless power tool chargers

· Garage door openers

For spotting Instant-on appliances look for equipment that has features of remote controls, continuous digital displays, rechargeable batteries or soft-touch keypads.

The “Home Electronics” section of the EnergyStar website has lists of electronics that cut energy waste by using less standby power.

Certain appliance functions do require small amount of electricity. Good design can reduce the power requirements for these functions, but not down to zero.

· Maintaining signal reception capability (for remote control, telephone or network signal)

· Monitoring temperature or other conditions (such as a refrigerator)

· Powering an internal clock

· Battery charging and continuous display

The standby power of a computer monitor costs an average of $57 a year when the computer is shut down overnight and on weekends. If the computer’s sleep function is used, the power costs about $40 a year for those night and weekends, costing almost as much a year for the nights and weekends as it costs to run the computer on weekdays.

Saving Energy with Vampire Appliances

· If an appliance is not frequently used, unplug it. For example, unplug appliances not in use toaster ovens, microwaves, washer/dryers, the television set in the quest bedroom can also be unplugged.

· Use a power strip (surge protector strip) for clusters of computer or video products. Everything can be switched to zero with one simple action.

· When shopping for new appliances, check with the EnergyStar products list and locate appliances with lower standby energy requirements.

· Purchasing a low-cost watt-meter to measure each device in the home to determine the biggest energy vampires will allow the homeowner to take appropriate action. This aggressive approach can reduce the standby energy consumption of 30% or more.

The term “vampire” refers to the external power supply, the little black cubes which have two plugs, and “suck” electricity when plugged into a power supply while not performing their intended function. The vast majority of consumers are not aware that Vampire Appliances continue to draw electricity when turned off.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.