What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

And I would invest in solar panels if the cost of installing them would be less in the long term than continuing to be hooked up to the local electrical grid. Storms with hail and wind are common here, and damage solar panels before their useful lifespan has been reached.

I really have mixed feelings about solar panels. In theory, I like the concept of using "free" solar power. But, of course, it's not free. I checked into getting solar panels for my house a few years ago, and the breakeven point on the investment for me would have been somewhere in my mid-90's. If I live that long, it will probably not be in my current house. So, that was a non-starter.

I also considered just getting a small solar panel to recharge my tool batteries, for example. I found a nice solar panel starter kit for about $150.00. But then I checked to see how much it cost me to recharge my batteries on grid power. I have a Kill-A-Watt meter that measures the electricity used by a device, and I found it cost me less than 1 cent to recharge my tool battery on grid power. If I had to recharge one tool battery per day, then it would take over 30 years to recover the cost of that solar panel kit for charging up my tool batteries. Currently, I only use maybe 1 or 2 batteries charges per week. At that rate, it would take over 100 years to breakeven on that purchase.

Obviously, people who live off grid or don't have the option of a power grid will have many other uses for solar panels. I'm just saying that grid power, for me, is a better option.

FWIW, our electric company uses something like 20% of renewable solar and wind powered electricity. They send out a report to us about once a year. However, the cost of solar and wind, today, is more expensive that burning dirty coal. In a small way, I am investing in solar and wind power because those costs are added into our electric bills. I hope someday the economics of renewable energy will cost less than burning coal.

 

[fuzzi]

FYI: adding CO2 to the atmosphere encourages plant growth, like trees and crops, which then produce oxygen and food.

I thought the push was to plant trees to help reduce CO2 and clean air pollution? The Amazon forests were being destroyed, so plant more trees. But I recently read that in order to reduce CO2 they now want to cut down more trees?

A wise man I knew said if something didn't make sense "there's a buck in it" ... someone is making money.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I can't buy into solar, the mining for the minerals is harmful and uses gas powered vehicles, refinement, same thing... Then assembled and shipped, and at end of life can't be recycled.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Anyone have any ideas for use for old sheets?

 

[BDutch]

About electric cars, there's a bit of evidence indicating they're not as green as often promoted: https://hir.harvard.edu/not-so-green-technology-the-complicated-legacy-of-rare-earth-mining/

Good for you recharging it with solar! Most people don't seem to understand that charging stations are powered by fuel, as in diesel, coal, etc.

And I would invest in solar panels if the cost of installing them would be less in the long term than continuing to be hooked up to the local electrical grid. Storms with hail and wind are common here, and damage solar panels before their useful lifespan has been reached.

Yes, making batteries is far from perfect. But adding more greenhouse gasses from fossil fuels is even less perfect. And the fabricage of a motor and everything thats needed for a fuel motor doesn’t come cheap either.

In the Netherlands we can sell our electricity from solar power to the electric grid as green electricity for a good price. Most fast charging stations have solar panels and use green (wind and solar) electricity if it’s night or not enough.
About 10% of our energy is from wind and sun nowadays and it’s increasing with 2% a year. In the meantime they are developing new techniques for less polluting and cheaper batteries.

In Europe the break even point for solar panels is 6 years if you can place them at a good spot (south orientation). But electricity ️ is probably more expensive here. Installing solar panels is one of the best investments you can do here as ROI.
Only hail as big as tennis-balls damage the normal solar panels and decreases the e-output. Solar panels with double glazing are even stronger. They keep on developing better panels. The windmills are getting stronger / higher / better too.

 

[BDutch]

I started burning our kitchen garbage in my backyard fire pit.

Cant you give it a purpose? Like burning it for heat in winter to safe fossil fuels?

I wonder if the CO2 I release from burning the 1 bag of trash in my backyard fire pit is off set by the amount of fumes my old pickup would put into the air driving the garbage 40 miles round trip to our landfill/recycle center?

mmm thats a complicated calculation. Maybe a math crack or ChatGPT cangive a clue?

I hope someday the economics of renewable energy will cost less than burning coal.

I hope cheaper is not the only argument that is used to make choices for solar and wind above coal.

We urgently need to reduce fossil fuels. The temps keep rising and accelerating this way. And extreme weather, huge fires, and floods too. Cheaper now means a lot more cost in the future to keep us safe.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Neither one is

Yes, making batteries is far from perfect. But adding more greenhouse gasses from fossil fuels is even less perfect. And the fabricage of a motor and everything thats needed for a fuel motor doesn’t come cheap either.

