True cost of that space heater.

Device: Space Heater
Make: Walmart
Model: DQ1702
Estimated Savings:

Dad is 88 and over the winter I got him a small space heater that he can run during the day when I’m at work if he gets cold. I was under the impression he used that heater for no more than an hour or so each day. What I’ve learned is that heater is on almost constantly when I’m away from the house. That might be only a little over a dollar each day in electricity but it adds another $35-$40 to the monthly electric bill. He has an electric blanket in his bedroom that he uses at night which requires far less electricity. I’ve decided to get him another small electric blanket that he can put around him when he needs additional heat in the Family Room.

Dirty Sump Pump

Device: Pump
Make:
Model:
Estimated Savings:

This is not the usual energy hog story but nevertheless SENSE has other ways of flagging problems in your home. So we all know that sound the sump pump makes when it’s pumping water out that’s entering your sump pit, right? Well the fact is you wouldn’t really know the sump pump stopped working until it’s too late and you had a flood. It’s not like you’re constantly checking for water right. So one of the first things my SENSE found was the sump pump. It kept notifying me one night that it found the sump pump. Over night it had come on and off like 30 times yet I didn’t hear of feel the vibration of it. And I can usually hear it. I decided that either that was not the sump pump it found or something was wrong. I opened it and found a decent amount of water in there which was the first bad sign. I used my hose to flush the pit with water and the Sense went on and off again. I starting removing my sump pump and found the pit was full of debris and so the pump was clogged. All I had to do was clean the pit and hose the pump down. No replacement needed.