Many people (including myself) have one or more computers at home now for personal or home office use. I believe a number of people tend to leave their computers on 24 x 7 so that they don't have to wait for them to boot up each day. My bright idea is to make sure people realize that desktop computers use a fair amount of power (about 10 to 15 CFL bulbs worth?) and they should be turned off at night when not in use. At a minimum a computers power settings should be set so as to turn off monitors and hard drives after a few hours or go into hibernate mode. I turn my computers completely off each evening. This also gives me a fresh "boot up" each day which tends to reduce software problems.

Tony

Burnsville, MN

I have replaced all my house light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs and have noticed a reduction in my electric bill. Additionally I burn my outdoor Heatmor wood furnace all year long which heats the hot water heater along with the house, thus substantial savings are realized on my electric bill each month.

Charles

Kenyon, MN

I use simular light bulbs for the outdoor fixtures!

Danielle

Onamia, MN

Changed all light bulbs in my house to CFL's over a year ago.

Gary

Brainerd, MN

Compact Flouresant Bulbs, Ceiling fans. Cycling the a/c during peak usage.

Dave

Eagan, MN

Use Solar Energy and Wind Power as an alternative source of energy!

Diane

Apple Valley, MN

Use Cycled Air, CFL's, Run appliances like stove, washer, etc. at night, on hot days go to a mall or movie theather and enjoy their air conditioning and turn yours up while gone, Use a programmable thermostat, turn the heat down on your water heater, Grill outdoors instead of using the stove, buy appliances that are energy efficient, recycle, clean up the neighborhood, close blinds in summer to keep heat out and vice versa in the winter, walk or bike or use mass transportation, buy a hybrid car, E85 gasoline, plant a tree, use fans to help circulate cool air, charge cell phones in your car instead of at home, Reduce Reuse Recycle! I guess that's about it for me :-)

Ryan

Farmington, MN

Every time an incandescent bulbs burns out we replace it with a CF bulb. We now have about half of the bulbs in the house using CF. We participate in the Hot Water heater metering program for peak power days. We are researching installing a small solar array to help offset our energy use.

Matt

Faribault, MN

Install a skylight in an upper level dark hallway or bathroom to conserve electricity during daylight hours. Install a timer for your hot water heater. Unplug your computer, iron,TV, and toaster when they are not in use so they don't draw current on idle.

Alice

Boy River, MN

The electric and gas companies should provide a timed thermostat similar to the recycling cans provided by the garbage companies. A person can reduce the heat use at night and cooling use during the day. This would save energy in the winter and summer.

Steve

Eagan, MN

Set your dishwasher to come on during the night. Also start a load of clothes just before you go to bed. (I think they should make all dishwashers and clothes washers with timers to be able to run them when it is cheaper, such as in the middle of the night.) Thank you for the opportunity to express my views.

Yvonne

Windom, MN

In building our Loft Cabin on Fawn Lake near Browerville , we installed many can lights in the 20" high ceiling. We chose compact fluorescent flood lights for the efficiency, and for the long life features. In addition, all but one light bulb in our entire cabin is a CFL. We're sold on the concept of CFLs. We also installed hot water in-floor heat. An energy efficient electric boiler does a great job of heating the floor surface. In addition, we installed 3 large ceiling fans, and 2 smaller ones, which work very good in keeping the cabin comfortable both in winter and in summer. Our water heater is also a super efficient electric unit. Of course we take full advantage of our electric cooperative's Off-Peak programs.

Rich

Browerville, MN

Washing some loads of clothes in cold water instead of warm or hot. Keep shades pulled on the sunny sides in summer. In winter leave them up. Use of ceiling fans also the new spiral flourescent bulbs are in most of our lights. We run the air conditioner 4 degrees higher than last summer.

Leonard

Onamia, MN

Turn down water heater and replace light bulbs with compact unplug tvs and computers.

Larry

Aitkin, MN

Our Association (56 units ) replaced all outside front entry lites which are on from dusk to dawn with CFLs. We save money and bulbs won't be burning out for some time.

Daniel

Hastings, MN

I have switched to all compact fluorescent bulbs in my milking barn, as well as in my little stock barns. They give off alot more lite for the cows to eat by, and also for me to see properly when I am milking them. I usually leave them on most of the morning and evening when I am working with them . The money that I am saving on the lites, I am able to take my wife and myself out to enjoy a nice evening meal.

Gerald

Gaylord, MN

Get rid of the energy consuming yard light that comes on automatically and you pay a high monthly fee for. Instead if you really need one, install a dusk to dawn light with a lower wattage bulb or more efficient bulb or better yet one that activates only on movement in areas you want protected with a light. The whole yard illuminated is a waste of energy. I cut my monthly bill by almost $10 a month by eliminating such a yard light a few years ago.

Bill

Bovey, MN

I like the Bulb Boss, a thin disk that goes under regular light bulbs. They screw into the socket along with the regular light bulb. If you forget to turn of the light, Bulb Boss will turn it off for you after ten minutes. Or you can override the ten-minute limit by flipping the switch. It even warns you that the ten-minute limit is approaching by flashing the light bulb at you. No more forgetting to turn off the lights!

Angella

Apple Valley, MN

Install skylights. Unplug appliances not in use so their not in standby mode, in particular, your tv, put it on a power strip so that you can easily access the on/off switch or plug it into an outlet controlled by a light switch. Hang your clothes to dry outside rather than using the dryer. Winter months, install a clothes line in the laundry room. Turn off the heated dry on your dishwasher and run it on the lowest cycle necessary. Set your computer to hibernates so you don't need to boot it up everytime you use it. Install ceiling fans and turn your air conditioner to a higher temperature, such as 78. Add more landscaping to your yard so that you don't have to mow as much (gas lawnmowers have twice as much emissions as cars) or buy an electric, rechargable mower. Turn the temp down on your water heater or take quicker showers to use less energy on the water heater. Keeping your refrigerator fuller reduces energy. Also, don't put liquids in the fridge uncovered, because it takes more energy to keep them cool. Allow food to cool before putting in the refrigerator. Use a corn burning stove to help supplement heat. Keep shades down in hot summer heat. Plant trees around the house for shade. Clean coils on refrigerator/freezer every 3 months or at least twice a year. When I change batteries for my smoke detectors, I clean the coils at the same time so I remember when it"s been done. Use your microwave oven whenever possible, as it draws less than half the power of its conventional oven counterpart and cooks for a much shorter amount of time. Wash only full loads of dishes - but do not overload dishwasher. Set the washing machine temperature to cold or warm and the rinse temperature to cold as often as possible. Wash only full loads of clothing- but do not overload machine. Caulk and weather-strip your doors and windows. Attics must be ventilated to relieve heat buildup caused by the sun. If necessary, improve attic airflow by adding or enlarging vents. Clean your light fixtures regularly. Turn off lights when leaving a room and teach your children to do the same. If possible, put lamps in corners of rooms, where they can reflect light from two wall surfaces instead of one.

Julie

St. James, MN

Whole house cooling without constantly using your air conditioner! Growing up in Farmington, MN our house did not have central air. Instead we used a single whole house fan mounted in the hallway ceiling upstairs. Open some windows and flip the switch and the air would flow through the house into the attic and through the roof vents. It made for a wonderful summer nights' sleep. Technology has improved on these whole house fans. I have found them designed to be easily installed between joists in existing attics, and also have available remote controls, so the switch can be at your bedside, or any where you want. (No complicated wiring for an extra switch) They have also improved insulation for our cold months here in MN. To avoid heat loss some are now designed with doors that automatically open and seal air tight when turned off. The doors open and close in your attic space, out of sight, and are insulated with a rating up to R38. You will save energy running one high tech, super efficient fan motor, instead of several fans in various rooms, or the power hungry A/C compressor.

