Being environmentally and ecology friendly is one of the smartest things you can do for you wallet, your home, your health, and the world that you live in. There are many ways to get friendlier with your environment and conserve the energy you use right at home. Home is the heart of the matter and where we should all start!
With the amount of homes in foreclosure in the US right now, it might do well to think about these extras you don’t use a lot. Doing your part is not only trendy, it’ll help you save money. Many people are feeling the pressure as prices soar at the pump, on utilities, and at the grocery store.
You don't have to sacrifice a lot to be ecology friendly at home. You just need to be aware and pay attention to the little things. Those things add up and can cost you an arm and a leg if you don't take them into consideration. With prices on the rise, it's time to reconsider some of the ways you think about things.
Ecology Friendly Tips Around the House
Pull the plug - The biggest energy users in your home are computers and microwaves. If you’re not using it, pull the plug or buy power strips you can easily turn off!
Buy energy efficient appliances – If you’re still using primitive appliances, consider updating or replacing them with Energy Star appliances. When you do, you may get a tax credit on your income taxes but you should also start to see a difference in your energy bills.
Light bulbs - compact flourescent light bulbs are more expensive to buy initially, but they last a lot longer and don’t suck up energy like regular bulbs. Because they last for 7 years or more, they will pay for themselves over and over again. They're available for almost all fixtures, in many different sizes. You can even find CF floodlights for outdoor lights. Once you replace them, you won’t have to change them again for a long time!
In fact, if you live in the US, the government is considering making them all mandatory in the next few years. That means the Thomas Edison light bulb will no longer exist. This makes me kinda mad and sad, especially when you consider that all CF light bulbs are manufactured in China!
Water heater! If your water heater is relatively new, you can help it run more efficiently by simply wrapping it. Wrapping your water heater in insulation helps keep the energy in it. If you need a new water heater, consider a tankless water heater, which saves money and space.
Clothes dryer! Dryers suck up and use a tremendous amount of energy when you dry heavy wet clothes, right out of the washer. If you're not in a hurry, hang up your clothes to air dry. If you don’t have a clothes line, dry clothes on the backs of the chairs you have around the house or hang wet clothes over door sills. When it’s sunny outside, take advantage of your deck rails. To soften clothes back up after they’re dry, simply place them in the dryer for a few minutes to ‘fluff’ them. That softens them back up every time!
The best times to use your dryer are during the middle of the day in the winter and at night and early morning during the summer.
Bathroom - High efficiency shower heads are inexpensive to buy and easy to find. Low-flow toilets are considered to be ecology friendly toilets. Low-flush toilet uses 2 gallons less than a normal toilet.
Electric company - Contact your electric company to find out about greener alternative energy and ecology friendly sources that may be available to you. Most electric companies will come walk through your house (energy audit) and give you some tips on how to conserve more energy. In fact, I just had one done and was amazed at how much energy I use and don't even think about. You may even want to consider the film that goes over windows to keep the air inside your home.
Energy vampires – If you’ve ever walked through your home at night with the lights off, you may see various dim lights along the way. These lights come from ‘standby’ lights and digital displays on various appliances and electronic devices. Because these devices are ready to operate or receive signals at all times, they act like vampires silently sucking away energy even you are not using them.
This wasted energy is known as standby or phantom energy loss. They represents a relatively small but substantial percentage of your home’s electricity use (about 5%). However, if you combine homes all across America, it adds up to an estimated 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. This extra electricity costs consumers more than $5.8 billion annually and helps emit more than 87 billion pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
Some of the biggest energy wasters are the adapters that come with rechargeable battery-powered cordless phones, cell phones, digital cameras and music players, power tools, and other electronic devices. Most draw power whenever they’re plugged into an outlet, regardless of whether the device battery is fully charged or even connected.
Other culprits include appliances or electronic equipment with standby capability (such as televisions and computer monitors), remote controls, and/or a digital clock display (such as microwaves, DVD players, and stereo systems). Oh, and in case you didn't know, that big digital TV that you may have already purchased, uses 3 times as much energy as analog TV's. Another good reason to turn off the TV and pick up a good book! (Like an energy saving manual!
Rent a Room – If you are in serious danger of losing your home, (or even if you're not), one of the best ways to increase your household income (and hold onto your home) is to rent a room in your home. This is very ecology friendly. Ever wonder why our parents and grandparents didn’t face these same issues when you were our age? Its because families used to open their doors to people who needed a place to stay or accept other family members in their home to live.
Think about the Walton’s! Communes could very well become popular again and are very ecology friendly! Bed and breakfast homes also have the right idea! Live where you work and earn income! Being a single mom on a tight budget, I’ve jumped on board and am renting a room in my home! Our monthly income has increased $500 and that will help me handle increasing energy costs. Yes, it’s a bit of inconvenience but you know what they say about money! Money talks!
