There are many ways you can "Go Green" by
saving the environment and your hard earned energy dollars. We are
going to show you a few very effective things you can do right now
to help the environment.
Heating / Cooling
Keeping your house cool in the summer and warm in
the winter costs money. It also costs us major damage to our environment
in terms of green house gas expenditure for generating electricity
for AC units and burning gas and oil for heating. The easiest way
to save some green (both financially & environmentally) is to
use less energy to regulate our homes. In the last few years the
heating and cooling industry has came out with many innovative products
to help you get more bang for the buck.
Efficiency Stars. Eliminate
fossil fuels such as gas and oil from your home by installing
a super
high efficiency heat pump system for heating and cooling
and a super high efficiency hot water heat pump to heat your
hot water and keep your energy costs down. If you are unable
to install a super high efficiency heat pump system be sure
your AC unit has a SEER rating over 13. Before 1979, the SEERs
of central air conditioners ranged from 4.5 to 8.0. Replacing
a 1970s-era central air conditioner with a SEER of 6 with
a new unit having a SEER of 12 will cut your air conditioning
costs in half.
Good Insulation. Common leaks
occur around windows, doors, and other wall penetrations.
Plugging those leaks with weather stripping and caulking can
be a simple task for anyone and can save money through increased
energy efficiency. Finding leaks can be just as easy, as they
can occur just about anywhere. Electrical outlets, switch
plates, window frames, baseboards, doors, fireplace dampers,
attic hatches, and wall- or window-mounted air conditioners
are all prime spots for air leaks. Check for any obvious holes
or cracked caulking.
Don't get Blinded! Another
option is to add an awning that can be retracted in winter.
Window awnings installed on west-facing windows can reduce
solar heat gain in summer by up to 77%. Modern awnings are
made of waterproof materials, such as dacron, vinyl, and acrylic,
that resist mildew and fading. For more about awnings, visit
the Department of Energy’s review of Window
Awnings.
Programmable Thermostats.
Programmable thermostats are a quick way to make your home
more energy efficient. Using ENERGY
STAR -certified thermostats, you can not only pre-program
your desired temperature, you can also lower or raise it when
no one is home. During the Summer, while you are at work and
the kids are at school, there is no need to have the home
cooled to 78 degrees. Set it to 85 degrees and program it
to lower itself to 78 degrees one hour before people start
coming home.
Plumbing
In many places in the US, drought is a serious issue.
The hotter our planet gets the more important it will be to have
a consistent, safe source for drinking water. So lets do our part
now to save as much water as possible. There are
many quick and easy ways to do this around your house.
Drop that Drip! Dripping
faucets and leaky pipes are among the worst water-wasting
offenders. Enlist some help and invest a weekend to make certain
sure that your appliances aren't big water wasters.
The Final Flow. Low-flush
toilets and low-flow showerheads help to ensure conservation
by restricting the volume of water involved in each flush
or during each shower. Also consider cutting back your “hours
in the shower” for optimal conservation.
Running Nowhere. Make sure to
turn off water during periods of non-use, while brushing your
teeth, for example. If washing or rinsing dishes by hand, adjust
the flow of water to a small stream so that the majority of
water goes where you need it to, and doesn't’t escape
down the drain.
The Wash on Washers. Using
an updated and energy-efficient washing machine, in addition
to washing full loads, can drastically improve water conservation.
Energy-efficient front-loaders can cut water consumption by
almost a whopping 40%!
The Great Dish Debate. If you
have access to a dishwasher, by all means, use it! New, energy-efficient
models can conserve water, compared with hand-washing, by up
to half. Try for a full load of dishes each time. If a small
load is being washed, look for features on your machine that
will allow you to adjust the water setting to accommodate a
smaller load.
Electrical
There are many quick and easy ways to save electricity around your
house.
Be Compact! Compact fluorescent
light bulbs, or CFLs, produce light that's more diffused than
incandescent bulbs, so they are very good for area lighting.
They also use roughly one-quarter of the energy an incandescent
bulb uses to produce the same amount of light. Basically,
it takes a 15-watt CFL to replace a traditional 60-watt bulb.
Not only is there less energy use and less greenhouse gas
emission, but CFLs produce less heat as well. CFL’s
are not only energy efficient—they produce less waste
because they last longer. A typical incandescent bulb will
last between 500 to 2,000 hours. Compact fluorescent lights
are guaranteed for 8,000 hours, meaning that there are at
least four regular bulbs thrown away for every CFL.
Use the Sun. Switching bulbs
is not the only method of sustainable lighting. Using the
sun’s natural light (also known as daylighting) is one
of the oldest tricks in the book for cutting down on the electrical
bill. Today, new homes are designed and built with daylighting
taken in mind. For those green minded folks who are remodeling
an existing house, skylights and window placement can help
achieve desired results.
Automate. Computers are
great. Lets use their smarts to make up for our lazyness!
Installing a simple and cheap vacancy sensor like WattShoppers
can drastically reduce our electrical usage.
Your an Energy Star. Whether
you are working with new green construction or planning a
green remodeling project for your home, ENERGY STAR qualified
products should be part of your plan. ENERGY STAR is a joint
program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
U.S. Department of Energy to help consumers identify energy
efficient products. ENERGY STAR products range from major
appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, air
conditioners, and dishwashers to small electronics including
computers, monitors, and even battery chargers. Make sure
any large appliance you buy has the ENERGY STAR rating.
