Advise for the refrigerator and freezer. If you are in the habit of not keeping a lot of food inside, fill the empty space! Fridge - fill containers with water to use up some space. Freezer - use cold packs/ice packs, or containers full of ice cubes to take up space. The unit has to work to keep all the empty space cold/frozen. If you fill the space, once it gets to the correct temperature, the fridge just has to maintain the air around it. And a big plus, when you buy more food or buy a large item and need to make space, you have ice cold water to drink, ice cubes to use, or a cold pack you can let thaw and store and refreeze 1000 times.

@aimsical285

Жыл бұрын

Also main it! Just like with all appliances and vehicles, regular maintenance will keep in running efficiently and identify problems that need fixed before it stops working

@Marie-Ray

Жыл бұрын

Is it true? It's so counter intuitive

@CosyPosy

Жыл бұрын

@@Marie-Ray It's true =) Think of a cooler- the more ice inside, the longer it can stay cool. With your fridge, it works to cool the space inside, but then the mass of water and other things inside heats up slower than air. The less air, the better. =)

This is a really good episode Shelbi! I learned so much from this one. Just a piece of advice for the future, don't be afraid to repeat yourself in videos. I know you want new info and new content... but let people know the basics, the repetitive stuff. We need to hear it over and over again! Love you and what you do for the environment and the KZread community. ❤️ 🌎

@NoiseDay

Жыл бұрын

Plus, you never know when a video is going to be someone's first.

As a European who has lived in the US, it always shocks me how obsessed Americans are with AC. The fact that an ecoconscious person like you, Shelbi, considers 75ºF (that's over 23ºC) to be a "not so cold" temperature shows how used American citizens are to overusing AC. Keeping the temperature a few degrees higher in the summer would save so much energy. Well, and also having smaller houses hahaha, that's another American thing, the obsession with huge houses and the problem to keep them refrigerated/heated.

@martaborkowska8168

Жыл бұрын

You worded it perfectly.

@oxfordcommalovesyou

Жыл бұрын

As someone who has lived in the sweltering Texas heat her entire life where 102 degree days are normal in the summer…we have no other choice than to be “obsessed” with AC 😭

@Jessicanijkl

Жыл бұрын

What do you consider a good temperature for your home to be when it’s hot outside? I don’t live in Texas. but they regularly have temperatures over 40ºC with high humidity, so I can’t fault someone for seeking some relief.

@RedHead94100

Жыл бұрын

"As a european who's lived in the us" 🙄 as if the us doesn't span the entire width of a continent and has virtually every major biome. The last thing you should be doing is harping on Americans for AC after the suffering from heat that happened all over Europe this summer. And it's that hot in vast swathes of the US every year.

@itzv1173

Жыл бұрын

@@Jessicanijkl of course I don't fault them, but there's a cultural (and consumerist) aspect to it. I live in the south of Spain, where the temperatures are similar to Texas in the summer, and of course there's people who use the AC a lot, but others choose to use only on really hot days, or set it over 27ºC (this summer, actually, over 27ºC on public buildings became mandatory)

About blinds & curtains : it's even better to stop the heat before it touches the glass of your windows. So if you live in a hot climate > external shutters for the win !

We built our home over the last few years (bad timing for wood prices, lol) and it’s funny hearing you talk about air conditioning and blinds because we built in an area with very mild climate and built in a style with heavy overhangs. We didn’t have to put in AC and we haven’t had to deal with blinds at all. We took a lot of care to build using materials that were local and make things as efficient as possible and it was incredible how much we were treated like idiot hippies for pushing for these things. My state did give us a lot of kick backs for some of these as well as not clearing our 10 acres past the minimum requirement for putting in the house. For anyone building, it’s worth it to look into what you can do!

