We had similar results when we bought our new front loading washer and dryer. Our water bill is almost half what it was before buying the new washer.

I'm so glad you're thoroughly enjoying your new appliances! I had an aha moment when I read this, as I can't figure out why we seem to be using a little too much water. I have an older top-loader.

The dishwasher is ok, like the water/money savings but I like my old one better as far as the way it was set up. It's hard to load glasses in the top of the new one. Some of them don't fit right so I have less room because of the way I have to place the mugs. It leaves food residue behind too so you have to get all the food/tea stains/ coffee stains out before you wash them. My old one left food if you didn't rinse it but at least it got out tea and coffee stains. Guess you can't have everything.

I've had several people tell me the same about their new dishwashers.

Imhappy, I actually had repaired my old washer many times. It was older than my son, in fact, who is 23. So, when my dryer died I decided to just replace them both. The last time my repair guy fixed the washer he told me to be on the lookout for a new one because it was probably going to give out for good soon.

"Be aware the water you are saving is because your clothes are "washing" in roughly 3 gal. of water and rinsing in about the same"

Okay. What's the point?

I've had the same utility saving experience as kathsgrden with new appliances and the ones we have work substantially better than the old ones they replaced. Water shortages are a reality in many areas. Where I live, wasting water really isn't an option.

Last fall, I had my attic re-insulated. First, they sealed the tops of interior walls where inside air was drafting into the attic, added more roof vents, and blew in 24 inches of fiber glass insulation. My gas usage dropped 13% to 15% based on therms per degree day.

Before that, I began replacing lamps that were lighted several hours per day with CFC bulbs, and then later, replaced two with LED bulbs. My electric usage did drop.

I try to beat back high energy and water use at every turn. Here are a sample of some of our day-to-day ways to save. They may seem extreme or without merit entirely to some, but if you are looking for more ideas, these are some we use. Take it for what it's worth.... If you're not interested, stop reading now. -Grainlady :-)

(SnidelyWhiplash - don't bother with your snide remarks after I post this - it's never constructive criticism - just criticism. You've already expressed your disgust with my money-saving methods over at the Money Saving forum until you killed participation there. So no need to repeat yourself here. Thank you.)

-Kill-A-Watt Meter (amazon.com) We checked our actual electric usage with a variety of appliances using one of these meters. Helps to find the "energy hogs" and the phantom energy use. Check those extra refrigerators and freezers and see if the energy use is more than the savings from the bargains you store in them. Especially old, energy inefficient models.

-Replaced the florescent ceiling fixtures in the kitchen and laundry room with LED fixtures. Yep, LED isn't just a single bulb, they have whole fixtures. Replaced all pot/can/recessed lights with LED versions, and all fan lights, vanity lights, etc. with LED. The last incandescent lights in our house are the "rough use" bulbs in the garage door openers, oven light and refrigerator/freezer lights. We eliminated CF lights many years ago when LED lights became available. Now I'm waiting for graphene lightbulbs to hit the market. They are super-efficient, even more than LED.

-Replaced the half-screens on our windows with full screens, and the full screens were made of really dark material that blocks a large percentage of the UV rays and reduces the heat. With a full west exposure, and in the new building development there aren't any mature trees for shade, and the entire cul-de-sac behind our home is yet to be developed, there's not even a home to help block the sun in the afternoon. We also placed awnings on the west windows.

-I made double-layered thermal drapes than hang from an oak cornice (basically a decorative wood box that matches our oak trim with a curtain rod inside the box). The cornice is placed over the entrance door (lots of glass and a side light) and a French door to the deck. The afternoon light reflecting off our neighbors white garage doors would increase the temperature in our entry by 7-10°F. These drapes help to keep out both the cold and the heat.

-We are often under water restrictions due to drought. We purchased what was billed as "America's Most Energy Efficient Washer", and it was a major water-saver at the time --- a Fisher & Paykel. Now two moves later and 14-years old, I'm sure there may be more efficient machines, but as long as it runs and can be repaired, I'll keep this washer. I know I'll never purchase a front-loading washer. They can't possibly use less electricity than the Fisher & Paykel because we do two full loads in 70-minutes, which is less time than it takes to do one load in many front-loaders. We average 5 loads of laundry per week (2 adults).

-Installed 6 clothes lines in the basement in an unfinished, unused, room (enough for 2 loads of laundry). Put a ceiling fan up to aid drying (a dehumidifier is on in the summer), and there is a 6-foot clothes rod on one wall, and that's where we hang clothes to dry that normally hang on a clothes hanger - so they go from the basement to the closet. I have an outdoor line (we designed a special laundry courtyard when we landscaped our yard - umbrella clothes line so I never have to step off of concrete (can be replaced with a patio umbrella when entertaining outdoors), bench for folding the clothes as you take them off the line (doubles as a buffet when we entertain outdoors), and an umbrella to shade the folding bench - personal comfort ;-). Since using the indoor lines, I discovered the things that damage fabrics the most are the dryer, the sun, and the harsh Kansas winds. We couldn't believe how much longer our clothes were lasting by moving them indoors to dry. So not only energy savings, but a substantial amount saved on buying clothes. We originally set up the basement lines for winter use, but use them all the time.