In the Netherlands we can sell our electricity from solar power to the electric grid as green electricity for a good price. Most fast charging stations have solar panels and use green (wind and solar) electricity if it’s night or not enough.
About 10% of our energy is from wind and sun nowadays and it’s increasing with 2% a year. In the meantime they are developing new techniques for less polluting and cheaper batteries.

In Europe the break even point for solar panels is 6 years if you can place them at a good spot (south orientation). But electricity ️ is probably more expensive here. Installing solar panels is one of the best investments you can do here as ROI.
Only hail as big as tennis-balls damage the normal solar panels and decreases the e-output. Solar panels with double glazing are even stronger. They keep on developing better panels. The windmills are getting stronger / higher / better too.

Nether one is sustainable, the metals needed are finite. Fossil fuels are finite. I don't know what the answer is, but I couldn't do solar or battery until they can recycle, otherwise it's just more toxic trash at a higher pace then with combustion engine vehicles, etc.

 

[gtaus]

Cant you give it [burning trash] a purpose? Like burning it for heat in winter to safe fossil fuels?

I used to have a burning barrel out in our old garage. Burning trash was great to quickly heat up the garage. But our insurance companies do not like burning barrels and the like in our new house. In town, you cannot have a burning barrel in your garage. But I live outside of town, and we don't have the same restrictions. However, the insurance company will tack on a whole lot of fees to your insurance bill if you have a fireplace or burning barrels.

Having said that, burning the trash in my fire ring does indeed have a secondary benefit. When I cut down a tree, or if a tree falls down, I roll the fire ring over to the remaining stump and burn it out over time instead of renting a stump grinder for something like $150 for one day use. It just takes a long time to burn out a stump compared to removing it with a stump grinder. However, who doesn't enjoy a small backyard fire to sit around at night? Just toss some good logs on top of that trash and clean up the yard at the same time.

I hope cheaper is not the only argument that is used to make choices for solar and wind above coal.

We urgently need to reduce fossil fuels. The temps keep rising and accelerating this way. And extreme weather, huge fires, and floods too. Cheaper now means a lot more cost in the future to keep us safe.

I'm all for cleaner sources of energy. Water dams can also provide a lot of clean energy. But I don't think we have any of them in our electrical grid system.

I took a tour of our major coal burning plant back in the early 1980's, when I was in college, and we got to see how the company was using all kinds of smokestack filters to scrub the particulates out of the smoke. Visually, you could not see black smoke being dumped into the air. I don't remember what the regulations for emissions were at that time, but I hope technology and laws have both improved regarding burning coal.

Cost of generating electricity is the driving force. Lots of people are not so concerned about the long-term future costs of how we make our electricity. It's not even a consideration for sustainability, either...

 

[gtaus]

Neither one is

Nether one is sustainable, the metals needed are finite. Fossil fuels are finite. I don't know what the answer is, but I couldn't do solar or battery until they can recycle, otherwise it's just more toxic trash at a higher pace then with combustion engine vehicles, etc.

Back in the old days, I used to have Ni-Cad batteries and they were only good for 2-3 years, and then they were junk. But the new Li-Ion batteries last many years longer. I have some Ryobi Li-Ion batteries that are about 12 years old and still working fine. Still at about 80% of their original capacity. To me, that's a major step forward in battery technology.

I recently saw a YouTube video where they were working with Sodium (Salt) batteries as a possible new battery type. Salt is not toxic, it's abundant, and cheap. If they can get it to work, maybe I'll see another step forward in battery technology in my lifetime. That would be nice.

I used to have to replace my grass trimmers and lawn mowers about every 2-3 years because the carburetors would foul up and it would cost more to maintain them than to replace them. I switched over to using battery outdoor equipment about 15 years ago, and I am still using some of my original battery grass trimmers and battery lawn mowers. That's far less equipment being junked at my house. I still have gas riding mowers, but just about everything else is battery powered.

Of course, at the risk of sounding like a Ryobi fan boy, I am really happy that Ryboi made a commitment to keep their original 18v battery platform for over 25 years. That makes a big difference. In the long ago past, I had purchased different brand battery tools only to see the company drop that battery platform for a newer design, leaving my old tools useless. However, I am still using some of my 20 year old Ryobi Ni-Cad era tools with their new Li-Ion batteries, and the tools work even better with the new batteries.

It's too bad that every company has to have their own battery platform. I suspect they make more money selling their batteries than selling the tools. Wouldn't it be nice to buy any brand tool you wanted and know that your existing battery pack(s) would work on it? Just a thought.

 

[Iluveggers]

Anyone have any ideas for use for old sheets?

Cut up and use for poultices, old rags to clean with, or make quilts/pillowcases out of. They are also good to cover plants for a frost warning overnight.