It’s so great to hear you talking about neurodiversity! (And hinting at this within yourself, I can’t wait to hear more when/if you’re ever ready to share) 😊

On the subject of blinds, I think it's good to remember that, although we all would like our homes to look nice and get window treatments we find aesthetically pleasing, if you're only going for heat reduction (and heat insulation in the winter), it doesn't have to look pretty. We have a sunroom, and it gets pretty hot in there in the summer. This summer when we were regularly hitting triple digits and even going above 110, I did what I could to heat-proof the house. Part of that was hanging a sheet over the west-facing window of the sunroom so that it wouldn't pick up SO MUCH heat in the afternoons. It was a simple thing, and it doesn't look especially pretty, but it did make a noticeable difference. Also, remember to check in with secondhand options for curtains. My local no-buy group will occasionally have someone giving away curtains (I have given away a few on there myself). So again, if you're not picky on what the curtains look like, you don't have to spend a lot to get them.

@L83467

Жыл бұрын

+++

@AlicedeTerre

Жыл бұрын

You can still furnish pretty nicely with second hand curtains! It just takes a bit of effort to look through listings.

@Megan-nt7dm

Жыл бұрын

I bought sun blocking curtains for my room and two guest rooms at a thrift shop! All told it cost me $20 and it keeps the room cooler and let's me sleep in if I want

@valeriekhall

Жыл бұрын

@@Megan-nt7dm @Shelbizleee Does anyone know of a sustainable way to buy/make insulating blackout curtains? I did what I could to survive the record-breaking Oklahoma summer we just had, putting sheets & towels on all the windows that didn't have curtains, & to fill the gaps on the ones that did. But until I can afford to replace some of the windows in this old house, I need a more insulating option. I can't find blackout curtains or blackout liners ANYWHERE that aren't 100% polyester. I don't want to furnish my home in plastic, & worry about VOC's. Totally willing to sew something, if that's the best option, but I wouldn't know where to start. Help?

@Megan-nt7dm

Жыл бұрын

@@valeriekhall I got all of my blackout curtains from a thrift store. Idk if they are insulating or not, I live somewhere pretty chilly

Hi Shelb! I’m from Italy and I have a degree in architecture. My classmates and I, two years ago, designed a project including also some of the strategies you have mentioned in the video and we got an A4 building, the most efficient type in Europe( I no nothing about US standards, sorry). So, thank you for talking about these things because they are really effective. In Italy, the goverment have offered a huge economical bonus to owners to upgrad their home. I hope it will continue after the political elections next week (fingers crossed).

We purchased our forever home in April & it's 30+ years old, and we are definitely overtime making investments in it to be more efficient and eco-friendly, so please do keep the home content coming!! (Also live in Texas, so it's particularly helpful!)

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Loved all the info in this video! I wasn’t aware I could clean or should clean my fridge coils. I’m sure there are sooo many things like that I don’t know even though I’ve owned a home for awhile. I would love all the energy efficient home tips you (and Madison) have! No matter how small they may seem.

@heatherkuhn6559

Жыл бұрын

I knew about cleaning refrigerator coils, but I haven't been remembering to do so, so this has been a good reminder. That said, I would like to point out that while the coils on Shelbi and Madison's fridge appear to be on the back, many refrigerators have them on the bottom. In fact, I made a point of getting a fridge with coils on the bottom when I needed a new one because with the set up I have, there's no way I can access coils on the back.

Thank you so much for doing videos like this Shelbi. Sometimes when watching your videos I feel like I've grown up with you in a way, I know you're a few years older than I am but I started watching you while I was still living at home with my parents and in University, moved out to a small basement apparentment shortly after, and now I am also looking into and starting to think about buying my forever home with my partner. It seems you always put out the exact right content exactly when I need it, and I really appreciate your Channel. Thank you so much for everything that you do, keep being awesome ❤️

@AshesFeu

Жыл бұрын

I'm lucky where I live that we have a net-zero construction company that has been building a net-zero energy condo building and house communities which I'm super interested in getting into. But if I'm not able to they also help update old houses to be net-zero. I highly recommend people look into local construction companies like that of it's an option in their area.

