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

Unplug Your Appliances

Only plug in your small appliances when you need them. Do we really need the clock on the microwave? Unplugging it will save you money every month. The same goes for all other small appliances in your kitchen and around the home. Anything with an LED, power adapter or remote will use power while plugged in, even if turned off. Just leaving these items plugged in can add dozens of dollars to your electric bill every month.

Although certain appliances need constant electricity, like refrigerators of course, those that do not are constantly using a small amount of power to enable them to be instantaneously ready — which is really not necessary. The accumulated effect of unplugging all these non-essential items would make a substantial difference in energy consumption. The list of things to unplug when not in use should include cellphone and battery chargers, televisions, DVD players, video games, computers, stereos, coffee pots, and toasters. Though in today’s society, anything with a plug is reasonably suspect of being a power vampire in your home. Many devices such as televisions can actually use almost as much power when turned off as they do when turned on.

If you cannot unplug these devices invest in smart surge protectors. These devices will allow you to easily cut the power to multiple devices when a master device such as a television is turned off. This can easily be used to turn off DVD players, surround sound systems and video game consoles with one click of the remote. They can be used throughout the home where groupings of appliances or applications are used together.

However when planning your power off scheme in the home, make sure that critical devices continue to receive power. For instance, if you use an Internet Telephone company like Vonage, you need to make sure that power to your modem and router is uninterruped to maintain service. The same could be said for the DVR in your entertainment system. It can’t work if there is no power. This is what I like about the Smart Power Surge. It allows you to designate some devices as always on while others are turned off. While the ultimate goal is that our homes wouldn’t use power at all when we don’t need it to, for most people that isn’t likely to happen. Being able to finetune your power consumption to your needs though is a big bonus that can save on the monthly energy bill and the environment with little impact on your modern lifestyle.

Raising Eco-Conscious Kids While Helping the Planet

Having a child is often a motivating factor for protecting the environment, as most parents go green in order to improve their children’s future.  If you are like many eco-conscious parents, you hope to raise children who will have a positive impact on the environment.  However, true eco-parenting involves much more than teaching your children about recycling.

Babies and children create more waste each than several adults, which means you must begin by reducing the carbon footprints of your children.  Moreover, you must teach your children by example, and extend your green activism into your community.  Buying organic baby food and fair-trade toys is not enough.  You must reduce your family’s waste, create an environmentally friendly home, and educate your community about green living.

One common reason that parents are hesitant about going green is the belief that green living is expensive.  However, green living is often cheaper, and it can save you money both in the short term and in the long-term.

Eliminating disposable products from your home is an easy way to help the environment, and it is one eco-friendly option that will also save you a significant amount of money.  Disposable cups, plates, paper towels, diapers, and napkins are convenient items that can have a negative impact on the environment.  By decreasing the amount of these products used in your home, or eliminating the use of these items altogether, you are saving money and teaching your children an environmentally friendly alternative that they will likely carry over into their own adult lives.

Another excellent way of saving your family money while helping the environment is to reduce your family’s consumption of energy.  Turning off appliances at the wall, consolidating car trips, and using energy efficient light bulbs are simple ways to reduce energy usage that will likely turn into lifelong habits in your children.  Installing solar heating panels and reducing the temperature setting on your hot water heater are additional ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Protecting the environment means making changes to more than just your home, though.  To truly have a positive impact on your environment, you need to reach out to your community.  Educate your local schools on how to go green, and become involved with an organization that plants trees or lobbies for eco-friendly legislation.  Visit organic farms with your children, and speak with your local grocery stores about increasing their stock of organic and sustainable products.

Of course, living green does not mean you cannot enjoy spending time with your family.  It simply means you need to do what you can to protect the environment.  Whether you choose to use cloth diapers instead of disposables, buy toys and furniture second-hand, carpool, plant trees, or lobby for community recycling containers, your ultimate goal should be to reduce the carbon footprint of your family, teach your children about green living, and produce more than you waste.

Green Room, Make your bedroom more green

Not many people would think that it was possible to make their bedroom more eco-friendly. From the bedding you use to the furniture you choose, it is possible to perform an eco-make-over on your bedroom. Making your bedroom more eco-friendly does require some more major changes, but made one step at a time they are not to hard to do. Read more

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

Energy Efficient Kitchens

Efficiency is becoming a hot topic in many modern households. Not only do we know that saving energy helps our environment, but rising power prices also means that it makes fiscal sense to invest in an energy-conscious home. The kitchen is one of the top places where homes waste energy. This guide will help you determine whether your kitchen is energy efficient, and give you tips on how to improve your power usage.

Energy Efficient Refrigeration

Refrigerators are one of the leading sources of energy waste in the kitchen. Not only does it take a lot of power to keep our foods cool, but every time we open the door an influx of warm air makes the process start over again. Some tips for more energy efficient refrigeration include:

• Make sure that your refrigerator is in good working condition and well-sealed.
• When buying a new refrigerator, look for a model that’s rated for good energy efficiency.
• Keep your refrigerator full. The less empty space, the less cool air will be lost when the doors are open.
• Allow foods to cool before placing them in the refrigerator.
• Avoid opening the refrigerator doors more often than necessary.

Energy Efficient Cooking

The stovetop and oven can also be major sources of power waste in the kitchen. By being mindful of how you cook, you can save money and conserve power. Here are some tips:

• When cooking on the range, use as few burners as possible. A one-pan dish needs only half as much energy as a meal that needs to be cooked on two burners.
• Turn the heat down once you have reached the boiling point. Usually you don’t need full heat to maintain the boil.
• Don’t open the door of the oven to check progress. This loses significant heat, which requires more energy to replace.
• Don’t preheat unless necessary.

Energy Efficient Washing

Dishwashers are a huge boon to cleaning, but they can also suck up unnecessary energy. Some tips for using dishwashers more sparingly include:

• Rinse dishes to avoid the chances of having to put them through a second cycle.
• Wait until the dishwasher is full before running it.
• Consider drying the dishes yourself. The drying cycle of the dishwasher uses a lot of energy, whereas letting them air dry or toweling them off by hand uses none at all.

Prevent Your Kitchen Appliances from Wasting Energy

Even if they are not turned on, your kitchen appliances may be using up low levels of energy for no useful purpose. Items like microwaves, coffee machines, and bread makers use up a little bit of energy per hour even when not in use. This slow energy drain adds up, so unplug your kitchen appliances when not in use.

These simple tips to make your kitchen more energy efficient can help save the environment while saving you money at the same time, so why not get started today?

Lighter roofs can save energy.

According to the Los Angeles Times, light roofs can save up to $1 Billion per year in energy costs. Since 2005, California has required lighter roofs on all new and retrofitted commercial buildings with flat roofs. Starting next year, this requirement will be placed on all commercial buildings as well new and retrofitted residential developments, including those with sloped roofs.

Going Green

The phrase ” going green” is something that we hear frequently these days. It seems everywhere we turn we are bombarded with products and suggestions that promise to help our families live a more green lifestyle. Unfortunately, it is not always economically feasible for every family to make some of the more obvious large changes. However, there are many small simple changes everyone can make that will have a big impact on the environment over time. Read more