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Going Green: Saving The Environment
And Saving Money
If you’re looking for ways to make your home
“greener” there are things you can do that will not only make your home
friendlier to the environment but will also help you cut down on your
energy costs. Conserving energy on a personal level is the key to
helping the environment on a global level.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with
fluorescent bulbs. You can reduce your electric bill by as much as
one-third if you simply change all of your light bulbs. A 25-watt
compact fluorescent light gives off as much light as a standard 100-watt
bulb, yet it uses only one-quarter of the electricity. Prices of
fluorescent bulbs have dropped over the last few years and most
fluorescent bulbs will now pay for themselves within the first few
months of use.
Adjust your thermostat regularly.
Leaving your thermostat set at one temperature is missed opportunity to
save energy and money. Not only should you adjust it in the winter and
summer, but you should also adjust it while you’re at work during the
day and while you’re sleeping at night. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, turning down your thermostat 2 degrees will cut your
total energy use by 1 percent.
Plug drafts around your windows and
doors. Air leaks around windows and doors are often the major source
of wasted energy in a home. Although windows are less energy-efficient
than walls (i.e., the more windows you have the less energy-efficient
your home will be) you can minimize energy loss with caulking or
weather-stripping. You also might want to consider replacing single pane
windows with more energy-efficient double-pane windows.
Replace your refrigerator if it’s more
than 15 years old. Your refrigerator is 8 percent of your electrical
usage so you’ll want one that’s energy-efficient. Today’s models are
twice as efficient as older ones and you’ll probably be able to recoup
the cost of your new refrigerator within five years. Also, when you
replace your refrigerator make sure you buy one with the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Energy Star label, which denotes an energy-efficient
product.
And, of course, recycle. Even if you
live in an area that doesn’t give you cash back for your recyclables,
you can still help the environment immensely by recycling much of your
household waste. According to the EPA, a four-person household that
recycles all of its aluminum, steel, plastic, glass, and newsprint could
cut down on 10 percent of its annual carbon-dioxide emissions and a
whopping 41 percent of its annual greenhouse-gas emissions.
If you’re interested in seeing just how much
you can save in terms of total personal emissions the EPA has an online
calculator here:
www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/. ∆ |