Thomas

Rosemount, MN

Kill the Computer...In the middle of April I started shutting down my computer overnight and during the day when I am at work. I also leave my printer off until I need it. I have changed no other energy habits. My energy bill for 4/26/2007 to 5/25/2007 was 270KWh (9.31 KWh per day)@ $28 ($.96 per day) and from 5/25/2007 to 6/26/2007 was 300KWh (9.38 KWh per day)@ $34 ($1.07 per day). My average usage per day from the past year (5/1/2006 to 4/26/2007) was 13.7KWh @ $1.34 per day. OVER A 30% DECREASE IN POWER CONSUMPTION! If we all "kill" our computers when we don't need them, just think of the impact that could have!

Lucas

Burnsville, MN

We take showers less often and take them during off peak/evening hours(we all cut back at LEAST 1 less shower a week each, there are 6 in our family). We turn the water off during washing and shampooing and shaving to save not only on our electricity bill and our water bill costs but also our small citys' energy costs to bring us the water and take care of the waste water.

Sue

Kettle River, MN

I use power strip plug ins for all my electronics....and then shut the power off at the strip to conserve energy whenever they're not being used....on tv's....computer.....etc. I know alot of energy is being consumed by electronics even when they're not in use.

Paula

Hastings, MN

Remove the bulbs from your garage door unit, or replace them with CFLs.

Stephen

Hastings, MN

I went on the Mille Lacs Energy cooperative website and reviewed a list of items that they offer rebates on which are engergy efficient and then I walked around our house to see what I could change out to be more energy efficient along with getting a rebate as extra incentive for doing so. Therefore, not only are we saving money, we are also helping out out environment too! Thanks for the incentives!!

Mark

Aitkin, MN

During the summer months, we move our TV to the basement, so we can enjoy evening movies without the heat and without air conditioning.

Daniel

Two Harbors, MN

To improve the efficiency of a central air conditioner, pull cool fresh air from the basement instead of the main floor. Because you are starting with cool air instead of warm air, the air conditioner will run less. All that is required is a simple re-routing of the duct work.

Aaron

Sunburg, MN

We purchased roll out awnings for our 6 southern exposure windows that are across the front of our house. The awnings save us about 15% against the sun's heat in summer and the great thing about our southern exposure is that in the winter our furnace doesn't kick on all day if the sun is shining on the most coldest days of the year. The other things we do to our windows is in the summer we draw the blinds in the morning on the east side, and we purchased a product called GILA Film from Home Depot that is a type of cling on tinted window film that we can remove in winter. We have this on the west side of the house windows. It is easy to apply and it cuts the sun's heat and glare and is re-usable. We also have changed 90% of our light bulbs to the energy saving bulbs. In rooms where we feel it may be a bit too dim, we changed one of the two bulbs in a light socket. And we use timers to turn them off and on.

Ronald

Floodwood, MN

I just want Leo Wilenius to know we do the same thing to keep our house cool in summer as he does. We have a window air conditioner but have not installed yet because of what he said. My idea for saving energy is that while it is good to use the grill outside for cooking on hot days, sometimes we get tired of it and want something more prepared. I make up my crock pot meals in the morning and plug it in the garage outlet on low. When we get home we have a nice complete meal, pot roast w/vegies, turkey breast, bar b q ribs, whole chicken. Then either baked potato or rice can be done in micro wave oven. Make a salad and what a nice treat, esp. if you have facilities to eat out of doors. none of the heat comes inside. Hope this might help someone to look forward to dinner when they arrive home. Hanging clothes outdoors is not new but still practical. Love the smell of air dried sheets. Washing clothes, clothes dryer and dishwasher after 8 is a practice we do. Changing light bulbs little by little as we have funds to do that. Thank you for letting me put in my output.

Diane

Cook, MN

When we built our new home in 2005 we planned for energy conservation. We built a home out of foam forms and poured concrete. 5,000 sq ft. of living space. We also use a geo thermal heat pump for our heat and cooling system. From August 1st 2005 - August 1st 2006 our rolling shut off meter used less than 12,000. Thats $480 to heat and cool our entire home for one year. This year 06-07 the numbers are nearly identical. I strongly urge people who intend on building or expanding their home to consider concrete and heat pumps in their construction. Its good for the COOP, Its good for the country, its great for the envirnment, and best of all, its good for the checkbook.

Tim

Hanska, MN

My wife and I built a new home a few years ago and we designed it with energy efficiency in mind. We designed our home with a hip roof that allowed us to have a minimum of two foot overhangs to shade the sun from the windows, around the entire home, in the summer but allow the sun to shine in the windows in the winter. We also used high performance solar/thermal windows for additional energy conservation. We super insulated the walls with foam insulation and the ceiling to an R-55. We heat and cool our home with a air source heat pump with back up infloor radiant heat on both main and basement floors. The radiant heat is hot water heated by an electric boiler. The whole heating and cooling system is on Stearns Electric's "Off-Peak" program. We also took advantage of the Stearns Electric "Off-Peak" hot water program as well by installing the Marathon hot water heater. Stearns Electric was very helpful to us in planning these energy efficient systems for our new home. The last thing we did was designed our lighting so we could use as many CFL light bulbs as we could. To date we have 43 CFL bulbs throughout our home. When we decided to build our new home I wanted to employ as many energy effecient ideas as I could to see how energy effecient I could make a home. The result of our research and planning is a home that is twice the size of our old house that has one third the energy cost. I hope everyone who builds new homes uses these simple but effective ideas because they really do work.

Kevin

Little Falls, MN

We changed all our indoor lighting to CFL's over a year ago. We live in housing that is "appropriately" sized for the number of residents abiding here (less than 1000 square feet). Upon moving in we discontinued the automatic yard light and put in on-demand outdoor lighting as well as lowering our water heater temp and replacing an inefficient and inappropriately-sized refrigerator (two people do not need a huge side-by side). We chose not to install a dishwasher or air-conditioning. This has not been a hardship. This small house cools off sufficiently at night when we close windows in hot weather and open them when cool. We heat with oil. This allows us the flexibility to lower the thermostat for cooler night time sleeping temps (we sleep better) and lower settings for times when we are absent from the house for work or play. Our home is shaded and wind protected, has energy efficient windows and window dressings. When we had to replace whole outside walls of the house, we used 3/4 sheeting, newer insulation and safe wiring in addition to the windows. We are presently working on berming areas of the foundation for added R-value. Attic insulation is deep and we repaired the furnace. We use a lower wattage microwave which is fitting for how we use it. As part of emergency preparedness, we conduct a "drill" in which we go without electricity for a part of a day in order to become comfortable and learn to cope with a temporary outage. This proved helpful when we had a 24-hour outage last year as a result of weather. One should conduct one of these drills in the winter and one in the summer, if possible. When the time comes to replace our washing machine, we plan on purchasing a model that uses less energy. If your clothes look clean and don't smell bad, they are clean and don't need to be washed after only a short wear time. We have rediscovered the efficiency of using a pressure cooker for those tough cuts of meat. And hanging clothes on the line is a great way to enjoy the sun and listen to the birds. If you hang clothes indoors in winter, you not only save heating costs, but also add healthy humidity to the dry air. Rethinking what is appropriate technology for our household's use has kept our bills low without a feeling of deprivation. Many people are unaware of the many models of electric cars that are on the market. While I have not added this to my lifestyle yet, I am aware that any vehicle can be converted to electric relatively easily. The least expensive "neighborhood car" models are most appropriate for those who could use them to drive 30miles @30 miles per hour per charge and that is with "old battery technology." They could be recharged at home during off-peak hours and so would not negatively impact power company demand up to a certain point.

