Cutting back everyday use Published Jan. 6, 2011 By 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The need for a great deal of electricity and energy significantly changes around the same time as snowfall starts - during the winter months. When moving to a country where energy conservation is strongly emphasized like Germany, reducing use can become a natural habit rather than a chore. The 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs office has put together some energy conserving techniques they personally use as suggestions for fellow Sabers. 2nd Lt. Stephani D. Hunter I have geothermal floor heating which helps keep my electric bill fairly low. I keep the heat in my house around 20 degrees Celsius to further reduce my energy consumption and throw on a sweatshirt or wrap up in a blanket if I get a chill. Transformers use a great deal of electricity, so I try to make sure any electronics I use are dual voltage. With the exception of large appliances such as my washer, dryer and refrigerators, I unplug any appliances when I am not using them. I do not use a lot of dishes so I typically fill my sink with water and hand-wash any dishes or utensils I use. This can become a bit of a hassle if you are cooking for more than one or two people, but hand-washing dishes could be a good chore for your children! These tips might not seem like much, but one or two small actions on your part could help save a great deal of energy, which ultimately ends up as money in your pocket. Senior Airman Clay Murray It takes a good deal of energy to heat up water. There are several options to reduce the need to heat water. Since a very young age, I have thoroughly enjoyed long and hot showers. It's practically identical to relaxing in a hot Jacuzzi, and I would regularly spend 30 minutes in the shower. I've significantly cut down the time I spend under running water - I rarely shower more than 15 minutes now. Cold winter mornings and nights can create a strong urge to drink something warm. Some may use microwaves or stovetops to heat up water for tea or coffee. Using an actual water heater is a more efficient way to heat or boil water. Little to no energy is lost in this process as the tool is already optimized to do the job. Staff Sgt. Matthew Bright I love rolladen shutters; we only have two rooms without them - our foyer and our gym. At night, my wife and I close the shades in every room leaving only a few cracks for light. This helps to trap heat in our house. In the morning, our living room, dining room, etc. are nice and warm. We open the rolladen to let sunlight (when we have it) in to light the house. We have a small water heater, good for about two liters, under our kitchen sink and a larger one in each bathroom. The units only heat the water we need when we need it, therefore using less electricity and water. We also buy only dual voltage (110/220v) electronics, whether they are TVs, Blu-ray players, etc. We don't even own a transformer. Our water is a flat rate of 35 Euros per person (1,260 Euros annually) and we pay a set amount of 100 Euros a month (1,200 Euros, annually) to the electric company, whether we use that much or not. Typically, we get about a third of the money back from our water and power bills after our final yearly statement. Senior Airman Nathanael Callon If you want to save money on your electric bill, remember to unplug your power transformers after using them. This can help knock quite a bit off your bill at the end of the year. Some transformers use as much as 2,000 watts of electricity! If you plug a 50-watt razor into a 2,000-watt transformer, you still use 2,000 watts, since that is the unit's capacity. The best solution is to go buy new appliances that are either 220-volt or dual-voltage. The base exchange also sells lower-watt transformers - 75-watt and 300-watt units - to cater to those who just can't bear to part with or replace electronics from the U.S. Rather than not letting these power boxes eat up electric bills, try an alternative that will help conserve energy and hard-earned cash. Airman 1st Class Matthew Fredericks In small living quarters, small adjustments can make significant changes to your energy consumption. Use an adjustable thermostat, and set it at a constant temperature. Maintain this temperature and refrain from moving it when the outside temperature drops or rises. Wear warmer clothes and let plenty of sunlight in instead of turning up the heat when it gets colder outside. Use an additional blanket at night to create an extra layer to keep in body heat. Use the adjustable thermostat and lower the temperature two to five degrees when at work or leaving for long periods of time to conserve energy. Whenever you can lower your thermostat dramatically for a few days or more, you'll save not only on heating, but also a little on the operation of the refrigerator and freezer, which won't need to work so hard to maintain temperatures. Close vents in unused rooms and parts of the home, to avoid heating empty space. Turn down the thermostat whenever having groups of guests over, as each person is the equivalent of a 175-watt heater. A large group will warm up the place without the furnace or use of heating units. Senior Airman Nick Wilson One way I save energy over the holidays is to use light-emitting diode, or LED, Christmas lights with my decorations instead of regular lights. Eight strands of LED lights can be powered with the energy of one standard light and LED lights can last up to 100 hours. Apply this principle beyond the Christmas tree. Another way I save energy is by turning the lights off during the day and before going to bed at night. I don't leave doors and windows open while I have my heat on because I'm pretty much wasting energy by leaving doors open. When people want to smoke, I just tell them to go outside and close the door behind them. I also try not to cook too much food unless I know my friends, family and I are going to eat all of it to avoid cooking too much and throwing leftovers away. For starters, you save oil, gas, or electricity by cooking less. Secondly, it's probably smarter to cook just enough to make everyone happy without over-doing it. This will save energy and inches on the waist. Rechargeable batteries save electricity, promote recycling and save you money! Who wants to wash dishes? Not me. Disposable plates and utensils will save you from washing dishes, reduce dishwasher use and water when you have guests over.