I'm surprised you didn't talk about location of the actual home. Even the direction your home is facing can make a difference in heating and cooling. Planting trees and shrubs around your house can help too. And also it's more energy efficient to live in a more densely populated place. Lots more to consider!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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@ah5721

Жыл бұрын

💯 passive solar with home facings and plantings helps cool and heat homes via the season

All of Europe is going for -15% for this winter 😅. At my place we'll likely store food outside when it's cold 🤷🏽‍♀️

I'm going to buy an induction stove/oven, could you talk more about this because it seems like this is the most energy efficient.

@Monicalala

Жыл бұрын

It’s absolutely the most efficient

@jordanbond2177

Жыл бұрын

I bought one last year and I love it! I went for the cheapest big box version (for me this was fridgid air) and I love it

What are the energy numbers, especially for the hotter months, on keeping air conditioning going to maintain a base temperature even when no one is home versus only running the air when people are home? In my country "bougie" would not even begin to describe someone who leaves anything running when they aren't home. The average person doesn't even run air / heat anywhere except the room they are actually in. I don't need my bedroom to be cool while I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. Bathrooms typically don't have central heating / air. Why heat a room constantly when you are only in it a few minutes every hour or so? You don't leave the lights on in the bathroom; why leave heat on in it?

Had an apartment in FL and it had on the hvac that 80F was the lowest setting for AC, and not to call maintenance. Np for me, I grew up without ac in NE Ohio where summers are hot and humid. During the oil embargo, my parents kept the house at 65F in winter and I still do this today. If you’re cold, put a sweater or jacket on, you buy it and take care of it and it will last for years, not so with the energy you use.

I would LOVE more content like this. I’m not ready to buy a home yet, but I hope to in the next few years. I know nothing about home ownership, let alone eco friendly homes, so this is incredibly helpful.

@christinebyrnes3164

Жыл бұрын

Also would love more content like this. Maybe even discussing ways to be water efficient e.g. grey water usage options, how to move house in a greener way (I re-used old cardboard boxes where I could and then used them in the garden. Any new boxes I had to buy, I am giving to family to re-use).

I think the quality of windows in the US tends to be a major flaw. In France where my family is from, double pane windows are the norm and pretty much every home even old homes have either been built with them or retrofitted with them and it can greatly help for the energy efficiency of the home.

I'm super stoked for home reno/decor videos!!!

I bought reusable air filters because you mentioned their existence like a year ago, and they’ve been great! Way cheaper in the long run for sure

@carlynarotsky491

Жыл бұрын

Same here! 😁

(Sorry but that part on green energy really got me feeling like I need to vent 😅) I live in Finland so like >75% of my energy use comes from heating my home and my water. This winter will be tough due to Russias attack on Ukraine causing our electricity to have already tripled in price, they’re even saying they might have to cause strategic power outages throughout the country to save energy. Due to this people are finally realizing that green energy is the best, cheapest, easiest and most sustainable way to be self-sufficient long term in this country when it comes to electricity production, and the government is thankfully putting much more of the budget towards it next year. People who can afford solar panels are now installing them, some even have their own wind turbines, and alot of companies are also starting to pursue their own energy production with wind and solar. I’m not looking forward to the winter lol, I have not been able to get solar panels yet so I really hope the energy prices will be managable. My highest electricity bill last year was around 350€ so if the tripled prices continue through winter I’m looking at a solid 1000€ per month just for heating my home 🙃 It will probably help out alot that people and companies are starting to produce their own energy rather than everyone just relying on the grid. I highly recommend that anyone, anywhere who can afford to should get their own solar panels or wind turbines ASAP to help out the constantly rising demand for energy all over the world.

For the water softener : if you have the option to collect rain water, it is absolutely non mineral, and then you can use it for toilets, washing machine etc. Then the water softener treats only half the amount of water > half consumption. If you purify it (uv light or filters) you can even use it for drinking

When my parents had their solar panels installed the company they went through gifted them a year’s worth of energy efficient lightbulbs!! Definitely recommend looking into what sort of useful freebies or discounts your local solar companies provide to incentivize buyers to get panels!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Love this! We are in the process of buying a home too so anything like this would be super helpful!! Thanks!

