70 Ways to Save Energy and Money

Everyday Steps

1. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle. Recycle everything that you can.
2. Turn off lights that are not in use.
3. Turn off bulk freezers when not in use.
4. Take shorter showers, 5 minutes at most.
5. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
6. Set your hot water heater at the lowest possible setting.
7. Use cold water to wash your laundry.
8. Turn your thermostat down during the day, wear a sweater.
9. Turn your thermostat down at night, use extra blankets.
10. Use a fan instead of an air conditioner during the summer.
11. Close up unused rooms.
12. Turn off dehumidifiers when not needed or buy an Energy Star approved unit.
13. Turn your hot tub down or off when not in use.
14. Turn your computer off when not in use.
15. Use a microwave instead of a stove or oven when possible - they use less energy.
16. Wash and reuse zip lock bags.
17. Use power strips. Appliances often use energy even when they are turned off. Plugging appliances into a power strip and turning the strip off when they are not in use prevents useless energy loss.
18. Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFL’s or LED’s. This will save you money on your electric bill.
19. Use a killawatt meter to learn about where the energy you use is going.
20. Use a clothesline instead of an electric or gas dryer

Shopping

21. Take your own reusable canvas or cloth bags to the store.
22. Purchase products in glass instead of plastic. Glass is easier to recycle and is a fully recyclable material without material loss.
23. Plan your shopping trips with the use of a tool like Google Maps.
24. Look for products with minimal packaging.

Health and Diet

25. Eat lower on the food chain. Eat less meat.
26. Buy bulk products to reduce waste produced by excess packaging.
27. By locally produced foods whenever possible.
28. Reduce the purchase of processed and frozen foods.
29. Purchase at least 10% organic foods
30. Purchase dairy products that do not contain rBST
31. Avoid canned goods due to Bisphenol-A

Gardening

32. Compost - the natural process of decomposition produces less methane emissions than the breakdown of waste a dump or landfill.
33. Rake leaves, do not waste energy by using a leaf blower.
34. Use rain barrels to supply water for gardens and lawns.
35. Plant a tree.
36. Use an electric or push mower for your lawn
37. Use native and drought resistant plants.
38. Reduce the amount of lawn planted.
39. Work on an edible landscape

Home Maintenance and Updates

40. Purchase a programmable thermostat.
41. Caulk and weatherstrip your doors and windows to prevent air leaks
42. Clean your chimneys
43. Shrink wrap your windows during the winter.
44. Purchase easy to use wrap around foam insulaters for your pipes.
45. Insulate your attic.
46. Insulate the duct work in your home.
47. Insulate the joist bays in your home.
48. Have your furnace cleaned and tuned annually.
49. Add solar powered outdoor lamps.
50. Insulate your water heater
51. Insulate your Garage Door
52. Replace your windows with Energy Star rated Windows
53. Use Low or Zero VOC paints in the home
54. Replace the wall-to-wall carpet with environmentally friendly flooring

Traveling

55. Walk or ride a bike - it is healthy!
56. Take public transportation or carpool.
57. Change your car’s oil regularly
58. Make sure your car is properly tuned up
59. Replace the air filter regularly
60. Inflate the tires on your car to the proper level. This increases fuel efficiency.
61. Drive at the speed limit. A speed of 35-55 MPH results in maximum fuels efficiency for most vehicles.
62. Turn your car off when parked. Never leave your vehicle idling.
63. Do not use drive-thru’s. Park your vehicle, turn it off, and walk inside.
64. Avoid having unnecessary weight in your vehicle.

Other

65. Freecyle - giving things away prevents them from ending up in the landfill, where they will end up producing harmful methane emissions as they break down.
66. Check out thrift stores and yard sales for furnishings and accessories
67. See if your favorite magazines have an online or digital edition
68. Use Online Banking from your financial institution and eliminate paper billing
69. Join a video subscription service or use Cable pay-per-view instead of purchasing movies

10 Quick Water Saving Tips

Here are ten quick water saving tips that can save significant amounts of water over the year and don’t take a lot to implement.

