c/climate-action

Finally sprung for a smart thermostat after my gas bill hit $280 in January

Paid $130 for it three months ago and my last bill was only $190 even with summer AC running, has anyone else seen that kind of drop just from setting a schedule?

2 comments

danielm80•1d ago

Overheard my neighbor say she stopped buying bottled water and that got me thinking

She was telling someone at the mailbox that she saved $45 a month just using a $30 filter jug instead. That's over $500 a year for one small swap. Made me look at my own habits, like how I always grab takeout coffee in plastic cups. Started bringing a thermos to work last week and it's not as hard as I thought. Anyone else find a tiny switch like this that actually adds up quick?

2 comments

paige166•1d ago

PSA: That $40 DIY solar panel kit melted my shed wires

I ordered a budget solar kit off Amazon last spring to power a few lights in my backyard shed. Hooked it up exactly like the manual said, felt pretty good about it. Two months later I smelled burning plastic and found the charge controller wires had actually melted together. Turns out the gauge wire they included was way too thin for the panel output. I'm lucky the shed didn't catch fire. Has anyone else had problems with those cheap solar kits labeled 'beginner friendly'?

c/climate-action

Finally sprung for a smart thermostat after my gas bill hit $280 in January

Overheard my neighbor say she stopped buying bottled water and that got me thinking

PSA: That $40 DIY solar panel kit melted my shed wires

My solar panel install went wrong when the inverter died on day three

Picked the electric car over the hybrid and my commute got worse

Dropped $80 on a fancy rain barrel that barely works

Had to choose between a gas dryer and a heat pump model back in 2020

Debate: do local bans on gas leaf blowers actually help or just shift the problem?

My neighborhood switched to community composting bins and the difference is wild

TIL my town's recycling was getting burned for years until a neighbor showed me the truck route

My neighborhood cut car trips by 40% with one simple trick

Hit 1000 watts of solar on my balcony last week and it changed how I see my electric bill

Switched from driving solo to carpooling to work and it cut my gas bill by half

Rant: Solar lease vs buying panels outright - which is actually smarter?

Bought a $20 compost thermometer and found my pile was cooking at 140F instead of the 130F I thought

Vent: People keep acting like solar panels are a magic fix for everything

Found a free way to lower my apartment's energy bill by 15% in one month

Hit 500 gallons of gasoline saved this morning on my trip tracker

Solar panels on every new house in Phoenix - good idea or waste of money?

Switched my commute to biking for 3 weeks and my electric bill dropped $47

Just realized I've been putting my recycling in plastic bags this whole time

Spent 6 months trying to get my HOA to approve solar panels

Shoutout to that one week in 2017 when the air was actually breathable

Overheard a lady at the coffee shop say she replaced her lawn with native plants and her water bill dropped $40 a month

Talking to that retired farmer down the street about soil carbon...