-If you don't have one, get an electric kettle for heating water. The Brits and Canadians have this one right. I don't know why they didn't catch on in the U.S. It takes less energy to heat 5-cups of water in my electric kettle than using the microwave or my Max Burton Induction Plate (when checked with the Kill-a-Watt Meter). We use our electric kettle to heat water for after meal clean-up and any dishes that don't go in the dishwasher. It takes approximately 1-gallon of water for the task to wash and rinse dishes. And the water is "saved water". That's water we catch and hold in 3-gallon jugs while waiting for the water to get hot for a shower, instead of going down the drain. We have a number of uses for "saved water".

-Grainlady

I know I need to have my house reinsulated. It's ice cold in the outer rooms in the Fall and Winter. I'm also planning to buy a new front door and have the weather stripping replaced.

Kathsgrdn- If you need a simple temporary help, you can apply bubble wrap to your windows with water for added insulation, and it really makes a huge difference in the comfort level in rooms (we used this with our son in a rented apartment in a really old house where he was freezing all the time). It doesn't harm the windows (we used distilled water because minerals in hard water can etch glass), and it was quickly reversible. I first found the information at this link:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm

I wish our electric company (Commonwealth Edison) would offer cheaper rates for night use of electricity. They only *claim* to want to help cut peak time use.

My new Fisher & Paykel dishdrawers were installed last week. (Fourteen-year-old set could have been repaired for $600; new, improved DD24's were $1200 installed.) These came with a sample of Finish tablets. I've used these, along with Jet-Dry, with great results, running the top drawer on the lighter use selection -- 53 minutes. Normal is 126 minutes and suggested for greasy dishes. I will experiment with my remaining supply of Cascade powder to see if there's a difference in performance. The old washer had a nasty crust of dried soap under the bottom plate; I am planning to use a cleaner/descaler in the new one every six months.

The washer is very quiet and uses little water. We two nearly fill the top drawer every day; run it after dinner. (Where do all these utensils come from? We should start using our fingers!)

There's a circulator on our hot water line that delivers hot water to every hot water tap in the house in a few seconds. I've really enjoyed this feature.

It's great to hear those savings! We bought a new furnace, which is 92% efficient. I want to see how my gas bills go this year. BUT: El Nino is in the air, which means we won't get a brutally cold winter so I probably won't see that huge savings for another year.

Not all front loaders are created equal. Our front loader, a Kenmore, has options for wash times depending on how dirty the fabrics are and the average for medium dirt level is 45 minutes. I just did a load of my husbands work shirts with a wash time of 35 minutes but if I'm washing a load of something heavily soiled, it can go up to an 1 hr 10 minutes. That's not out of line with top loaders and front loaders have lots of options. There was also a very notable difference in the cleanliness of the clothes when we upgraded to a front loader. Once when my mother was visiting, she did a couple of loads and noticed the difference as well; she was quite impressed. I'm not a big Kenmore fan usually but their original front loader made by Whirlpool rocks. It's about 10 yrs old now and it's still going strong, with never a problem (said as I knock on wood).

It's just my DH and I and our electric bill is usually between 25-30 in the winter when the a/c isn't used. I do 5ish loads a week as well. The dryer eh, that's another story.

grainlady, I'm sure your suggestions are important to you and are offered with sincerity, But for several obvious reasons, I'm not sure many people will find it useful to know whether using a tea kettle or a microwave is a cheaper way to heat water to wash dishes. Or similarly, what approach you suggest to hang a drapery across the inside of a front door.

You're right to describe that the challenge in a public forum in stating a disagreement is to do so in a way that isn't disagreeable. Or personal. It's something we all can work on. At the same time, discussions involve a variety of opinions and participants should expect that not everyone will agree with all views of others. For those who desire to hear only agreements, public discussions and internet forums are probably not the best place to offer those opinions.

To debby_ab

You do mot have to wait for a colder winter to calculate your heat savings; In fact, making direct comparisons is inaccurate unless the climate in both heating periods are exactly the same including wind velocity. The probability of this happening is near zero. But wait, there is hope. If your bill is like mine, you do have the quantities needed to calculate the differences. If your bill includes the number of days for the billing period, the amount of gas used usually expressed in Therms, its heating value, and the average heating-degree-day, you have all the data needed to make an accurate calculation. The number you are looking for is "Therms per Degree-Day". Calculate this quantity for any two periods and compare.