Actually a video on sustainable historic building techniques would be AMAZING!!! ❤

Thank you for sharing such an informative video, Shelbi!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Hi Shelbi! I was wondering if it's better in your opinion to replace your appliances with an energy efficient version as soon as possible or to wait until your appliances to die to avoid the environmental impact of making a new appliance? I was so excited to see this video because I just got a home, and I was thinking recently that I would love to hear tips from you about home ownership :)

@libertyjayne

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I also wonder about this. We have an old gas stove that I imagine will break at some point, so I’m waiting for that to happen to switch to electric.

@jordanbond2177

Жыл бұрын

Yes! I would also love a video explaining pros and cons of new vs used appliances. My gut says that a used fridge is probably more sustainable but at some point, the scale probably shifts to new (finances aside)

@chrystinnajones9519

Жыл бұрын

I’m pretty sure she said in an older video, is that if you are financially able to go ahead and if they still work gift or sell them to someone who would have better use for it.

We both WFH and our renters so we're limited in some areas. But we can work on lowering our electric bill (it's higher than I want) in general by checking the fridge and unplugging certain electronics that don't get used often. Thanks for the tips!

I’d love to know your opinions on different types of housing! Like i know apartments can be more sustainable because they use less land by building vertically and not every single person needs a washing machine and stuff, but also you can have much less control over things like your appliances and maintenance. And stuff like van life is a whole other beast. I love hearing your input! 😊

THANK YOU!! When I heard you mention WealthFront in the previous video, I knew I needed to know more! I appreciate you covering this. 🥰

We live in northeast and just updated our home to mini splits from oil, got rid of our second fridge and we are adding a ton of insulation - will save us tons of money and not use more Oil!! This was after our audit and our state gave us rebates and almost no cost insulation!! WIN WIN!

@vdwhite687

Жыл бұрын

Absolute W.

I was unable to find the link for the reusable air filters. I loved the tips you gave in this video! Congratulations on your forever home!

We're getting our first house right now and everything is so daunting. Thank you for sharing💜

Yes definitely more house content!!

I loved this video. content recently has been absolutley spot on! I've recently moved house for a new job and it's my first time living alone, not splitting bills with anyone etc. This is great advice. Not only for my eco goals but for my bank balance as well

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Going to school for Environmental science! Thanks for all you do, Shelbi

Please part 2! I think this is very helpful!

Great information as always. I do not see a link for the AC filters you use, would you provide please?

Reusable AC filters?! Mind blown!! And coil cleaning the fridge!! Will certainly be added to the regular to do list.

Thank you for explaining so clearly that reducing energy consumption through efficiency and timing is priority over renewables; This is not said enough. We refuse to buy devices that use regular batteries. Now we buy corded or USB rechargeable only.

As someone renovating my first house (on a budget) and trying to make it more environmentally friendly, this video was perfect for me! I definitely will doing an energy audit and checking for rebates in my area!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Thank you for this! I appreciate you mentioning all the things prior to getting solar pannels. Lovely video.

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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I got a new house last year and it’s pretty new, so we actually got solar panels before swapping appliances like our stove and heater because we start getting an immediate return on investment for the panels. Because our appliances are so new it doesn’t make as much financial sense to replace them (yet). I really do want to swap my gas stove for an electric or induction, but that also may require routing a new electricity line because the gas stove needs a lower voltage than the electric stove

Loved this! Part two please ☺️

Love the back to back uploads

I love this! I would say it’s not always sustainable to replace your windows. If you have old wood windows, they can be repaired and updates like spring bronze and storm windows can increased their efficiency to be just about equivalent to that of new windows! Save the old windows and insulate/seal gaps!!!

I just wanted to say I’m a long time viewer and I love your videos. I wanted to know if you’d do a video about recent climate events in Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii. Thanks for all the informational content you provide us ❤

Great video! New windows should be in next week, and we’ve already gotten started in the other fixes that our energy audit suggested. Last thing to go in will be solar ☺️ Also can I just say I love your current makeup/hair look.

