How To Operate A Greener Home
Whether you rent an apartment or own your own home, you've got plenty of options when it comes to living a greener life. The following tips can show you how to save a lot of cash as well as contribute to a healthier environment. Put them to work in your home today.
1. Opt for ambiance. Unless you're reading fine print, try using less lighting in every room. Bright lights can be over-bearing and actually change the mood of a room; invest in small lamps with high efficiency bulbs and place them strategically throughout the room, but sparingly.
2. Lower the temp on your water heater. The Department of Energy recommends that you set it no higher than 120 degrees and there's really no need for anything above that. You probably never turn the faucets to their hottest possible output and can risk scalding yourself if you do. The water heater is typically the biggest drain on energy and money in an average home, so simmer down.
3. Wash clothes in cold water. Your washing machine really isn't much of an energy-guzzler, except when it's set to use hot water! That feature draws over 70% of the machine's power, so try keeping it cold for the majority of your loads. It shouldn't make much of a difference with your laundry, but you will see a big difference in your bill!
4. Don't run a 1/2 empty dishwasher. This is a very wasteful habit to be in, especially if your machine isn't set to environmental-friendly options. Always wait for a full load, use the most efficient settings and let the dishes air-dry. If you need items cleaned and the machine isn't full yet, quickly do them by hand instead.
5. Build a clothesline. Using the great outdoors to dry your clothes can make them smell a lot fresher and naturally work out wrinkles. The dryer is one of the biggest culprits of waste in any home and highest costing appliances too. Tie a line between two trees or put up posts or use an indoor rack for things like towels and jeans that take up a lot of time in the dryer.
6. Insulate. Absurd amounts of energy are wasted every year in the smallest of places: tiny cracks around windows and doors! Use thermal stripping to seal up these cracks and you'll not only see an immediate reduction in your heating and air-conditioning bills, you'll notice your home becomes much more comfortable.
7. Start a fund with your savings. Once you've implemented greener tactics in your home, compare the difference on your utility bills and put that extra money aside. At the end of the year, you will have accumulated a nice chunk of change that you could put towards a new Energy Star appliance or solar panels to increase your savings even more!
Living a greener life at home adds a lot more than you think to a better environment, not to mention saving you plenty of cash in the process. Start looking around your house or apartment for new and better ways of doing things that can add up to a lot more green today!
