Go Green at Home Inexpensively
Going the green way today doesn't have to be as expensive as the prevailing thought on the popular movement thats sweeping the country. There are a lot of things homeowners can do in your current home to lower your monthly utility expenses and contribute to helping the environment by following a few quick tips.
A recent poll by the American Institure of Architects showed that over 90% of homeowners would be willing to pay $5,000 more for home that's easier on the environment. I think one just has to first follow some simple energy saving advice at home and start from there on the savings.
The fact is making your home more energy efficient can save you money over the course of a year, accomplishing two goals. Try some of the following suggestions from Jane Bennett Clark, an editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. She suggest these 10 simple ways to go green without going broke:
Insulate your water heater for one. If it was built before 2004, you can save as much as 10% on your annual water-heating bill by wrapping the tank in an insulating fireproof blanket.
Pad those pipes. You can cut heating costs just by insulating exposed hot water pipes in your home.
Weatherstrip your doors. Putting weather-stripping around your front and back doors will net you around $30 a year in energy savings.
Wash your clothes in cold. That uses 50 % less energy than washing them in hot water.
Don’t use permanent press. Employing the regular setting instead of the permanent press setting on you washing machine will conserve five gallons of water per load.
Watch your water flow. Save a gallon of water per minute when you’re doing the dishes by restricting the water flow to a stream the width of a straw. Save another two gallons by turning off the water when you brush your teeth for two minutes.
Tune up your furnace. Getting your furnace serviced every two years not only reduces the amount of carbon dioxide it emits, it also cuts your heating bills by up to 10%.
Lower the temperature. The Alliance to Save Energy estimates that you can take 5% off your heating bill for every degree you lower your home’s temperature during the cold season.
Fix that leaking faucet. That constant drip, drip, drip isn’t just grating, it’s also wasting water — 2,700 gallons a year to be exact.
Check your toilet tank. If you put a drop of food coloring into your toilet bowl and it doesn’t disappear, your tank is leaking, says Clark. Get it fixed and you can salvage 200 gallons of water a day.
Once you start thinking about ways to save energy costs at home ideas will really start to flow. Making your home green will contribute to energy savings, help the environment and save you a little money along the way.