J. R.

Zim, MN

This bright idea is for those of us who have older homes and no air conditioning. These are some ideas to keep your home cooler and conserve energy as well. 1. Use shades or darker drapes on windows and shut them during the day so that the sunlight cannot enter the home to heat it up. If shades or darker curtains or drapes is not an option, use dark blankets over the windows. 2. Keep all windows shut during the daylight hours until nightfall when it cools down, and then use the cooler air at night to keep the house cool. 3. If you have a basement, place a fan outside the basement door to draw the cooler temps of the basement into the main part of the home. 4. Try to cook outside during the hottest days on some type of grill or propane stove, this will keep that extra heat out of your home plus save on the electric bill. 5. Keep doors shut at all times along with the windows, so that the heat outside stays outside. 6. At night, place your fans into the windows or near them to draw the night air in so that you can sleep comfortably in your home. 7. Wash your clothes and hang them on a line to dry. Not only will your house not heat up due to the dryer, but you will save a lot of money on the electric bill to utilize nature's own dryer; the sun. By following these simple steps, you will not only save money on energy bills during the summer time, by not running as many fans and not running fans all day long, but also not cooking on an electric stove or using the dryer in your home on those hot days heating up your home more. You will also feel more comfortable and cool during the day hours and very comfortably cool at night by keeping your non-air conditioned home darker and shades drawn with no windows or doors left open for the outside heat and sunlight to penetrate."

Sheila

Gilbert, MN

We not only use all CFL light bulbs and ground water heat & cooling, passive solar, & flowthrough air with window placement, but my simple bright ideas that we have used in our home is to plug all TV, DVD/video, stereo equipment into a surge protector and then when not using, we turn it all off. We personally do not care about all the clocks and instant on. We also turn off clocks on the microwave etc. We turn off completely the computers when not in use as well. It also saves on the equipment! Another saver is a front load washing machine and hanging clothes on the line outside in the summer (dryer elect). Thanks. PS I am hoping to replace our shingles with solar shingles.

Diane

Spicer, MN

My children leave on bedroom lights, closet lights, tvs, computers etc. So this summer I started charging them a quarter everytime I have to turn off anything they have left on. When a quarter didn't seem to get the message across, I raised the rate to $.50. When one visit to their bedrooms started costing them $2.00, several times a day, switches are being turned off! The money I collect goes towards the electric bill. Hopefully, this will set the seeds for my children to be energy conservative adults,

Nicolette

Goodhue, MN

When our last child went off to college, we did a "energy conservation" reassessment. We were able to unplug clocks, lamps, other electrical equipment and turn down the heat in his bedroom and basement computer space. We set the water softener to regenerate less times per week and even unplugged the extra refrigerator in the garage!

Mary

Appleton, MN

Buy an energy effiencient front loading washer to use less water and then dry clothes outside.

Greg

Litchfield, MN

Recently replaced 12 bulbs with CFL's.

Mary

St Cloud, MN

As a single recent retiree, I have appreciated not only the measure of conservation but also the electric bill savings by making use of my 'Bright Ideas'. Since I like to cook, I have focused on the environment of my kitchen this summer to conserve energy. I have dug out my favorite crock pot and electric skillet recipes and prepare scrumptious meals without using the stove and oven. When cleaning those garden vegetables needed for those meals, I now wash them in a bucket in my outdoor flower bed rather than running all that sink wate. (During this dry weather the flowers appreciate the extra drink. ) Putting the lid on pots while cooking on the stove is an easy energy saver... not only do you prevent putting extra moisture and heat into the air but items cook faster. I babysit my grandkids a lot and pizza is one of their favorite meals. On a hot day, we put those frozen pizzas on the outdoor gas grill instead of heating the oven to 400 degrees. Instead of satisfying their sweet tooth with a pan of brownies or chocolate chip cookies, I have been using the microwave with them to make rice krispie treats, jello blocks and almond bark candies. Finally, for clean-up the dishes still go into the dishwasher but I make sure it is filled before I run it and I now use the air dry cycle. These ideas are just a few easy ways for the 'cook' to become more energy conscious.

Jane

Watertown, MN

Use power strips with on/off switch for household appliances, entertainment systems, recharging devices and transformers. One switch can turn off all of your stand-by electrical usage for all devices plugged into that strip.

Eldon

Glencoe, MN

One simple thing we can do is: open windows. People have come to rely so heavily on AC that we forget to do this. Opening windows can greatly reduce energy bills. Even on hot days, the outside temp at night often falls into the 60's. Open windows in the evening and keep open until the AM. Your home's temperature drops to nearly the outside temp. Close up windows and blinds before the temp rises and your home will stay in a comfortable range nearly all day. It is simple and everyone can afford to do it!

John

Minneapolis, MN

I use a programmable thermostat to control the temp in my home. While at work the system reduces energy waste by not cooling the home when no one is there. I also keep blinds closed to keep out some of the solar heat buildup.

Jason

Plymouth, MN

Reduce or eliminate power consumption from PHANTOM POWER USERS. We realized that many phantom power users were consuming electricity in our house without our knowing. Our son moved to Philadelphia over a year ago. We discovered that the charger which he had left connected to his computer was warm to the touch and still consuming electricity. We disconnected the charger. Inspired by this discovery, we decided to connect our televisions and DVD players to power strips and turn off the power to them completely. Finally, we discovered our under-the-counter coffee maker was consuming power by keeping the coffee warm for over an hour after the coffee was brewed. Instead of wasting this power, we pour the coffee into an insulated carafe and turn off the coffee pot immediately. By reducing and eliminating the power drain from phantom users, we are not only lowering our electric bill, but we are helping reduce our carbon footprint and the resulting global warming!

Kevin

Duluth, MN

We save alot on electric bill by using a clothes line and no longer using our dryer. We also changed 90% of our light bulbs over to cfl's. We take cloth bags shopping, so they don't have to waste energy making bags for us, also less waste in the landfills. We close our shades and use ceiling fans on hot days and set the air to 79 degrees. We also shut the registers in rooms we don't use. We unplug all items not being used, computers, tv's etc. We turn our refrig to vacation and water heater to vacation when were gone.

Gay

Litchfield, MN

Replacing or modifying all your outdoor house lights w/motion detector capabilities and making sure they have low wattage bulbs will save on energy costs by avoiding lights being left on overnight particularly when the teenagers are the last ones to come home and are supposed to turn off the lights

Melissa

Burnsville, MN

On hot, steamy summer days, when usage is higher due to air conditioners, I use solar power to heat water for simple things like washing hands, hair or soaking feet after a long, hot day. I simply fill gallon water jugs with cold water in the morning and set them out on the stoop in full sun. By evening, I have nice, warm water. If I want to use warm water to wash our truck, I fill a couple 5-gallon buckets in the morning and they're ready by afternoon. It saves on the hot water heater!

Cynthia

Tamarack, MN

Do you realize that many, many households live in areas that are not conveniently located for the perscribed disposal of the CFL's. There could be the attitude that "it's only me and what difference will it make if I dispose of this bulb in the trash," You need to have the "bright idea" of how to make this situation truly effective. Why not allow towns and cities to have a safe place for collection and give a free new bulb for every 5-6 old bulbs turned in. A bi-weekly larger collection can be done to complete the safety requirements. You won't know how many bulbs are not turned in if you can't make doing so more convenient.

Marcia

Ely, MN

I watch TV with the lights off. I air dry clothes as much as possible. I walk to the store instead of driving and combine trips when I drive to more efficiently use fuel. In addition to recycling, I reuse things like cores of paper towels and toilet paper and cut them up to use as packing material in packages.

Carlotta

Eagan, MN

I recently replaced 127 light bulbs in my house with compact flourescents. I also installed a new 92% energy efficeint furnace and a new 13 SEER condenser. I also replaced all of my appliances with Energy Star rated appliances.

Jeremy

Pequot Lakes, MN

Living in an all-electric home, we have save a considerable amount of energy in the following way: We heat mostly with a wood stove and have placed a water heater, minus its steel jacket and insulation, between the woodstove and the tiled wall. Well water comes to this tank first, then goes on to the regular water heater. In the summer, the well water is pre-heated to room temperature before being heated to 120 degrees by the water heater. In the winter, when the wood stove is being used, we are able to turn the electric water heater off and by timing heavy usage such as washer, dishwasher, etc., we have free heated water. In the event of heavier usage (company) we turn the heater on, but are still saving over using well water at 32 degrees to be heated. This extra tank also keeps the room warmer during the night when we let the fire burn down.

