Getting it Right - Welcome

The goal of this blog is to publish my thoughts on a variety of economic and political topics in the hopes that people who find them educational or beneficial will utilize them and/or forward to others who might find them interesting and/or worthwhile to promote to others, possibly including politicians who can push some of these ideas to fruition. The topics in my blog are meant to be of value on a long term basis, not a daily diary or political issue of the day log. If the information posted is useful to you, by all means utilize it and/or forward it as you see fit. If not useful, then merely ignore it. There are no universally agreed upon truisms and too little tolerance between some of those with opposing viewpoints to successfully convince the people with hardened opinions to move away from them. I am an analytical type person who will try to be as factual as I am able.

I disdain the current popularity of name calling and condemnation of viewpoints with no factual alternatives or logical solutions given that I see so often. If you don't have a solution based on fact and logic, then opt out of the discussion because you have nothing to contribute. My background is a degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and 39 years working in middle management jobs for a major retailer. My opinions are forged on the personal experence of life, family, friends, and work as well as triumphs and mistakes that I have made and hopefully learned from. My hope is that this blog helps you.

My first topic will be about personal finance. I chose that one first because most of us work long and hard just to survive but not all of us realize our dreams of becoming financially independent from the labors of our work. Much of our political votes/thinking also focus on the economy and in particular how well we are personally doing financially.

It is relatively simple, without sacrificing the enjoyment of living for 'today' and even at moderate incomes, to retire as a millionaire or multi-millionaire, if you focus on that goal consistently from a young age. It is also simple to ensure that your child or grandchild retires rich. It merely requires a one time gift of just $2,000 invested wisely and the passage of time. Please read my first post on this blog to learn more.


Getting it right on Politics, Economics, and Personal Finance

An index/schedule of past and future posts and their dates will always be updated so that it becomes the first post that you see below. If the date of a post that you wish to read is preceded by the word "Posted", then find it below or click on the title in the Blog archive to review.

Blog Archive

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Hot Water Tanks Energy Consumption

 Concerned about climate change? A home's hot water tank(s) is normally second (to heating and air conditioning) in a home's total energy consumption. How many of you leave your hot water tanks running all day and night? Gigantic waste of energy and expense if you do. Put timers on your hot water tanks and set them to run for only the times you generally use hot water. Keep in mind that even when off, a hot water tank, especially if well insulated, will keep its water hot for hours when not in much usage. Also, is your hot water too hot for your hands and body when you use it so that you have to mix it with some cold water? If yes, then lower your hot water tank's temperature. These are normally preset to 140 degrees. Turn it down to 120 degrees or less.

When you go on vacation or business trips, do you turn your hot water tanks off for the entire period that you are away? If not, what a waste of energy and money!! For electric hot water tanks, just turn off its circuit breaker when you are away, then turn it on when you return and change the time on the timer to the correct time (I usually leave myself a note to do that where I will see it when I return. Note - I am not familiar with gas hot water tanks so you may need to handle it differently.

Finally, hot water tanks may eventually leak water. That can be a real disaster when you return. Have a shut off valve installed on the water intake of your hot water tank. When away, turn that valve off, then turn it back on when you return (I also leave myself a note for this too). That way, if there is a leak, it will only leak the 40 to 50 gallons of water in the tank, instead of possibly thousands of gallons continuously when you're away for extended periods of time.
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