greenHo.ws

I was reading back through some “old” green articles and came across one in the Wall Street Journal.  It was “Going ‘Green’ at Home Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune”.  The article by Lauren Baier Kim talks (minimally) about low cost ways to go green at home and cut your energy costs.  If the Wall Street Journal reading crowd is looking to save a few dollars by improving their energy efficiency, you know it must be impacting people across the board.  It’s a real quick read at Going ‘Green’ at Home Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune.

There are a number of things that you can do to save energy that are either free or very low cost. Most are simple, easy to do items that can save a noticeable amount of energy.
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Not all “going green” efforts have to be giant projects to help the environment. Small changes can add up to a big impact. I’ve pulled together a list of small, simple and quick changes that you can implement.

· Change your HVAC equipment filters on a regular basis – this allows your furnace / air conditioner to work more efficiently and helps keep the air in your house clean.

· Swap out your incandescent lights for Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) or LED lights.

· When boiling water or cooking “liquid” meals, cover the pot. This will allow the item to heat quicker and use less energy.

· Vacuum your refrigerator / freezer coils – this will help keep your refrigerator / freezer operating at it’s peak efficiency.

· Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.

· Only run your dishwasher or cloths washer when you have a full load.

· If you have a reasonable amount of dishes (more than just a few) using a dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water and less soap than washing by hand.

· Close your window coverings in the winter at night and during the day in the hot part of summer. Install a dimmer switch on frequently used lights. Dim your lights by a quarter, you increase your energy savings by 20 percent; dim them by half, increase your savings 40 percent. You also extend bulb life up to 20 times when you dim a bulb halfway.

· Lower the temperature on your water-heater, it’s safer and saves energy.

· Bring tote bags to the grocery store rather than using their bags.

Remember, little things can add up!

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