Reduce
Many people don’t realize how many quick and easy solutions there are to reducing consumption in their homes. The first thing to do is make a simple walk through your home and, room by room, make a list of areas you think can be improved. To reduce energy use check your lighting, items that are plugged in, air vents, and inspect major appliances.
By changing lighting from regular incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) you save an estimated 75% of the energy usage, which equates to about a $30 savings over the life of the bulb. According to an Energy Star report if every household in America changed just one bulb in their house from incandescent to a CFL, the reduced green house gas emmissions would be equal to taking 800,000 cars off the roads. Take a look at how many light fixtures you have in each room and you begin to get an idea or how much impact one person can make.
Items that are plugged in many times are in “stand-by” mode even when you don’t think they are on. If you see a light shining on electronic equipment such as a TV, DVD player, game console, or a laptop, it means that the product is still using electricity.
An EPA report estimated that nearly 60% of all home energy usage is wasted electricity on products in “stand-by” mode. If you unplug electronics, or use power strips that allow you to turn off multiple items with one switch, you could possibly save hundreds of dollars a year on your energy bills. Also remember to always shut down computers and TV when not in use. Many new products have hibernation modes which make them more energy efficient than in the past, but while a hibernation mode may cut energy usage to 25 or 30 percent of normal use, that is still more than it will use turned off.
Air conditioners, and furnaces are major energy consumers in the home, and there are simple ways to ensure more efficient service of these items. The first thing to do is make sure you clean and change your filters on a regular basis, and have your air ducts cleaned once a year. A dirty filter or duct work means the appliance has to work harder to circulate the air used to heat or cool your residence, which in turn leads to higher energy use.
Second try adjusting your thermostat to allow for slightly warmer temperatures in the summer or cooler temperatures in the winter. Every degree of temperature equates to a savings of between 2 and 5 percent of energy use. Many homes also have areas or rooms that are seldom used like spare bedrooms, basements, or offices. Make sure to shut the doors and close vents in these areas. The less area your system has to heat/cool the easier it will be on your wallet, and in turn on the environment.
Finally do regular maintenance and inspections of your major appliances. By cleaning excess lint and debris from your vent work on a dryer you not only reduce the energy usage of the machine, but you also reduce the heat it produces and remove a major cause of home fires. Similarly by doing a regular inspection of refrigerators, dish washers, water heaters, etc. you can ensure they are all working efficiently. While most people make sure to get regular oil changes and maintenance checks for their cars many never think about doing maintenance inspections and overlook problems on home appliances. Just remember the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
Reuse
Next time you get ready to throw an item away stop and ask yourself if it could possibly be reused instead.
There are hundreds of items in the normal household that can be reused, but are routinely thrown away without a thought. Fabric softener sheets are designed to be used only one sheet per cycle. Sometimes articles of clothing don’t require these sheets, but millions of Americans consistently use multiple sheets per load and throw them away after a single use. What many don’t realize is that one sheet can be used multiple times, or they can serve other purposes.
Instead of throwing out your used sheets or letting them clutter your laundry room floor try using them to dust with, polish silver, or put them in your drawers with seasonal clothing to keep them fresh while packed away until they are needed again.
How many times have you bought a package of sliced meat from your local supermarket and without a thought thrown away the plastic container it comes in when it is empty? Many companies now use reusable, re-sealable containers to ship everything from grocery items to clothing. Instead of throwing these plastic containers into your local landfill firstc onsider using it for another purpose around your house.
Before throwing something away and adding to our growing landfill problems in our country stop and make sure that you can’t use the items in some other function. Who knows you may save yourself some money, and help the environment at the same time.
Recycle
The last, and possibly the most important principle in protecting the environment is recycling. The wonderful part is that it may have become the easiest thing for a person to start doing.
Many waste haulers now offer curbside recycling to residents at little or sometimes no charge, and almost every community now has a recycling center provided by its local government. Schools, churches, local businesses, and organizations often offer recycling opportunities at their locations.
As the abundance of options available for where to take recyclable materials has grown, so have the items that are accepted for recycling. Most plastic packaging containers, steel, tin, and aluminum cans, nearly all forms of paper, and glass are widely accepted at local drop-off centers. By making a few quick phone calls to your local waste haulers, or your local municipality, you can find what items are taken and how to gather the items.