OUR OPPORTUNITY

Deregulated States

September 26, 2008

Ambit Energy applies to join - The Direct Selling Association (DSA), it's the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers.

 Status - Pending Membership 

September 13, 2008

FREE Energy Dallas based Retail Energy provider, Ambit Energy, rolled out it’s newest Customer Reward Program.

September 13, 2008

Ambit Energy’s  Annual Conference.
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April 8, 2008

Texas Electric Deregulation Has Been Plus For Citizens
In its new report, "Texas Electric Meter: Measuring the Effects of Electricity Deregulation," the Foundation puts a pencil to the debate. ...

November 15, 2007

Ambit Energy’s 1st Annual Conference.
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"A Few Ambitious People"

Ronny Kirkland - National Consultant

October 2007

Ambit Energy - The nation’s most explosive network marketing company and one of the best and easiest home based businesses.
Jason Kale – Entrepreneur Weekly

Energy Saving Tips

Save on energy around the house

Basement: The foundation of energy savings

Furnace

• Replace air filters in your furnace every three to six months.  Clogged filters make the furnace work harder, wearing it down.
• Schedule an annual inspection of your heating system. A qualified contractor can inspect your furnace to ensure it is working properly. If repairs are needed, have a qualified contractor perform the work.
• If your furnace is old, replacing it with a new, high-efficiency furnace can save valuable energy dollars.
• A clean-burning natural gas furnace can heat a home for about one-third the cost of an electric unit.

Water heater

Next to heating or cooling, water heating is typically the largest energy user in the home. To conserve energy, conserve hot water. 

• Lower your water heater thermostat setting to 120 degrees Fahrenheitor about midway between the low and medium settings. For a family of four, this could reduce energy use by 15 percent, saving approximately $33 per year.
• Wrap the water heater tank with an insulation blanket (in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines) to keep water in the tank warm – reducing the amount of energy needed to heat up the water.  Also, insulate the water pipes leading out from your water heater with inexpensive foam sleeves.
• Periodically drain the water heater until water runs clear. This allows sediment and mineral deposits to escape and increases efficiency.
• Take advantage of performance and savings by installing a natural gas water heater. It can heat water twice as fast as an electric water heater at less than half the cost.
• If appropriate, consider a demand water heater that has no storage tank. It can reduce your energy use by 10 to 15 percent.
• Fix leaky faucets.
• Take showers rather than baths. Showers generally use half as much hot water as baths.
• Take shorter showers.50.  Install a low-flow showerhead.
• Plan on buying an energy efficient water heater before your old one fails. If your gas water heater is more than 10 years old, it may be operating at less than 50 percent efficiency.

Laundry Room: Wash out wasted energy

Washing machine

• Run only full loads in your washing machine to avoid wasting hot water.  For additional savings, wash clothes in cold water when possible, and don't wash on the longest setting unless necessary.

Dryer

• Dry loads one after another to keep the dryer from having to heat up more than necessary.
• Regularly clean the air vent leading from your dryer to outside as well as the lint screen to maintain efficiency.
• Durable and dependable, natural gas dryers are less expensive to operate than electric dryers. With natural gas, you can dry two-and-a-half loads of laundry for the same amount of money as one load in an electric dryer. Natural gas dryers are available in all styles and sizes to fit the needs of your family and utility room requirements.

Kitchen: Cook up the savings

Most professional chefs prefer to cook with natural gas thanks to its even heat distribution, easy temperature control and instant on/off settings. Natural gas ranges, ovens, cooktops and grills come in a variety of styles. And they are highly efficient, reliable and easy to clean. It costs about half as much to cook with a natural gas range as it does to cook with a similar electric range.

Stovetop

• Turn off the range hood fan as soon as you are done using it.  It can drain the house of heated or cooled air in just one hour.
• When cooking, make sure the size of your pan matches the size of the burner. If the flames are bigger than the pan base, you're wasting heat.
• Keep range-top burners clean so heat reflects properly.

Oven

• Cook foods in glass or ceramic pans.  You can set your oven 25 degrees cooler and your food will cook at the same rate.
• Don't open your oven door to check your food.  The oven can lose 25 percent of its heat when you open the door.
• When baking, cook several things together to shorten the time the oven is on.  Or, make double batches and freeze them for later use.
• When re-heating or cooking small foods, use the microwave or toaster oven instead of your oven.
• If you plan to use the self-cleaning oven feature, do it right after you've baked so the oven doesn't need to re-heat.