Mary

Bovey, MN

TRIPLE energy savings for one method. Everything from turning up the thermostat to line drying clothes can make a difference. Never put clothes in a dryer. Plastic hangers and clothes pins will do if you leave them over the door threshold for a full day or an overnight. That will reduce the need of ironing (no electricity use too). Hanging clothes - A fresh scent from the laundry soap drifting around the room for a full day is another energy saving in replacement of the plug-in scents.

Sherri

Melrose, MN

We have an outdoor wood boiler and in the winter we have in floor heat that is heated by the boiler. We also have the water from the woodboiler heating up the water in our water heater.

Lisa

Deer River, MN

Every fall, rake up your leaves, bag them and put them around your house's foundation for insulation. If everyone did this, the savings in home heating energy would be substantial.

Robert

Wyoming, MN

I started this energy/money saving idea when I was a single Mom, back in college, with 3 young children. After I wash my clothes, I hang them on laundry racks in my laundry room and let them to air dry. Then, I just put each load in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them. Not only do you save energy, it puts moisture in the air, which is badly needed during Minnesota winters. Another benefit is that clothes fade less and last longer.

Deborah

Ely, MN

I have placed our electronics, ie TV, Receiver, DVD, CD, etc. on an outlet strip so power to these items, when not in use, can be turned "off". The savings is in turning off the "at the ready power" for these appliances.

Sharon

Backus, MN

Installing a commercial plastic strip door [as used in stores to keep cold in when walking through doorway] over my patio door which i use as my main door. That door along with clear plastic over other half of sliding door will keep cold out and heat in.

Karen

Bovey, MN

I have switched to all compact fluorescent bulbs in my milking barn, as well as in my little stock barns. They give off alot more lite for the cows to eat by, and also for me to see properly when I am milking them. I usually leave them on most of the morning and evening when I am working with them. The money that I am saving on the lites, I am able to take my wife and myself out to enjoy a nice evening meal.

Gerald

Gaylord, MN

Wonder where the yellow went? We switched all our outdoor lights to CFL Yellows: softer look, less energy, waaay fewer bugs.

Don Osell

Cohasset, MN

Avoid clothes dryer, hang clothes outside in summer and inside during winter. Use lamps with florescent bulbs in work area for spot lighting. Use relectors on windows, move as sun moves. Use toaster oven for baking rather than large stove oven. Microwave, pressure cooker, and crockpot use, use low energy. Turn off (instant on) t.v. and other appliances with major switch. Go to bed early in winter. Wear hat in house for added warmth. Once a year drain sludge from hot water heater. Wash clothes in cold water. Instead of turning on furnace, use small electric heaters on lowest setting when staying in one spot, good for bedrooms and bathrooms. Folding door cuts off cold air at end of hallway. Use sheep and goats to eat grass to avoid mowning the grass. Compost fruit and vegtable scrapes rather than putting down garbage disposal.

Patricia

Warba, MN

Simply unplug your clothes dryer! I hang all laundry outside Spring through Fall to take advantage of the free solar and wind energy. The smell of those sun/wind dried clothes freshens the whole house. In the winter, simply string a line up in the basement & dry the clothes there while adding moisture to the dry heated air in the house. I am amazed that more people don't take advantage of this simple way to conserve energy, save money and help save our planet.

Diane

Deer River, MN

To conserve energy during the hot days of summer, we close all of our shades during the day to keep the sun from heating up the interior of our home. We also put a small fan at the bottom of our stairwell to push the cold air back up the stairs to the main level to prevent all the cold air from sinking to the basement. In addition, we will often set our programmable thermostat to 77 degrees during the day. Just keeping the shades closed and the small fan at the bottom of the stairs is enough to keep our home cool on hot summer days. If needed, we sometimes run the furnace fan for awhile to circulate the cooler air around the home. This often prevents the air conditioner from running at all during the day.

Nicole

Baxter, MN

We use the energy efficient light bulbs. We keep all ceilings fans on when the air cond. is on. Keep all curtains closed on certain sides of the house.

Shirl

Richmond, MN

My laundry room was always cold in the winter. I realized that there was less than 12 inches from the back of the dryer to the outdoors and that the flap on the outdoor dryer vent offered little or now insulation when the dryer was not operating. So, I made a insulated motorized damper to close and seal the dryer vent pipe when the dryer was not operating, when the dryer was started the damper motor would activate and open dryer vent. I solved the cold laundry room problem and there was conserving energy. I am submitting this per the request of Robert Luhman. Darrell Ward@Meeker Cooperative

Robert

Dassel, MN

We live in a rural area with a lot of gardens. This year I decided to start collecting water off of the roof of our garage using rain barrels. Since there hasn't been much rain, and we use well water (which requires a pump), we haven't been getting much in the way of rainwater. We then decided to save our unused water from our water glasses and water from our dehumidifier in our basement to water our plants in the yard, which not only cuts back on energy needed to run the pump, but it also reduces the water we are taking from the ground during times of drought. I have also used water left from doing dishes to water the garden. The diluted soap does not hurt the plants; in fact, the soap deters some insects from eating our garden goods. If we are using our resources less, everyone wins. If I was more mechanically inclined, I would figure out a way to recycle our water from the bathtub and shower to save for watering plants as well. That will be something for me to investigate.

Susan

Two Harbors, MN

We do some of the simple things, like unplug cell phone chargers and other AC/DC converters that aren't used very regularly. We also replaced our old CRT based wide-screen tv with a DLP wide-screen (uses about 1/3 the power). About 40% of the light fixtures in our house have CF bulbs, but these lights account for the vast majority of our most used lights, some of which amount to being on several hours per day. Our hot water heater is a large capacity (105 gallons) off-peak electric heater, and our AC unit is load managed. Lastly, we heavily research electronic device acquisitions and focus on Energy Star compliance (and overall energy consumption/efficiency).

Bob

Rockville, MN

Many electronic devices today consume standby power even when turned off. Electricity vampires may include televisions, cable boxes, DVD/VCR players, stereo systems, cell phone chargers, computers, printers, microwaves and other appliances. Unplug the vampires or use the switch on power strips with surge protectors to make saving easy and comfortable.

Deirdre

Pine Island, MN

Instead of using your air conditioner, close your windows and shades by 8am and leave closed until the heat of the day goes down. Open the house when the outside temp has gone down and leave open until morning.

Karen

Park Rapids, MN

There is a thing called phantom energy. Unplug all unnecessary appliances.

Mike

Cannon Falls, MN

Offer the following program: Members may buy shares (ownership) of wind energy farms. The utility will use the share money to build wind farms. The utility will also manage the farms for a fee (another revenue source). The amount of net revenue from the sale of energy will be applied directly to the share holders electric bill. Any government energy rebates will also be applied. In my case I am an all electric house. I use about 30000 kw per year. I estimate that in my case I would need about 12.25 kw of installed wind energy. At between $1100 and $1200 per installed KW wind turbine cost ,I estimate that I would need to buy about $14000 to $15000 to buy enough shares to cover all my electric needs. Quite frankly I would write the check tomorrow if this existed. I'm sure that a lot of other families would also. This has the following benefits: 1) The utility and the Government would need to invest little to grow renewable energy. 2) The utility could have another revenue source; charging a reasonable fee to maintain the wind farms along with administrative costs. 3) Individuals would have a cost effective way to become part of the energy solution. 4) This may also reduce the owners electric costs in the future. Since the rise of fossil fuel power would be offset by the installed base of wind energy. This program would certainly give an individual/family a way to vote with their money and become an owner of a renewable resource.