Shelby I love your videos and your content. It is so helpful and inspiring. I just want to let you know that you may need to purchase a different microphone as your recent videos have tinny audio, which makes it a bit uncomfortable to listen to which is a shame as what you say is great

Congrats on your new home!! 😁🤍💚

Really appreciated this video!!

Mind blown! Thanks girl!

Lol, I keep the house at 78F! We can't afford it to be any colder! This video is super helpful, it's going right into my favorites. Thanks so much!

Shelbi, this banking info. (Chef’s kiss), I am research and looking to make the switch from a big bank. Just wanted to to give you a thanks for all the advice and tips. I’m excited to see all the future content to come. P.S. Your past video on banking was also very helpful. Many thanks. 💛

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Best video yet!!!!

Would love to see more home content in the future!

As a neurodivergent viewer, I appreciate this video. 😊🥳 Recently switched to Tubman batteries because rechargeable just makes sense!

Hey Shelb, you might already know but in case you don't: the audio in this video has a bit of a quality issue that's going to exclude some viewers. I'm not an audio expert so I can't really guess at what's causing it, but it's kind of tinny? Almost like I'm trying to hear someone through a poor cell connection.

@foxgloved8922

Жыл бұрын

I think it’s that the mic is too close/gain is too high, causing peaking

@Celcey24

Жыл бұрын

Interesting, it sounded fine to me. Could it possibly your computer/phone/headphones?

@KatjeKat86

Жыл бұрын

Unless she already fixed it, it sounds fine to me so it might be your device.

Thank you for sharing these important information. As an eco friendly content creator, I appreciate this video. 👍

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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I bought a house a year ago and I definitely try to implement a lot of these things! The smart thermostat has been so nice! Now if only I could get my husband to stop doing the laundry ALL THE TIME 😅

Love your videos!

I’d love a part 2 ❤

Very important is to buy (new or old) A+++ electric appliance energy rating and other thing that is very eco-friendly is to control your lights, AC and other electric appliance appliances with smart home elements.

Glass window tint can greatly reduce heat from entering your home too.

You’re also supposed to purge your water heater yearly to flush that sediment out. I think flushing the agitator in your washer/dryer makes it run better as well

Did you switch from Aspiration to Wealthfront, or are they different services?

Can you maybe do a whole video on laundry routines around the world and rank who's most sustainable and least sustainable? I'd be so interested. X

Yes, make it a series 😄

One of the best things we did for living here in Texas, and the 9 months of summer, was to buy a toaster oven last year on Prime Day. I can make so much of our food in there rather than heating up a full sized oven. It keeps the house much cooler and only takes about 2-3 minutes to heat up instead of 20 or so minutes. It can take a little fiddling to figure out the right temperature and time to bake the foods at but it is so worth it. When we bought our house we new we would need to replace the outside HVAC condenser, didn't expect the inside one as well. We were told that upgrading to the new type of system would save us a bunch of money on the a/c bill.. they lied. So be prepared for things like that. We have gotten solar, but it's not saving us much. Good to know is that if you can't afford the battery system to go with it (very pricey) you will still lose power when your local electric goes out. That is rather often where we live. And you will not have solar powering at night.

@kinging-it8902

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Shelbi I’m sure you already know about it but if not look into Passivhaus! The most energy efficient building standard out there. I’m a Passivhaus Retrofit Consultant so I improve existing properties to Passivhaus Standard 😊 Love your videos, keep doing what you do 🧡

I’m going to get my parents the reusable air filters for Christmas. I don’t own a home yet but would love to see how they work in their house

Didn't know that about cleaning fridge coils!

thnk u for the tips!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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my neighbor got one of those environmental rebates, it saved him a lot of money

Solar panel rebates unfortunatly are sometimes only given if you use above a particular amount of energy, deincentivising people from developing good habits

Speaking of how much energy the fridge can house, did you know your fridge and freezer actually use less energy when they are FULL?!? An empty fridge uses a lot of energy to cook empty space; when it’s full of cold food, that food also helps insulate the fridge/freezer. I know some people will put their non-perishables in there when it is too empty so that it uses less energy

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Hard water also impacts your dishwasher a lot! Our dishes come out a lot cleaner after replacing the salt.