Refrigerator/Freezer

• Consider replacing your old refrigerator.  New units use half as much energy as those made 20 years ago, even if they are the same size.
• Clean refrigerator coils every six months to keep the appliance running efficiently.
• Defrost your freezer.  Frost build-up makes the freezer work harder to keep your food frozen.
• Keep your refrigerator full enough to maximize cooling power, but don't stock it so full that the air can't circulate.
• Make sure the seal on your refrigerator door is tight.  If you can easily slide a dollar bill through it when it is closed, the gaskets should be replaced.
• Cool food completely before putting it in the fridge.  If you don't, it will heat up the fridge, making it work harder.  And, be sure to cover leftovers. This prevents excess moisture from building up inside the fridge, which makes it work harder.

Dishwasher

• Run only full loads in the dishwasher. To save energy, use the air dry cycle or open the door to let air circulate.

Bathroom: Don't let energy dollars go down the drain

• Place faucet levers in the "cold" position when using small amounts of water as the "hot" position uses energy to heat the water even though it may never reach the faucet.
• Fix leaky faucets. One drip can waste 250 gallons of water a month, which translates to 3,000 gallons of wasted water annually.
• Replace your showerhead with one that saves water to reduce the costs of heating water.
• Turn off the bathroom vent fan as soon as you are done using it.  It can drain the house of heated or cooled air in just one hour.
• An average bath uses 15-25 gallons of hot water while a five-minute shower uses less than 10 gallons.  To save energy, take showers instead of baths and keep them as short and cool as tolerable.

Fireplace: Are you sending energy dollars up in smoke?

• Remember to close the chimney flue when the fireplace is not in use.  An open flue is like an open window, allowing warm air to escape – 24 hours a day!
• When using the fireplace, turn your thermostat down to keep warm air from the fireplace in the house.
• Natural gas fireplaces offer a realistic dancing flame that resembles a genuine wood fire - without the mess. Most units feature an electronic ignition and fingertip heat controls. New fireplaces can be vented through an outside wall, eliminating the need for a chimney. Or, your current wood-burning fireplace can be retrofitted with a natural gas log set that will allow you to enjoy increased energy efficiency and the environmental benefits of natural gas.

Windows: Look out for hidden energy dollars

• Make sure all storm windows are closed. It only takes one or two unprotected windows to chill a room and lose heating dollars.
• On windows that face the sun, leave draperies open during the day. At night, close drapes to help keep heat inside. Consider installing heavy draperies on large windows.
• Double-glazing window frames can cut heat losses in half.

Doors: Slam the door on wasted energy

• Install a storm door with weather-stripping and a bottom sweep to seal the elements outside.  Replace thresholds so the cold doesn't sneak under the door.
• Cover areas around letterboxes and keyholes with flaps or brush seals to prevent heat from escaping.

Garage: Drive home savings

• Keep your garage door closed during the winter so cold air doesn't penetrate the outer walls of your home.
• Take the chill out of your garage with a natural gas garage heater. Most natural gas heaters are ventless and do not require a chimney. They can be wall-mounted with a thermostat control to regulate the heat output.

Insulation / Weatherization: Seal up savings in enexpected places

• Reduce your energy use by first tightening up your home. You’ll cut your heating and cooling costs by 15 to 30 percent and increase your comfort at the same time.
• Conduct a do-it-yourself energy audit. With a simple walk-through, you can spot many problems on your own. Learn how at http://www.eere.energy.gov

Ducts

• Get your air ducts sealed by a professional HVAC contractor.  You can lose up to 40 percent of your heated or cooled air through leaks in your ductwork.

Attic

• Add insulation to your attic if it has less than 12 inches of insulation.  Adding insulation is the easiest and most cost-effective way to reduce heating costs.  Purchase insulation with a high R-value (the higher the R-value, the better it will work).
• Install an attic fan to make sure your attic is properly ventilated.  An attic fan eliminates warm air in the summer, which can help regulate the temperature in your home.

Walls

• Use caulking, sealant or weather-stripping to weatherize all seams, cracks and openings around windows, electrical outlet , switch plates, wall- or window-mounted air conditioners, doors and baseboards, as well as the small openings around television cables, dryer vents and plumbing pipes.
• Learn more about insulating your home at http://www.eere.energy.gov and http://www.ornl.gov

Roof

• Keep the insulation in your attic dry and effective by repairing leaks in your roof.