Larry

Rosemount, MN

During peak times when most people use there house hold dryer. I use mine on a timer delay to run at night which is the coolest time. Along with my washer I used High efficiency detergent for cold water and use a shorter cycle to be timed at the same time so I save energy costs multiple ways with each appliance. I have my dishwasher set to do the same and complete its cycle one hr before my washer and dryer are completed.

Barry

Apple Valley, MN

About ten to thirty percent of electricity that is used in the average home is wasted because of lights left on that are not being used. At times, some of these lights could be left on for days. When children are present, this is much more prevalent. My idea is to replace certain light switches with motion detection light switches. When there is no motion present in a room, the light will automatically go off in about 10-20 minutes. This would put an end to lights left on that are not needed. Also, I would like to see light switches made with automatic timers built in them. Instead of just turning the switch on, you would set a timer for the amount of time you would like the left on.

Jim

Brainerd, MN

My bright idea is to disconnect your cell phone after it is charged. If many households are like mine, the evening routine tends to be the same. When you arrive home from work, you off load all of your stuff and plug in your cell phone to charge overnight. This would mean that a cell phone is left to charge, on average, for 10 hours. Most cell phones, however, can fully recharge within 1-2 hours. This translates to 8 hours of wasted energy. If a cell phone uses 10 Watts/hour to charge, then 80 Watts are being wasted. This means that 700 kilowatts per year per cell phone could be saved if we all unplugged our cell phones after they were fully charged. To make this possible, it might help to establish a new routine. Plug your cell phone in during dinner and getting you and/or the kids ready for bed. Unplug it right before you get into bed. You could also plug it in first thing in the morning while you are getting ready to go to work. Set a timer for two hours and unplug it when the timer goes off. Either way 700 kilowatts per year translates to a lot of saved energy for everyone and money in your pocket!

Wendy

Pine Island, MN

We heat our house with wood and recently hooked our wood stove up to a hot water heater. This has saved us between $40 and $50 a month on our light bill. We also pull the blinds on the South side of the house during the day in the summer to keep cooling costs down. I also think that the power companies should give flourescent bulbs away as a first time deal. For instance-bring in your incandescent bulbs and you will get fluorescent bulbs to replace them with. That would save a lot of money as well.

Roger

Pierz,MN

A Brighter Idea Cut your lawn grass higher! It's a Win! Win! Brighter Idea, It conserves Energy and Water and saves Money and Time, for Lakes Area Homes and Businesses. Blades of cool season Kentucky Blue Grass, commonly used for most lawns in our area should be cut approximately 1/3 of its height at each cutting (from a high of 3 2/3 inch to a low of 2"). The higher grass self shades, requires less hot weather watering, therefore uses less Water, resulting in less Energy, Money and as a bonus will make the grass healthier and better able to withstand our harsher winter weather. A complimenting Brighter Idea is to leave grass clippings decompose on the lawn, they contain up to 85% water, release nutrients and can cut fertilizer use by up to 25%, conserving even more Water and saving more Energy and Money. Another important benefit of higher lawn grass, is that it helps filter damaging pollutants from entering our precious lakes, streams and waterways. A Brighter Idea for the Environment and our Pocketbook.

Myron

Breezy Point, MN

My brighter idea is for a future remodel. My idea is to reverse the turn knobs on my sinks. Put the cold on the left and the hot on the right. Since most members of my home is right handed, that means that when ever we do something with water we have the container in the right hand. That leaves only the left hand free, so the easiest knob to turn is the left one-hot water. When rinsing etc a right handed person normally always uses the hot water line because of convenience. For a large portion of the time hot water is not needed-cold could do. This would save on the usage of hot water and the water heater. Which would reduce the electric bill.

Dawn

Kenyon, MN

To save on clothing and household linen purchases, climate control, AND ELECTRICITY we use old-fashioned wooden drying racks for our delicate fabrics and knits. The clothes dryer is used for briefly fluffing the newly washed articles and then they are hung to dry. The racks can be set outside in the summer and the moisture is welcome in the house in the winter. Do you remember how clothes were set outside to freeze before fabric softeners were available?

Earl

Tower, MN

Removing dampers from floor air registers. The dampers get shut and cause poor efficiency of central air and heating units. Their is a redundant damper in the trunk run if needed. The floor dampers are constantly being kicked shut.

Gerald

Outing, MN

1. I hang my clothes outside to dry in Spring/summer. 2. Change Bulbs to CFL. 3. Stop dishwasher when it get to dry cycle & let them air dry. 4. Purchased a programmable thermostat & have the temp set at 58 degrees when sleeping & at work. 5. Replaced older appliances with energy star ones. 6. Turn computer on only when using.

Darlene

Grand Rapids

We open our windows at night to let in the cool evening air and close them during the day when it is hot. We use trees to shade our house so we don't need to use our air conditioning.

Jerry

Apple Valley, MN

I enjoy doing a lot of reading while in my recliner. I do that with a reading lamp directed right on my reading. That uses less electricity than lighting up the entire room, or even using a floor lamp. Also, the bright light makes the print very clear.

Roger

Evansville, MN

We have 2 standard fluorescent lamps & Dec. of 2005 I installed 35 Warm White CFLs. I did try soft white but they give of a more yellowish light which we didn't like. I also gave my 2 adult children 2 dozen CFLs as a Christmas present & they are also pleased with them. I did have 1 burn out a few weeks ago which I dropped off at the recycling center along with some corrugated cardboard & other recycables. We make that trip about once a month. We were instrumental in the forming of Preserve Green Acres several years ago when Henn. Co was proposing to build several new landfills in western Hennepin co. AS an organization we were very happy to have convinced them. Co. Board as well as the Met Council to pursue & eventually build the Resource Recovery Center in Mpls. We started what we believed to be the first recycling in Mn. It was located in Delano, Mn. & we worked it all by hand. In our home which we built in 2003 we have energy star rated appliances as well as the 105 gal. elec. water heater. We try to use our ceiling fans rather than turn on the AC.

Virgil

Alexandra, MN

This tip is for those of us who utilize a well and pump system. I found that during times of extreme drought my electrical bill would be higher than normal. I ended up tracking it down to my sprinkler habits. I would be watering almost continuously during the day, putting a draw on the well and causing the pump to cycle on and off throughout the day as it filled and emptied the pressure tank. The highest current draw for a well pump happens to be in startup, after which time they draw very little current. I could see where things could add up over the course of eight hours, four days a week. I ended up adding a second sprinkler, in effect pulling the maximum draw on my pump so that the pump was running continuously instead of filling the pressure tank and then cycling off. It ended up saving me about $15.00/month.

Craig

Breezy Point, MN

I have a couple. 1 - Adjust to slightly higher temps inside during the summer. Instead of keeping the thermostat between 68 and 72 degrees, keep it around 75-78. To get used to the adjustment, just gradually raise the temp over several days to a week. 2 - Speaking of thermostats, purchase one that you can program so that it will automatically adjust to warmer temps when you aren't home. 3 - Purchase a clothesline to line dry your laundry during warm months. This will help offset your payments a little during the hot months when you will be running your air conditioning. 4- When it comes to the dishwasher, hand wash what you can, to cut down on the number of times you run it. Also, only ever run the it if it is full. 5 - When running the dishwasher, make sure to use the appropriate setting (if yours has options). Running the "pot scrubber" for dishes is unnecessary and uses more energy.

