What are some of the best energy myths you have ever heard? I think this could be good for a couple of laughs. I will start:
  • Incandescent light bulbs give off more heat than light and because of this they help heat my house in the winter. I don't want to switch to CFLs or LEDs because my heating bills will increase.
  • My system is running pretty cost effectively right now because 2 of my 3 HVAC units broke down, so I am only using 1 for the whole building. That's like cutting my costs by 2/3.
What are some good ones you have heard?

Tags: myths

Views: 1337

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

14 /100 watt bulbs a fan and you got yourself a room heater. Problem is you probably don't have that many lamps in 3 houses.LOL Not too safe either to plug in that many in one room.

Just makes me think of people sitting on light bulbs.  Mmmm, comfortable. 

Hi ted,

There's the humor side and then the reality.  Up here in north country the power companies can't disconnect homes for failure to pay during the cold months, logical.  But when the oil tank and the bank account are both empty, they turn on the electric heaters knowing they won't have to pay, until who knows when.  Then I look at the subsidized program for low income and run into all kinds of people getting free work done, just because they can, not because they don't have money.  Just wish there was a better way to help those who need it and leave the others on their own.

And our electric is around $ 0.16 a kw.

Bud

thats a lot of lamps!!
That is a lot of lamps. The best part of the incandescent bulb myth is how one sided it is. They do supply heat, this is true, which means during winter months you may receive a little extra warmth... but what about summer? Wouldn't that extra heat create larger bills? Ah ha

As for, "I'm not going to pay somebody to insulate my attic when I can roll out my own insulation for a lot less money." being a myth, I would say it completely depends on the person. If someone on this website said that to me I would completely believe they could install their own insulation just fine.

After applying a radiant barrier coating to rooftop A/c units and ducts and have the owner feel them before and after;  "Yeah I can feel the difference in the metal but now I'm losing all my cold!"

500 square per ton!

Ok, not exactly an 'energy' myth, but...
Another one: by not not typing all the words in a sentence, you save energy.

Square FEET...

Chris Laumer-Giddens said:
500 square per ton! Ok, not exactly an 'energy' myth, but...
From more than one contractor: "Turning down the temperature at night doesn't save any energy."
The German Entrepreneur who, after Germany “outlawed” Incandescent bulbs of more than 75W, began selling his 100W bulbs as “Heat Balls!”

See, Americans are NOT the only "creative capitalists"


Mark Richardson said:
The German Entrepreneur who, after Germany “outlawed” Incandescent bulbs of more than 75W, began selling his 100W bulbs as “Heat Balls!”

See, Americans are NOT the only "creative capitalists"

I heard about that guy actually. Pretty creative, and funny at the same time. That reminds me of another fun myth I heard from my mother growing up all the time:

In the Summer she would say...
"Turn off the lights, they cause extra heat, if you need to see open a window."
Technically true, I think the sun pouring in the window supplied far more heat than a single incandescent bulb possibly could. In the winter definitely open the windows instead of the lights and accept that extra heat with open arms.
Silas - Great thread. You've hit a rich vein here.

Here are some items we assembled years back. We'll have to go back and update that with all the good stuff members have logged here....

RSS

Home Energy Pros

Home Energy Pros was founded by the developers of Home Energy Saver Pro (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and brought to you in partnership with Home Energy magazine.

Latest Activity

David Eakin commented on Elisa Wood's blog post Momentum builds for energy efficiency...but is the wolf at the door?
"Here's a very recent article on Green Building Advisor that reinforces the issues to…"
2 hours ago
Home Energy Magazine posted blog posts
3 hours ago
Egr renovation posted a status
"of course he is in paris but works around europe http://ning.it/16KrbS7"
6 hours ago
Egr renovation posted a status
"i just find a good photogrpahe for your master piece http://www.armanimage.com"
6 hours ago

Tom Mallard just added their location.
(via Member Map)

22 hours ago
Profile IconDon Hughes, Julian Sark, James Hatheway and 4 more joined Home Energy Pros
yesterday
Meagan Foster posted events
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

EnergyLogic's RaterFest! at Black Hawk, CO

September 13, 2013 at 10am to September 15, 2013 at 12pm
Join us for one of the best home energy conferences available!  This retreat will provide…See More
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

Homes 401: Green Rater Training at Berthoud, CO

June 25, 2013 to June 26, 2013
This highly interactive workshop builds upon the material presented in the online course, further…See More
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

HERS Rater Training - Online at Online

July 1, 2013 to July 26, 2013
NEW - our great RESNET HERS Rater online training is now completely self-paced, so you can start at…See More
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

BPI Building Analyst Training - Online at Online

June 3, 2013 to June 28, 2013
Join the EnergyLogic Academy for our BPI BA online training - we just went to a completely open…See More
yesterday

© 2013   Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service