1. PULL THE PLUG
You can save energy by unplugging appliances and switching off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Get into the habit of turning things off whenever you’re finished or whenever you leave the room. For instance, even if you think you’ll be right back, a short distraction might take your attention for a few hours. If you didn’t turn the lights off before you left the room, you’re wasting money and you’re also unintentionally harming the environment.
How many items in the house do you have that use batteries? Here’s a few that I can think of off the top of my head: camera, tv control, wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, remote control fan, cd player, radio, alarm clock, etc… How many batteries does it take to power all those electronics? Over a dozen, maybe two dozen? Rather than throwing those batteries away when they’re dead, why not purchase rechargable batteries? You’ll practically never have to throw those batteries away when you’re done with them. You’ll get a quick return on your investment, saving as much as “RESEARCH” in a year, and minimizing hazardous waste that enters the landfills. Doesn’t that feel good?
3. ADJUST AND SAVE
The average home emits twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as an average car. Across the country, homes built in the early 1970’s were nearly all smaller than 1,200 square feet. However, since the late 1980’s, average size homes have grown by more than ⅓ that size to approximately 2,500 square feet. Today, nearly 25% of homes in America are larger than 3,000 square feet. Thus, increasing the average American’s use of resources needed to heat, cool, light, and water their homes.
At home, during the extreme of any season, it can be hard to resist the temptation of adjusting the thermostat. Rather than switching the thermostat whenever you feel the slightest bit hot or cold, try to adjust. You can save a lot of money on your energy bill by adjusting your thermostat by only a few degrees each season. Keep it just a few degrees warmer in the summer and just a few degrees cooler in the winter and you’ll notice a savings of “RESEARCH” percent on your energy bills. Also be sure to get in the habit of changing your filters regularly to keep the AC running smooth and the air fresh and clean.
Check out this video about CO2 emissions at home
4. SOLAR POWER
Solar energy is the most abundant energy in our solar system. In 24 hours, so much solar energy hits the earth that it could literally power the entire world for a year! However, most people do not consider integrating solar energy into their lives because today’s current technology is not as powerful or cost efficient as desired. Since this ebook outlines how you can start today, I will not tell you to purchase a $20k solar system, then apply for government rebate, or anything… Instead, I have found a great source that allows you to rent a solar energy system for a nominal monthly rental fee. You can check it out at http://renu.citizenre.com. At the bottom of the website, learn how solar energy works, use a solar savings calculator, and find out what states in the U.S. are currently participating in this program.
If you’re interested in learning how to make your own energy from home there are actually many people who are willing to show you how to construct and install your very own solar power panels. Total costs are a fraction of professionally installed panels, but they still deliver a house full of power all day long. Visit www.planet4power.com for more information
If you are not in the position to rent solar energy, or make it yourself at home, consider switching some of your everyday electronics with solar powered ones. For example, you use a cell phone charger all the time, so why not hook it up to a solar powered cell phone charger and get power wherever you are – in the wild, on the beach or anywhere else you are. Simply visit http://www.solio.com/charger/
5. MONITOR ENERGY USE THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
Purchase one of these nifty little gizmos, that you can install yourself and allows you to monitor the energy consumption in real time. You can see how much energy your using when the AC is on, when the dishwasher is running, or whenever there are extra lights on. Of course you don’t want to have a tracking obsession where you look at the gadget every 5 or 10 minutes, but it can help you become more aware where you are using the most energy.
- PowerCost Monitor – This gadget shows how much electricity the house is consuming. It works in real time using a sensor and a display unit. Take a look how much energy is being used when the dishwasher is running, or when you’ve got the dryer on.
- TED – The Energy Detective reads overall consumption from w/in house – includes chart and provides energy saving tips
- Kill-A-Watt EZ Plug Power Meter measures electricity by plug-in appliances – rate in watt hours and kilowatt hours and shows running projected costs for a given day, week, month, or year.
- Watts Up Pro Monitor The “Watts Up” monitor shows current watts, minimum watts, maximum watts, power factor, cumulative watt hours, average monthly kilowatt hours Tier, 2 kilowatt hour threshold, elapsed time, cumulative cost, average monthly cost, line volts, min & max volts, current/min/max amperes, power cycle