Deborah

Sartell, MN

Power co-op's should offer customers the option to purchase 'green power". The rate per kilowatt would need to beat a higher rate but the difference between standard rates and 'green power' rates would be used to produce alternative energy sources. Examples of alternative energy sources would include Wind power and other renewable sources of power.. The coop would work with the green power customer, as a member benefit to explore ways to maximize the use of green power and conservation alternatives starting in their home. Examples of conservation measures might include installation of solar panels Installation of on-demand water heaters. These products would be supplied by the coop, installed by the coop with resources available for ongoing support and maintenance. This on demand water heater is used exclusively in the European countries and is energy saving, rather than energy consuming. The 'green' customer is willing to pay more per kilowatt knowing that the coop is working with them to find renewable energy sources for the future impacting both at the local and national level. Other States in the continental US are offering this type of program and service, not only giving the customer an energy option but creating a partnership for addressing global energy conservation and renewable sources of energy. We need to be more proactive at the local level to increase awareness, alternatives and engage customers of the coop to make a small difference for the future. Let's start by taking my idea to the board room for discussion. Thanks for considering my bright idea.

Laurie

Staples

Don't leave the water in the shower running while you're cleaning up; get in, get wet, turn off the water, lather up, turn on the water, rinse. DONE. You're in and out and didn't waste gallons of water to get clean.

George

Buffalo, MN

Have a goal to do something "green" everyday.

Carlotta

Eagan, MN

We had the opportunity to design and build a 1600 sq. ft. home in 1995 using the Minnesota Super-Insulation Housing Curriculum. It is a double wall construction design with walls that are over 12" thick, and a ceiling R-value of over 70. Our windows are quadruple glazed by the Hurd Company. The concrete floor slab is encapsulated in 2" of rigid insulation. Heating January "96 temperatures reached more than "50 F in Brainerd! I had never experienced temperatures that low. We had installed an 80% efficient Carrier natural gas furnace, with only 32,000 Btu Output. That was more than our heating contractor"s heat loss calculations showed was needed. Was our design going to keep up warm and safe? At "44 F, the furnace ran only 20 minutes per hour (1/3 run-time) to keep us at 70 F. The Minnesota Super-Insulation design worked! Air Conditioning The following summer we installed a residential water type A-Coil in the furnace. Instead of installing an A/C compressor system, a $13 lawn sprinkler valve was installed in its place. When the house calls for Cooling, the solenoid valve opens up and water runs through the A-Coil and cools the house. It also removes a lot of humidity from the air. Today, August 10, 2007 the temperature outside was 97 F. Inside the temperature was maintained at 70 F. That is a 27 degree temperature difference. The system is regulated to use 1 gpm, or 30 gallons/hour at 30 minute run time per hour. We sprinkle the used water on the garden and lawn. We have had zero problems with this air-conditioning system. Total cost for the Central Air-conditioning system was about $400. Lighting 90% plus of our lighting is of the CFL type. If we build another home, it also will be built with ideas from the Minnesota Super-Insulation Housing Curriculum design guidelines and other new energy saving technologies.

Bruce

Merrifield, MN

I hang sheets and towels out all year round. They come into the house smelling lake country fresh and the linen closet and bathroom smell fresh without any artificial sprays. The towels might be a little on the stiff side without a breeze softening them up but they make a nice luffa. So nice to bury your nose in freshness instead of the "dryer sheet" smell. I wash everything in cold water and have not noticed any difference in the brightness of whites or colors. We also use cloth bags when shopping for groceries and other supplies. Eliminates the need for "paper or plastic." These are just simple things anyone can do and get a little exercise too.

Bev

Staples, MN

CUT YOUR DRYER USE IN HALF YEAR ROUND... PRESERVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR CLOTHING and SAVE MONEY AT THE SAME TIME! I purchased a 3 foot wide by 5 foot 9 inch tall clothes rack (on wheels) for less than $20.00. I put ALL of our knit clothing in the dryer for 10 to 12 MINUTES max. Just long enough to knock all of the wrinkles out. Knit clothing would include such items as: T-shirts, sweat shirts, sweat pants, slacks, shorts, pajamas, night gowns, polos, flannels, etc. After 10 to 12 minutes in the dryer, I hang them up (on plastic hangers) to dry. This cuts your dryer use time down considerably. Not only are you conserving on the use of electricity, you are SAVING MONEY at the same time! By using this method, your clothing also benefits. Your clothing won't shrink, ends up ready to fold "wrinkle free" and maintains that "new appearance" a lot longer. I use this method year round. It prevents that "stiff" feeling clothing usually gets when it is hung out on a clothes line to dry. By using it less, your dryer could last longer too.

Deborah

Pelican Rapids, MN

Besides the replacement of most of our appliances to energy efficient ones along with replacing key bulbs to CFLs, we also make sure not to leave unused lights on. With that in mind we have replaced our porch lights with motion lights that stay on just long enough to get in and out of the doors safely. We also have set our computer monitors to power down within minutes if we are taken away from our work for any length of time unexpectedly. My favorite idea that I implement is placing large space-taking items in our chest freezer to replace food as we use it. My family thinks it's strange when they find 10 pound bags of flour and empty juice jugs full of water (ice) chilling along side the pizza and hamburger! I tell them that it helps the freezer stay colder easier hence less energy use if there are more items than empty spaces. Correct? Also we have top quality tinted, insulated windows and have built a family room in the basement to help stay cool on hot days so that our AC doesn't have to be running so much. Then there's the ceiling fans that we use all year long to circulate. I could go on, but you get the picture. I still think we could do more though, perhaps a windmill to run our well pump like in the good old days? We're always thinking around here! Thanks.

Brenda

Glenwood, MN

We buy all energystar appliances, even though we have a front-loading washer that uses very little water and an energy efficient dryer I hang our clothes on the line everyday it doesn't rain! We love the fresh smell.

Brenda

Two Harbors, MN

BBQ! BBQ ! BBQ.! Keep the stove off and enjoy a meal outside on the grill This not only conserves energy and reduces heat in the home, you can spend time with your family. So put on a steak and some burgers. Remember, winter will be here soon. ENJOY AND CONSERVE!

Christine

Princeton, MN

About a year ago, I replaced all of my light bulbs in the house with the compact fluorescent light bulbs. They are a bit more expensive initially, but what a difference!! I have not had a replacement light bulb yet..........whereas with the traditional light bulbs I was constantly changing them!! The light is brighter with the fluorescent light bulbs and you are saving energy!! This is definitely a win-win situation!!

Jean

Hewitt, MN

WE try not to keep lights on all the time, only when needed, in the rooms needed. Also, turning down the air conditioning when we are at work during the day.

Christina

Little Falls, MN

Save hot water and electricity all day by keeping a small basin with soapy water in the kitchen sink for the many wipe ups, hand washings, and dish rinsings that can be handled with tepid water, rather than running the tap for hot water many times in a busy household.

Leonard

Wyoming, MN

Save by bringing back candle lit dinners a couple times a week. Also, use night lights in bathrooms and hallways. They put off enough light to avoid having to switch on the overhead lighting. When your garage door is up and you walk by the sensor it triggers your garage light to come on, I will push the button to turn off the light. The garage light, if not shut off will stay on for a number of minutes. Another saver tip has to do with water usage. I will place 5 gallon buckets outside to catch water running off of the roof when(when?) it rains. I water outdoor and indoor plants with that bucket(s) of rain water.

Tim

Lakeville, MN

1. Cluster stand by items in a power strip so there is only one switch to hit to turn them all off when not in use., 2. Use battery powered, wind-up or pendulum clocks instead of electric ones. 3. Turn on oven light only when checking contents. Don't leave on during entire baking time. 4.On cooler nights put fan in front of window and suck in cool air instead of using AC. 5. Use solar outside lights. 6. Turn off your well when on vacation. This also shuts down electrically run automatic water softeners & rust removers which you are not using anyway. 7. Turn water heater WAY down while on vacation. *TURN OFF LIGHTS NOT IN USE--YOUR HOUSE DOES NOT NEED TO LOOK LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE*

Judith

Alexandria, MN

We spend weekends at our cabin in northern MN, which has an electric water heater. Saturday night, before going to bed, I turn the breaker to the water heater off. We still have plenty of hot water for 4 showers and dishes Sunday morning before we go home. The water heater stays off until our next visit. If for some reason we need more hot water, flipping the breaker back on gives us hot water within 30 minutes or less. Our seasonal cabin in northern Minnesota is not occupied all winter, with the exception of occasional weekend winter snowmobile or ice fishing trips. We have an electric wall mounted furnace with a thermostat. Using X10 components available online or at Radio Shack, I hooked up a simple telephone transponder and thermostat switch. Now I call the cabin furnace and instruct it to turn on before I leave home and the cabin is warm when I arrive. The components cost less than $100 and require no monthly service charge. This saved $600 from the previous year when I left the furnace on a low temperature all winter to avoid the long, uncomfortable warm up period.

