Go Green on a Budget

The three main uses for energy in each home are heating and cooling, heating water, and lighting.  Here are some tips to help you “green” your home.

Switch to LED lights.  Ever burned your finger on a light bulb? Thats because only about 10% of the energy used by a regular incandescent bulb goes into generating light. The other 90% produces heat. LED lights use 85% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. They also last up to 100 times longer, and even 10 times longer than Compact Fluorescent bulbs.  At the very least switch to fluorescents. 

Shade your windows in the summer. This can be done with awnings, sunshades, a deciduous tree, or a pergola with a deciduous vine covering it.  (I’m thinking it might be the perfect use for that annoying wisteria I can’t seem to get rid of.)  Lined draperies in sunny windows allow you to use the suns energy to heat when you want it or to shut it out when you don’t.

Replace old appliances with new energy saving models. If your appliances are very old the savings on electric bills alone with repay you for the expense in a few months. If you need to have an old one repaired – Don’t do it. Buy a new energy efficient model instead. And don’t forget to recycle the old one responsibly.

If you have a digital thermostat, program it to raise and lower the temperature automatically based on the season. If you use central heat and air, be sure to clean or replace your filters every 4 months. 

Try to do without your central heat and air for a few months a year. Depending on where you live this can be very pleasant. I live in North Carolina in the US. I can usually get away without heat and air conditioning in April into May and again in late September through most of October.  Having the house open keeps things fresher as well. 

Consider a tankless hot water heater. According to the US Department of Energy, if you use less than 41 gallons of hot water a day, a tankless system can be 24 to 34% more efficient than a water heater with a tank.

Supplement, or replace, your electric system with an alternative source of electricity. This can be solar or wind, determined by the location and climate of your home. You can also install solar hot water heating systems.  These can be expensive, but over the long run the savings will be worth it.  You can also do-it-yourself.  See the other pages on this blog for information on do-it-yourself guides.   This can be a relatively inexpensive way to go as well as a fun family project.