Power Strips — Unplugging devices when they are not being used eliminates any potential energy loss. To save the time and hassle of unplugging all the components of a computer or home entertainment system, use a power strip or surge suppressor that can be turned off with a single switch (surge suppressors still protect against power spikes when plugged in, even if switched off). Unfortunately there are some devices such as battery backup systems and computer network servers must be left on at all times to ensure proper functioning.
Check the Label — When buying an appliance or electronic device, choose the model that uses the least standby power. Energy Star-labeled models are a good choice because they use less energy for both regular and standby operation. If standby power is not included on a given product label, check the U.S. Department of Energy’s online database of manufacturer-supplied information.
Keep it Simple — Avoid buying products that include lots of extras you won’t use. Some of these bell and whistles include features that are not ecology friendly and only use more power. A digital TV for example, uses 3 times the energy that an analog TV uses. Figures huh?
Ceiling Fans - Ceiling fans suck up a lot of power over time. Turn them off when you leave a room instead of leaving them on. I got into the habit of leaving them on all the time. In the winter you should turn them off for good or only leave them on low settings when you're in the room. I was amazed at how much my electric meter slowed down once I cut them all off!
The only exception to this is if you have returns on your ceilings. Turn the switch (located on the fan base) to the opposite direction so the fan air blow up to the ceiling. This pushes the warm air back down, as it reflects off the ceiling and back down the walls to the floor. Still, if you aren't in a room, get in the habit of turning them off. Keep them on low speed also, so they spread the heat but don't cool the air.
Ecology Friendly Tips for Utilities
(That will save you tons of money!)
Apply window film to your windows. A good top rated brand is Gila Window Film. I just bought a roll of this after extensive research. You can leave them on our windows year round. Application is a little bit tricky, but if you read and print out the directions and check out some of the reviews, a lot of people have chimed in on their own way of installation. I can't wait to get them on my windows.
Equally, if you can, apply a good plastic to the outside of your windows. Use a staple gun to secure them to the house. If you have a brick house, this might be a bit tricky. I would suggest buying the double sided carpet seam tape. This stuff is super sticky and should stick to just about anything! You might not be able to see outside as well, but who cares if you can save a bunch of money!
Caulk windows and change the weather strips on doors. If there isn't a tight seal, you are losing energy out them.
Change furnace filters regularly.
Set one temperature on your thermostat and leave it, unless you leave the house for a prolonged period of time. Setting your thermostat 4° higher in the summer and 4° lower in the winter can save you a couple of hundred dollars a year.
Clean the lint in your dryer after every load. Be sure to disconnect the dryer from the wall and vacuum it out every few months. Since lint can build up quickly and catch fire very easily, this ecology friendly tip could possibly even save your life!
Also, if you use fabric sheets in the dryer, wash your lint trap with soap and water about once a month. To test your lint trap, take it out of your dryer. Hold it under running water. Hmmmm.... Water sitting there? If water doesn't drain then air can't get through it either. Washing it will remove the build up so your lint trap and you'll be able to dry your clothes more efficiently and be a lot more ecology friendly.
Only wash clothes when you have a full load. You'll save money by not running the washer (or water heater) as much and you'll conserve water.
Wrap your water heater with insulation. That keeps the hot water heated more efficiently and keeps the heat in the tank!
Watch Your Meter - Your electric meter is very much like your odometer in your car. Check how much energy you're using by taking a reading 2 consecutive days in a row at the same time. Subtract the two numbers. The number you have left will give you your usage for 24 hours. Then multiply that number by the amount your electric provider charges. (Call the office and ask them if you don't know!) That number will give you your cost for 1 day.
(For example, my electric company charges $.10/hour. If I used 100 kilowatts in one day, then my bill for that one day would be $10. If I continue to use 100 kilowatts a day, my bill would be around $300/month! 10x30=300)
After you take your first reading, go back inside and turn everything off in your house that you can. Then go take another reading again 24 hours later. You will see how much you'll save just by cutting more things off around your house! This tip is very ecology friendly and you'll save a bunch of money!
Look into Solar Power Solar Panels - Solar power is the most ecology friendly tip you can use! Solar panels will save you a ton of money. Solar water heating systems are also very popular. They are a two-part system consisting of solar collectors and a solar water tank. They are a very popular water heating systems and an intelligent choice for climates susceptible to freezing temperatures.
If you are a do it yourselfer, you should check into some good high efficiency manuals. Most of them have great expanded ideas on how to save money on energy costs!
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are more expensive to buy initially, but they last a lot longer and don’t suck up energy like regular bulbs. Because they last for 7 years or more, they will pay for themselves over and over again. They're available for almost all fixtures, in many different sizes. You can even find CF floodlights for outdoor lights. Once you replace them, you won’t have to change them again for a long time! 