Tom

Cirlce Pines, MN

My parents and a couple of my other relatives have a system that has water flowing through the foundation to keep the floor warm. Well it not only warms the floor, it warms the house. They save a lot of money. It's amazing how low their heating bill is. I think it should be a law that all new construction have this in their foundation. We would save a lot of energy. And it's pretty much maintenance free. My uncle has had his for about 25 years and hasn't had a problem. Also, neighborhoods should have windfarms. And if it's possible, to have a solar heated hot water heater. I'm sure there would be a way to control the heat.

Karen

Coon Rapids, MN

Hang laundry on the clothesline when possible and just fluff in dryer to remove the wrinkles. Put the last load in the dryer at bedtime to utilize off-peak electricity. To save the most vitamins as well as electricity, start the cooking temperature on high and then turn to as low a temp necessary to continue the boiling process. Put the timer on to remember to turn the heat off a couple of minutes before the food is cooked to utilize the heat from the source.

Naomi

Verndale, MN

Keep it Natural! Use natural light during the day at home. Keep lights off during the daylight hours. This will greatly reduce the amount of energy used during the day at your home and provide savings on your total home energy costs. When you sign up for Dakota Electric's Controlled A/C Credit plan you discover adjusting to the on/off cycle from your cooling system is natural, you don't even become aware of the difference in your home's temperature. Similar to DEC credit plan, when you keep lights off during the day you immediately adjust to light levels while receiving direct savings on your electric bills. In addition, this directly reduces the amount of greenhouse gases your home emits each day. Placing a sun sticker on light switches will help remind you not to turn on a light. Change or remove window blinds to accommodate more sunlight. During the summer months, keeping lights off also gives the home a cooler feel, similar in effect as shade beneath a tree. Take advantage of natural light when you want to read. During winter months, sitting next to natural light gives significant sense of well-being. If you are building a new home or remodeling make sure windows are placed or relocated in areas that you will be drawn to, allowing you to take full advantage of the sunlight. The house will become more alive and enjoyable to live in.

John

Burnsville, MN

My idea is to start recycling through partnership with the refuse companies in our area. By separating our recyclables we not only will save our planet but can reuse those items in other energy saving forms. Any monies earned by recycling could either go to the homeowners or go to different organizations such as schools, helping those who have a hard time affording heat on their own, etc. This would cause more interest throughout the community too. I am from Denver Colorado. Where I lived we recycled and the energy saved in using recyclables and what it did for our environment was incredible.

Toni

Browerville, MN

During the summer dry clothes on outdoor clothes lines. Hang line between trees or on balcony use folding clothes racks. The clothes have a wonderful sunshine fragrance and no dryer heat warming the house. During the winter dry clothes on folding wooden racks. Place the racks by the heat registers or a sunny window. This adds humidity to the dry winter air and no electricity is used running a humidifier or clothes dryer. Hang your bath towel on a towel bar and use the same towel for a week.

Betty & Gary

Barnsville, MN

We had new energy efficient windows installed. Although there is an initial investment, we are saving money each month by not having to run our air conditioning too often. Each night we open the windows to let the cool air seep in. In our bedrooms, we run window fans if needed and by morning the house is usually around 70 degrees. We then close up the house to keep the cool air in. If (because this doesn't happen often) humidity creeps in it will be around 5pm and we just run the air to pull out the humidity and start again when we go to bed. If the air is cool at night, we don't run the window fans and sleep comfortably. We are trying to teach our young kids the importance of saving electricity. Each time they leave a room and don't shut off the light they are charged 25 cents. Although that's not a lot of money, they don't like to give back the money that they earned doing chores. It has helped a great deal. I'm just waiting for them to remind us if we leave the lights on!

Roberta

Bird Island, MN

Put only one light bulb in light fixture that has a spot for two, make sure you have an surge protector strip plugged into each room ones you can turn off and turn off all surge protector strips and unplug all appliances that store energy in the plug like cell phone chargers when not in use..

Desiree

Goodhue, MN

A major aspect of rural area life is that all adopted ideas must be practical, in terms of both cost and time effectiveness. What we really need is someone to sort through all the new options available for reducing rural electricity use and develop cost effective recommendations to help us choose and implement the best ideas. We need to learn which uses of rural electricity are those to be most concerned with; then we need a review of the myriad of options with practical recommendations on implementing and maintaining these new solutions. For example: There are small solar panels that can be added to pole mounted farm lights, what would this cost/gain us in time and dollars? Who are reputable manufacturers; could we buy these in bulk and reduce our costs? How much yard and house lighting uses come from outdoor lighting? What are the costs/gains on various LED outdoor light strategies available? What would LED Christmas lighting buy us? On electric fences, what are the practical options for solar charging of fences, which can be adapted easily to existing installations? What solar battery chargers and batteries and maintenance practices are the best? What are the most effective chick brooder lighting strategies? Barn and water heating strategies? What flash freezer strategies and products are feasible? How can individuals afford transitioning to them as all their energy and farming costs are already increasing? What small wind might work for a lot of people? (Skystream?) Are there good home power generating methods are cost effective? There are so many promising options. We need help to review and select the practical ideas that would be adopted. We also help in arriving at practical ways to transition to them in areas where money and time are constrained. Thanks!!!

Judi

Cannon Falls, MN

Use blinds, shades or drapes to control temperatures. During the summer- close blinds on the east side in the morning. Open them at noon and close blinds on the west side. This keeps the sun out and makes a real difference in the temperature in your house. During the winter reverse to let light in. Open the east blinds in the morning and close at noon. Open the west ones in the afternoon . Close them all at night. This not only helps with temperature savings, but also with light bulb usage. North and south blinds would depend on your position from the equator and the angle of the sun during the seasons. I only have 1 window facing north and none facing south, so I really can't speak from experience on this.

Kathy

Hackensack, MN

I started realizing how often I used cold water out of the hot water tap, not even waiting for the water to get hot, just because out of habit, that was the faucet I always reach for first. I have started re-training my hand to reach for the cold water faucet instead (unless, of course, I really do need hot water). I will see if this makes a difference when I receive my next electric bill!

Geri

Grand Marais, MN

My idea is you incorporate a web page for members that contains names/ information of area companies that build/remodel using green products, that reduce energy usage and benefit the environment, from windows, insulation, appliances, etc.

Dan & Cris

Tonka Bay, MN

Replace all lights in home with fluorescent and/or compact fluorescent and change all light switches to motion sensitive switches - no more lights left on because someone forgot to turn them off! It has save me more than $30 PER MONTH in energy costs... Imagine if everyone did this in their home!

Seth

East Bethel, MN

We always shop for Energy Star electronics including cordless phones, televisions, VCRs and DVD players, computers, copiers, fax machines, monitors, multi-function devices (fax, scanner, copier), printers and scanners. Energy Star office equipment is widely available and energy efficient, providing users with dramatic savings, as much as 90% savings for some products. We found that an Energy Star computer uses 70% less electricity than computers without this designation. If left inactive, Energy Star computers enter a low-power mode and use 15 watts or less. Spending a large portion of time in low-power mode not only saves energy, but helps equipment run cooler and last longer. This is our bright idea for savings! Also, we took advantage of Runestone Electric home audit visit as well as using the free loan kilowatt usage device that helped us pinpoint where we were spending the most money on our appliances. Thanks Runestone Electric!