Heating and cooling: Hot tips to keep the cold out 

• Experiment with your settings to find a lower temperature that is comfortable. Just a few degrees change in thermostat settings can make a big difference in the amount of energy used.
• Install a programmable thermostat.
• Move furniture, draperies or other objects blocking registers, radiators or air conditioners to ensure proper air flow.
• Install ceiling fans.  During summer months, set them to go counterclockwise, creating a downdraft and making the room feel 8 degrees cooler.  During winter months, set them to go clockwise, recirculating hot air at the ceiling.
• Don't put lights by your thermostat.  They can cause the thermostat to have an inaccurate reading.
• Consider an environmentally friendly natural gas air conditioner. They're more efficient and require less maintenance than electric units.
• Keep your home running during an electric power outage with a natural gas backup generator. It can power a furnace, air conditioner, sump pump, security system, refrigerator, computer or other appliances.

Heating – Heating is the largest energy user for homes in the nortern states. Increasing the efficiency of your heating system is the most effective way to save money and reduce your home’s contribution to climate change. 

• Every fall, have your heating system cleaned and inspected by a qualified contractor. 
• Health permitting, set your thermostat to 68 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night and when no one is home. Each degree over 68 can increase by 3 percent the amount of energy you use for heating. 
• Instead of turning up the heat, wear a sweater and add a blanket. 
• Install a programmable thermostat and program it to turn down the heat at night and when no one is home. Lowering the thermostat 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours a day can save you about 10 percent a year on heating costs. 
• Remove window air conditioners when the weather gets cool. If you can’t, enclose them with a cover.
• Consider a efficient humidifier. Properly humidified air makes your home feel warmer and more comfortable, so you can keep your thermostat setting lower.  It can make a 68 degree room feel like it is 76 degrees.
• Use ceiling fans to circulate warm air in winter, especially in rooms with high ceilings.
• If your windows are well insulated, open the curtains on sunny days in the winter months and close them at night to keep the heat in.
• Close doors and warm-air vents in unused rooms, but in extreme cold, be aware of water pipes that could freeze and burst.
• If you have a hot-water heating system, release any trapped air from radiators.
• Radiators can lose heat into exterior walls. Reduce this loss by placing reflectors between the wall and the radiator.
• If you have a forced-air heating system, seal the seams and joints in the ductwork with duct tape and insulate them with vinyl-backed fiberglass insulation.
• Keep warm-air vents clean.
• Close heat vents in rooms that are mostly unused, such as guest rooms, only if you don't have a forced-air furnace.  (A forced-air furnace is designed to heat a specific space.)
• Inspect hot-air ducts to ensure adequate air flow and to eliminate any loss of heated air.
• Wrap with insulation any hot-air ducts that pass through unheated spaces.
• Clean or replace filters for your hot-air furnace and heat-pump every month during the heating season or use filters made to run six to 12 months before needing replacement.
• Wrap with insulation any hot-water pipes that pass through unheated spaces. For steam pipes, use nonfoam insulation, as foam can melt.
• When buying a new furnace or boiler, look for the ENERGY STAR label.

Cooling – Switching to high-efficiency air conditioners and reducing your air-conditioning use can cut your cooling costs by 20 to 50 percent.  

• Every year, inspect and clean your air conditioner or cooling system. A well-maintained unit uses less electricy.
• If you have central air-conditioning, keep the condenser unit's coils and fins clean. Remove grass, leaves, and other debris that may collect on them.
• Set your air conditioner to no cooler than 78 degrees. Setting your air conditioner lower than 78-degrees can increase your cost by up to 40 percent.
• Don’t air-condition an empty room.
• If you have central air, block the vents in unoccupied rooms.
• Turn your air conditioner off when you leave home.
• Install a programmable thermostat or use a timer to turn on your air conditioner a half hour before you return home rather than having it run all day.
• If you have a fireplace and central air-conditioning ensure that the damper is closed.
• Clean or replace air-conditioner filters at least once a month during the cooling season.
• Use fans whenever possible instead of air-conditioning. Fans use far less energy than air conditioners and often can provide the same level of comfort.
• Alternate the use of air-conditioning and fans. When you’re comfortable, shut down your air conditioner and turn on the fan. This approach can cut air conditioner use by up to 40 percent.
• Shade windows that face south, east, and west. Keeping windows, drapes, and shades closed during the day helps keep unwanted heat out of your home. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes in through windows.
• Don’t run your air conditioner when the outdoor temperature is below 70 degrees. Open the windows instead.
• Install a whole-house fan in your attic to draw cool air inside through windows and force hot air out through attic vents.
• When buying a room air conditioner, make sure it is properly sized. A larger-than-needed air conditioner cycles on and off more frequently, reducing its efficiency. Frequent cycling makes indoor temperatures fluctuate more and creates a less comfortable environment.
• Install your air conditioner in a shady area, if possible.
• When it’s time to cook in the summer months, grill outside and keep your oven off.
• In the summer months, run your washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher early in the day or at night when it’s generally cooler. 