1. Do Not Over-Water Plants and Lawns. Avoid water runoff into streets and gutters and use a moisture meter to monitor waterings.
2. For Best Results Try Morning Watering. Before 9am is best as evaporation loss is at a minimum.
3. Avoid Washing Down Paved Areas. Sweep driveway and sidewalks in garden cleanup. You’ll save water and burn a few extra calories.
4. When Washing the Car… Use a bucket of water. Hose off only to rinse. Use a biodegradable soap and do it on the lawn - maximum efficiency!
5. Repair Faucet Leaks. As much as 15 gallons of water can be lost each day with a slow drip. Dripping water also damages sinks by encouraging rust and mildew.
6. Avoid Toilet Water Waste. Use a toilet tank bank to save water and don’t use the toilet as a trash disposal. Invest in a composter.
7. Don’t Fall Asleep in the Shower. You’ll hurt yourself. Plus, an extra five minutes in the shower could mean another 50 gallons down the drain. Use a moderate stream or, better yet, a low-flow shower head that has maximum force using minimal water.
8. The Automatic Dishwasher… Use it Wisely. Half loads cheat you out of full water use. Who likes being cheated?
9. Watch Those Laundry Loads, Too. Some 50 gallons of water are used to wash a load of clothes. Make every load count.
10. Avoid the Running Faucet. Don’t run water continuously while shaving, brushing teeth, peeling vegetables, or washing dishes. Turn it off! Or, use a handy dandy sink aerator with a nifty flow control to temporarily halt water without losing temperature. Cool!

Change 5 Lights

Change a light, and you help change the world. Replace the conventional bulbs in your 5 most frequently used light fixtures with bulbs that have the Energy Star logo and you will help the environment while saving money on energy bills. If every household in the U.S. took this one simple action we would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. When changing your bulbs make sure to change ones that are used frequently to get the most savings. Read more

Getting Started

While Green Living is a constant process and requires changing some habits, you can get started and be well on your way in a few short weeks. This is meant to be a gradual process which I feel is the best way to change habits. These pages will outline some techniques so that you can achieve this in your home and family while still living a comfortable lifestyle. While the entire plan can be accomplished in 4 weeks, there is some cost involved so you may need to spread it out longer. It is understandable that some things cannot be accomplished immediately. Each week will provide you with three things.

Action List

The first thing each week will provide is an action list. This is a list of things that will help you achieve the week’s goals and put them into place.

Action Plan

Next each week, you will be provided with an action plan. The action plan will help you continue the week’s actions in the future. While some tasks are one-time, others will take place over the rest of your lifetime. Don’t worry though, they quickly become second-nature.

Taking it further

Finally, each week will provide a list of related tips that are similar to the week’s action list. By implementing these tips, you will reduce your impact more and enhance your lifestyle over time. While each week will explore concepts and ideas that are easy to implement and not necessarily costly, the tips may have higher costs associated with them.

Week 1

Let’s get started on making our lives a little more green. In week one, we will develop a plan of action that will guide you in the process. This guide will become your action plan and to-do list over the next four weeks. Your actions this week will enable you to immediately make an impact and put some money saving concepts to work. The things to undertake on week one, can be implemented in a single day and won’t cost a lot of money.

Week 2

This week we will start implementing changes that will have long term affects in reducing your global impact. However they will have a long term impact on your life and the environment around you. This week I’ll give you hints and tips that show you how to accomplish this.

Week 3

Originally, I said we were going to adjust habits in order to be more environmentally friendly and live green. This week we learn how to put what we learned in Weeks 1 and 2 within our long term goals. This will help you change those habits and think more about living green.

Week 4

In week four, you will review your action plan and make any necessary changes so that it becomes a life-long action plan. You will also get ready for the remaining 48 weeks of the year so that your plan is put into place over the year and becomes a true part of your lifestyle.

Beyond

While still a series of baby steps, you need to implement what you learned in the previous four weeks on a lifelong basis. This will also help your children grow up to be green. Buying habits and our outlook on life need to change but the comfort of our lives do not.