Carolyn & Daryl

Glenwood, MN

I do a lot of cooking and when I use the oven I plan ahead a bit by fixing 2 different meals at a time. An example is putting a roast in the oven ( which I have taken out of the refrigerator an hour earlier- so it's not so cold & will cook faster) Then I will put together a hot dish that can bake at the same time and even bake a cake or brownies too.. Then later in the week I can just microwave the hot dish. In the summer when a person doesn't like to heat up the house with the oven I try to wait and do this on the cooler days. In this way I save by using the oven once for 2 meals and also save on the air conditioning, As an added bonus it saves my energy on a day when I don't have to cook but can just heat up the hot dish.

Gail

Cannon Falls, MN

The entire home has energy efficient bulbs. Off peak electric. Wood pelet stove to supplement heat. In floor heat in winter at 72 only never change it. Dishwasher run 1x week Lights stay off unless you are in the room for a period of time Laundry done after 8pm. Thermostat in summer stays at 77 degree and Winter at 72. Stagger on and off so large amount of electricity used at one time.

Joyce & Eric

Avon, MN

My idea is actually from my nine year old son. We had the TV on one nice day and he decided we should go to the park which is a short bike ride away. Aside from the usual reason of a park being fun, he stated we would also be using our body's energy for exercise which is healthy and we would be conserving electricity and money by not having the TV on and by turning off the lights while we were gone. I was very impressed at his energy saving thought and remembered it when I read about this ideas contest. So our idea is to conserve energy and reduce bills by getting out of the house a little more often and entertaining ourselves by using our own human energy for a while each day and giving the electronics a rest.

Kirsten

North Branch, MN

Since we married in 1976 we have had a timer installed on our electric hot water heater. The timer is specifically for a hot water heater and we set it to run 2 hours in the morning & two hours at night. Even when we were a family of four we hardly ever ran out of hot water--and a flip of the switch would quickly give us more hot water. Imagine the electricity that has been saved over the years.

Lois

Marcell, MN

Encourage the members to start their dishwashers when they go to bed instead of right after supper. This would shift a fairly large load to an off peak time thus saving a substantial amount of money. This is an easy thing for the customer to do. It wouldn't cost him anything to put this plan in operation. It would take a sales job on the part of the coop to change the customer's behavior. I would suggest that in the monthly magazines there would be articles explaining the benefits of starting the dishwashers at bedtime. The Co-Op could also supply the customers with magnets that could be put on the front of the dishwasher. One side would say "clean" and the other side would say "dirty-start at bed time".

Robert

Benson, MN

let dishes air dry in dish water wash clothes in cold water

Iris

Goodhue, MN

I changed my light bulbs to florescent ones. I only wash in cold water, shut off lights when not in the room. Try to make one trip to town to the things I need around the house.

Shelly

Longville, MN

In an effort to reduce our energy costs and our carbon footprint, we've changed to fluorescent light bulbs, fixed energy leaks, and reworked our housework schedules to run major appliances during off-peak hours. One of our brightest ideas, however, is one of our simplest. We gave up the seemingly unending fight to get family members to turn off lights left on all over the house. Instead, we installed motion sensor switches and set the lights to come on for short periods in our closets, pantry, hallways and garage. If we know we will be in those spaces for a longer period, we can flip the switch and the lights will stay on for as long as we need them. But, for most of the time, no one is bothering with a switch. We're in and out in a jiffy and most importantly, the lights are left off. Not only is there less nagging about the electricity bill, but we are using less carbon AND have more money left in our pocket!

Dawn

Brit, MN

There are so many things that i do to save water, conserve energy, and save money in the process that I don't know which to choose. From about (depends on the year) May to October I cook out side. Either on the grill or a campfire. We have a electric range so anytime we cook outside we are saving energy. I can do a whole meal, I have even used our grill to cook pizza. I also feel this process saves me time, which conserves my energy : )

Heidi

Sandstone, MN

Check your clothes dryer about 15 minutes prior to the end of the drying time. The final ten minutes are a cool down phase. If the clothes are dry you can stop the load prior to this phase and if they need to be dried longer it is better to add the time prior to this cool down phase than to go through it and then add time. If you are using a dryer that is coin operated it is better to put in enough coins for the drying time you need to begin with, taking into consideration this cool down phase, than to add one coin at a time at the end thus going through this phase multiple times. You will save money, time and energy by avoiding as many cool down phases when drying clothes as possible.

Patricia

Gordon ,WI

The CFL bulbs would be a great fundraiser for schools, youth groups, church groups, and non-profit organizations. You tire of all the candy, wrapping paper, cookie dough and magazine orders. Light bulbs are a product every household can use. The product should include tax and shipping can be free when seller delivers. I for one would buy from the small sales people. It would be a great promotion for Cooperative and non cooperative customers. You would save the buyer money and make money as well.

Lois

Corcoran, MN

We use fluorescent bulbs throughout the house. We also utilize a programmable thermostat for all of our heating and cooling needs. We are exploring the adding of an electric heat source in our home in order to qualify for off peak energy rates.

Rachel

Zimmerman, MN

Generally there are two drawbacks to CFL light bulbs that deter people from switching from incandescents. The first is their initial cost, the second is proper disposal of spent bulbs. Due to the mercury content they need to be properly disposed rather than being thrown out with the daily trash. My bright idea would help both problems. I think the electric companies and the CFL manufacturers should establish a "Recycling Program" similar to the ones in certain states that pay people to recycle their plastic and aluminum containers. Here's how it could work. To entice people to switch to the CFL bulbs, incandescent bulbs could be traded for discounts on each CFL bulb purchased. Then when the CFL bulbs need to be replaced, the customer could return them to the store for "recycling". As a reward for recycling the item, the collection point could pay the recycler a small amount of money, or offer a discount on a replacement bulb. This is similar to how car batteries are recycled today. This program could help promote the use of CFLs, and the environment. It would help conserve energy, and reduce the amount of harmful pollutant put into the landfills.

Cindy

Cokato, MN

During the summer months, we use the water from the dehumidifier to water outdoor plants, trees, and the garden. Saving approximately 3-4 gallons of water per day. We have also used the water to flush a toilet.

Maurice

Sauk Centre, MN

Hang your clothes on plastic hangers instead of putting them in the dryer.

Kitty

Ogilvie, MN

Conserving energy - saving money - a brighter idea challenge your family, neighbors, freinds to an energy reduction goal 10% - 20% - 30% - 40% ? Record your monthly kwh use from each electric bill how soon can you reach your goal? How much will you save? Stove - dish washer/dryer - air conditioner - light bulbs - refrigerator - freezer - laundry - water heater - cloths dryer - windows - shower - room temperature -computer - tv. Many small things can make a big difference! A brighter idea #2 reduce substantial "line loss" from huge centralized power production and transmission systems by developing multiple local, ecologic power stations (wind, solar, etc.) with greatly shortened transmission lines. A brighter idea #2 reduce substantial "line loss" from huge centralized power production and transmission systems by developing multiple local, ecologic power stations (wind, solar, etc.) with greatly shortened transmission lines

Alden

Kenyon, MN

Stop buying white sheets, pillowcases, shorts, t-shirts etc. The use of colored means that separate loads for white and colored clothes are not needed thus saving tremendous amounts on water and electrical usage.

Patrick

Maple Plain, MN

During the hot days of summer we keep our home cool by the use of opening our windows in the evening and placing a small window fan in one window drawing the air outward and another small window fan in a room opposite the former fan and blow the cool air inward. In the morning before the temperatures arise we close all the windows for the day and repeat the process in the following day. If there is sufficient wind blowing in we will skip the fans saving more on the electricity we use. We have not had the need to purchase an air conditioner by using this method.

David

Ellendale, MN

Larger windows for light.

RAeLynn

Brainerd, MN