Lighting – Lighting accounts for 5 to 10 percent of total energy use in the average home. Consider the advantages of energy-efficient alternatives. 

• Use ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They use less than 25 percent of the electricity standard bulbs use and last 10 times longer.
• Shut off all the lights when you leave a room.
• During the day, let daylight do the work and turn off lights near windows.
• Instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it.
• Keep bulbs and fixtures clean.
• Replace light switches with dimmers or motion sensors.
• Use bright lights only where you read or work. Otherwise, use 25- or 40-watt bulbs.  Three-way lamps make it easier to keep lighting low when brighter light isn’t necessary.
• Use night lights when a little light is enough.
• When you go away, use timers to turn your lights on and off.
• Use outdoor lights with a photocell and motion sensor so they go on only at night and when someone is present.

Appliances – Consider energy efficiency when buying new appliances and electronics. While energy-efficient products may be more expensive to buy, over their life, they can save you about 30 percent on your energy bill.

• Choose ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, which use 10 to 50 percent less electricity than standard models. A list of ENERGY STAR products is available at http://www.energystar.gov
• Look for the yellow EnergyGuide label to help you compare the efficiency of different major appliances. More information about the EnergyGuide label is available at http://www1.eere.energy.gov
• Use the energy-saving setting for all appliances, particularly your refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher.
• Unplug appliances and equipment when not in use, including TVs, cable boxes, computers, and monitors. Turning computers on and off daily will not damage them.
• Plug home entertainment and computer equipment into power strips. This way, it’s one easy switch to turn them on and off.
• Set your computer to “hibernate” when not in use for 30 minutes.
• Turn off your monitor when you leave your computer for more than 20 minutes. Screen savers use electricity.
• Unplug cell phone, MP3 player, and PDA chargers when not in use. They use electricity, even when they aren’t charging.

Redecorating

• When shopping for new appliances, look for those with the Energy Star logo.  An Energy Star-qualified clothes washer uses 8,000 fewer gallons of water each year.
• Replace your top-loading washing machine with a front-loading horizontal axis model.  They use less energy and water.
• When shopping for a new clothes dryer, consider one that senses when clothes are dry and automatically shuts off.
• When purchasing a new refrigerator, buy one with a small trap door on the front that allows you to access items without opening the door, causing cool air to escape.  Some newer models will even alert you when you leave the door open.
• When planning a new kitchen, don't put the refrigerator next to any other appliances. 
• Appliances need buffers around them so they operate correctly and efficiently.
• When replacing windows, be sure to research those that will save the most energy.  Choose windows with a low U-value (lower than .35) to maximize insulating qualities.
• Replace your wood front door with one made from fiberglass.  Fiberglass offers up to five times more protection from cold than traditional wood doors.

While you're away, pack up energy savings

• If you're going on vacation, set your thermostat at 55 degrees.  This will lower your heating expense while keeping your pipes from freezing.
• Turn the water heater down before you leave for vacation.  Don't heat water you won't be around to use.

Energy efficiency outdoors

• Use low-wattage lights outside. Serveral low-wattage fixtures use fewer watts than one floodlight, or consider solar-power lights.
• Enjoy the safety and security of natural gas yard lights or coach lights. They can be mounted on post for patioand front yard installations or wall-mounted for entryways and garages.
• Gas lights require little maintenance and don't attract insects.
• Plant trees that shade your home to keep cooling cot down. Leafy trees shade best on the south and west sides. Deciduous trees that loe their leaves in the winter keep you cool in the summer from shade and warm the house in the winter by letting in the sun. Plant evergreen to serve as wind breakers.
• Take the convenience of natural gas cooking outdoors with a natural gas grill. With push-button ignition, you'll never have to mess with charcoal or lighter fluid again. And there's no tank to fill. The grill is connected to your home's natural gas line, so you'll never run out of fuel. And natural gas grills cost less to operate than charcoal or propane.
• Keep your deck, patio, swimming pool or outdoor spa warm on cooler evenings with a natural gas heater. Natural gas pool and spa heaters warm water twice as fast as electricity - and at half the average cost.
• Tried of shoveling your driveway in the winter? Snow-melting systems can be installed under sidewalks and driveways, eliminating the aches and pains of shoveling. The snow melts as it hits the ground!