QUESTION: We were sitting in our kitchen the other day, and I commented to my wife how comfortable the room felt in such cold weather. She replied that it was always hot in the kitchen because of the heat from the refrigerator and other appliances. This got me thinking that it must be hot in the summer as well, so maybe we'd be better off if we moved our big appliances to the garage, which is just a few steps from the kitchen. Would this make any sense, and more importantly, would it lower our energy bills if all that heat went into the garage and not into the house where we'd need more air conditioning to get rid of it?ANSWER: Well, aside from the fact that it might give all of you more exercise walking to the garage every time you wanted something to eat or drink, I think there might be some small benefit. I dug through my column files and found an article I wrote back in 2001 that discussed some research that had been done on this very topic, and I think you'll find the highlights interesting.The study was actually done to measure the daily electricity use of a refrigerator from the 1980s against measured kitchen temperatures and door openings, and also considered these factors with a newer, more efficient unit replacing the old refrigerator in the same house.By the way, door openings were included because research has found that every time someone opens their refrigerator door, daily energy use goes up about 8 watts per day. Studies have found — and get ready for this — refrigerator doors are opened an average of 42 times per day. Incredible, you say, but think about it, especially if you have teenagers in the home who like to take inventory of the refrigerator contents on a regular basis. Sure, we're not talking huge numbers here, but these little things do add up.During the periods of the study, the kitchen temperature averaged around 77 degrees, though it did vary during the year and on many occasions. The study also measured the temperature in the garage (where the water heater, washer and dryer were located) and the outdoor temperatures during the yearlong research effort. The average outdoor temperature during the year for this house in Florida was 78.6 degrees, and the average temperature in the garage during this time period was 81.8.Without going into all the research data and math involved here, let me point out that the study concluded keeping the refrigerator in the house had only a very minimal increase on electricity use and made very little difference in the power bill. The heat from the appliances did not greatly increase the temperature in the place where it was located.One finding here is that keeping heat-producing appliances in the home can have a slight increase on air-conditioning use in hot weather, which is why many southern homeowners keep appliances like the washer and dryer in an unconditioned space like the garage or a utility room. But if you live in a colder climate where more heating is used during the year, that heat from appliances might keep you warmer and cut down a little on your heating needs.In other words, sit and relax in the kitchen and enjoy the warmth from the appliances in winter, and don't worry about this heat raising your energy bills in hot weather. While it feels warm today, it isn't making much of a difference in actual temperature increase.

QUESTION: I've seen you write a number of times that turning off lights when you leave a room that is empty will help save energy. I appreciate the thought, but come on, how much energy and money does this really save?Aren't we just talking about something here that doesn't mean a whole lot in real terms?ANSWER: You're right that I have written about this a number of times over the years, and I've done this because I really do believe it makes a difference. Sure, turning out one light you're not using isn't by itself going to change your financial picture. After all, if you turn off a 100-watt incandescent bulb that is on for six hours in a room not being used that you'd otherwise have left on, you're saving around six cents during that time.Now before you start to snicker at this, consider that adds up to around $1.80 per month, or more than $20 a year. Now think about how many light bulbs you have in your home. I've seen estimates that say the average home has 25 to 40 bulbs (think about some of the bathroom fixtures with six or more bulbs and the many multibulb lamps people use), and suddenly $20 a year for turning off one bulb becomes a few hundred dollars a year for turning off a bunch of them.When I tell people about this, I often hear that they think turning bulbs on and off too often makes the bulbs burn out faster. Actually, frequent turning on and off won't shorten the life of an incandescent bulb's filament, so there's no reason here to leave unneeded bulbs turned on.Where this does make a difference is if you're using an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb, or CFL. Energy experts generally agree that if a CFL is not going to be used for five minutes or more, turn it off, but frequent turning on and off can reduce its lifetime. These bulbs use only about one-fourth the energy used by incandescents, so they still will save a significant amount of money even if they're on for a couple of minutes when they're not needed.Ken Sheinkopf is a communications specialist with the American Solar Energy Society. Please send your energy questions to askken@ases.org.