Good luck!

Lovely video 😊 S!

I feel like it is also a good idea to not have a fridge that is too big. Like you don't need a big fridge for a two people apartment.

I work at an energy consulting company too! Very interesting video.

@kinging-it8902

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Advise for how to be more energy efficient in an apartment would be great!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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On the topic of financial incentives: the Inflation Reduction Act includes a lot of new and updated incentives for homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient. Many of them won’t be available until next year, but I am planning our home projects accordingly 😉

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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I'm still recharging batteries i bought in the late 1990s. And blinds and blackout curtains are key to staying cool.

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Yes home content

I had a question about water heaters, and are on demand water heaters more efficient? I don’t use hot water very often and I always thought it was a waste to keep all this water hot 24/7. (Our local electrician seemed biased against them but I know so many other countries use them, so I wondered about the efficiency.) I really appreciate this video and all the ideas.

@strawberryboulevard

Жыл бұрын

If you live anywhere that consistently gets really cold in the winter (think below freezing), on-demand water heaters will actually be less efficient!

No link in description for the book you mentioned

How do you manage a hot water heater efficiently?

Great video. The moving border thing bothered my eyes a bit though

Hi Shelby, very interesting! I'm sure not quite the same in Australia but still good. :) I am a home owner. There are so many government incentives here for Solar power etc but some are erysipelas dodgy unfortunately. :/ I had mine installed around 7 years ago BUT it hasn't been running at all because of their stuff up & the company went bust only 3 weeks after installing it which I didn't find out for over 5 years. :( and since I've been unemployed since 2020 I can't afford to get it sorted :/ Also Credit unions have always been a better alternative in most if not all situations. I started banking / investing with them as a teenager , thanks to my mothers recommendations. I am currently considering changing my house loan again to Bank of Australia ( Eco bank ) But I have Never been with any of the standard big banks. 😄😃 Both of you, Enjoy your new house . ;)

I have a question or maybe it is really more than one... Back story: we purchased a property, an acreage that unfortunately has a very old trailer on it. We have to get rid of it as they have a life span now and nobody will mortgage them anymore. We are tossing around 2 ideas either we build or we move a house in. If we build we would be doing a full ICF house, so I am curious what your opinions are on both those options. Building a house allows us to ensure we make it as efficient as possible vs moving an older house onto the land would be like recycling BUT the homes I have found would all require updates and are not going to be very efficient as they are. What are your thoughts on ICF vs traditional timber homes?

So helpful

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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One comment about smart thermostats. We tried putting them in my house last year and had to return them because our HVAC system wasn’t compatible. It was mid July and upstairs would only heat and not cool once the smart thermostat was hooked up, and it went back to normal as soon as we put the old one back. I’d love a smart thermostat, but they’re not accessible for everyone.

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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I do not see the links you mentioned. Did I miss then?

Do you suggest a specific water softener? I am at a loss! So much divided information. Lots of salt use, uses more water, electric ones, or filters? I want to make the best sustainable option but I am overwhelmed with lingo and not understanding what will work best for my home, without being pushed by salespeople. Any help?

You should do this video for renters

I feel like the smart thermostat is very USA specific. I live in France and I don't have AC at all. It does get very hot here too, probably not as hot as Texas though. All this is to say it would be nice to have some info on living in an apartment or renting things that we can do etc. Thanks!

@kinging-it8902

Жыл бұрын

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Oh no the peaky sound is back.

I know some of this could apply to apartments, but some more tips for that situation would be nice. I’ll never be able to afford a home.

Do you have any recommendations for apartment living? In terms of an energy audit?

@kinging-it8902

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