The thought of becoming eco-friendly and going green is an overwhelming thought for many people. One of the biggest fears is that making energy efficient changes to their home, will be a costly task; however, there are a number of ways to reduce the amount of energy your home consumes. Not only is learning how to reduce energy use beneficial for the environment, but it will also help reduce the amount of money you spend each month on energy costs. Here are some top tips to help you get started saving energy and money.
Is Your Home Being Attacked by Energy Vampires?
Energy vampires are some of the largest consumers of energy in your home. Energy vampires are small appliances and electronics that continue to drain energy when they aren’t being used. By simply unplugging the electronics and small appliances in your home when they aren’t being used, can save you several hundred dollars each year on your energy costs. Some of the most common household energy vampires include; coffee makers, computers, television sets, toasters, gaming equipment and cell phones.
Light Up Your Home
One of the least expensive and easiest ways to make the switch to a more energy efficient home and save money on your energy costs is to change all of the light bulbs in your home. Replacing the bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs will use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and they usually last about 10 times longer. Use lighting control devices, such as motion detectors and/or dimmers to provide light only during the times when you need it. Dust light fixtures on a regular basis, because heavy coats of dust can block the light output by as much as 50 percent. Decorating with pale colors on the ceilings, walls and floors will help to reflect more light, which means you can use lower wattage light bulbs and delay turning the lights on until early evening.
Reduce Water Consumption
Reducing the amount of water consumption is not only great for the environment, but you will also save money on the cost of water usage and energy cost to heat water. There are several ways to reduce the amount of water usage in your home, including:
- Wash dishes by hand, instead of using the dishwasher. If the dishwasher must be used, wait until it is full before running it. Use the energy-saving option and/or air dry to reduce the amount of energy used for the dishwasher to dry the dishes.
- When using the washer, only use for a full load and if possible, hang clothes on a clothes line to dry, instead of using the dryer.
- Take more showers and fewer baths.
- Replace shower head with a low-flow shower head, which can reduce your water bill by 25 to 60 percent.
- Install a faucet aerator in the both the kitchen and bathroom sink.
- Switching to a low-flow toilet means you will only use about 1.6 gallons of water per flush, compared to a traditional toilet that typically uses about 3.6 gallons.
Making the change to have a more energy efficient home is a process that cannot be done overnight.
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