The biggest thing a person has to do if they want to start saving money on utilities is to determine where the biggest expenses exist. Then you start working on them. Otherwise you risk spending dollars to save pennies. The simple things are the best places to start. If your house blinds lower flying aircraft at night, perhaps turning off unneeded lights is the best place to start. Doesn't cost a thing to do that either. People with multiple refrigerators might not need them. That can be quite a savings. Some people have the habit of leaving doors open in cold weather. Where I will save money may not work for others and vice-versa. But again, the first thing is determine where your expenses lie and then work to reduce them. But you have to be honest with yourself too and that's hard for a lot of people. Some feel they MUST change clothes four times a day. Obviously laundry will be much higher part of expenses in that case. For most people, lighting is a big area that can gain savings. Turning things off is a start. With CFLs now running about 25¢ per bulb there's a huge potential for savings. I've converted over the years to mostly all CFLs in my house. I was slow to move to LED because the cost savings is not as significant as going from incandescent to CFL. Going from incandescent to LED would be a little bigger. And now, LEDs are getting more reasonable but still about 10x the cost of CFL while the savings is not that big. You need to do some math. For the bulbs that are on all the time, LED is more attractive. I just don't understand people who refuse to convert. And the bulb hoarders are something that make me shake my head in wonder, but that's their choice.

I could certainly cut my expenses a bit more but my utility bills are down to the point I'd compare them with most anyone. New windows, siding, doors, even a new house could result in "savings" but at what expense? I believe in "cost benefit". And to do too much more for me would require expenditures and more importantly inconveniencing myself more. And I've decided that a little more comfort is more valuable to me now than it was in the past so with the way things are with my life now, I'm not ready to move more on it. So again, what's right for me may well be wrong for you.

My appliances must be more efficient than I thought! I just moved to a new house, with energy efficient appliances, twice the square footage of my last residence, WITH the original windows (sans screens or storm windows) from 1926. I was quite worried about the electricity costs, but it was the same as my last place. So imagine if i fix my window issue?! Its gonna be quite reasonable.

Appliance-wise, the only one I know could be more efficient is my dryer. Sometimes I have to run it more than once and that doesn't make me happy. I usually wind up hanging the clothes and towels instead of running again.

mimipadv -

Does your washer have a high-speed spin cycle and is it set to the fastest one? That should help reduce the amount of time it takes to dry a load of laundry. But it really does sound like a new dryer is in your future....

My washer has a spin cycle for when you want to hang laundry to dry on a line. It's a very slow spin and leaves the clothes fairly wet, but doesn't set wrinkles in the fabric. High-speed spins set wrinkles, but not a problem if you tumble them in a dryer. In fact, having wetter clothes actually aids in line drying. The additional moisture will cause gravity to pull the clothing down, and will do a better job at removing wrinkles as they dry. Physics - pure and simple. ;-)

As Cynic says, you have to decide if the more efficient solution will pay off in 'bottom line' savings. As a Senior, I'm giving myself an optimistic twenty years. It's strange to be old enough to care little for the promise that something will 'last a lifetime'.

I'd save on electricity by converting our master bathroom's electrically heated floor to hydronic heat, fed by a gas-fueled boiler, but the cost to do it, divided by 20...maybe only a wash.

grainlady_ks

mimipadv -

Does your washer have a high-speed spin cycle and is it set to the fastest one?

*******

Very high speed spin. A pair of jeans came out practically dry this morning!

But the dryer seems to not pick up on the dampness level and shuts off too soon. We've replaced the thermister a couple time (very cheap).

Most days it dries sufficiently, but somedays it seems to not get with the program and holds me up.

eta- grainlady, I just looked at the washer and I'm embarrassed to say I've never even paid attention to the spin speed settings! Yikes!

Your advice about a slower spin will be put to use. Thank you.

What pleases some ... doesn't turn others' lights on (or off, as the case may be) ... and don't hold your breath, trying to find a CFL around here for anything coming anywhere close to a quarter!

If what you say doesn't interest me ... no problem. But I'm pleased that you say it, for it gives me a choice ... and had I not heard some of the things, that may not have interested me ... I'd probably not have heard some others that I hadn't heard of, and can consider, and maybe choose to use.

Our water comes from a well, so the only cost of use (as the well doesn't run dry) is the cost of the power to run the pump (and repair it, on rare occasions). We have a drain for waste water ... and a digesting tank and drainage field for the heavily contaminated stuff. Have to have the septic tank pumped, every few years. Less often when there's only one person (and no doubt cutting down on food intake [thus also, output] helps a bit, along with saving money in the grocery).

What's that you say - that I'm getting almost as frugal as grainlady? I suspect that we may be joined at the hip.

ole joyfuelled ... who says that eating too much causes an increase in waist ... or waste ... neither very useful