Go Green: Tips To Conserve Energy In Your Home
Posted: Saturday, August 23, 2008
by Abigail Richards
The “Going Green" phenomenon is taking the nation by storm. Every where you turn these days there is some corporation, organization or individual showing their participation in conserving.
Even at the grocery store, customers are now being encouraged to use a more eco-friendly bag when carting groceries home from the store. The majority of us have been lectured since the creation of Earth Day about ways to recycle. We have mastered recycling. We know we can recycle cans, plastic, newspaper, etc. But do we know how to conserve energy inside our homes? Here are a few tips.
Only use the dishwasher for full loads. Scrape food off dishes. Soak or pre-wash only if food is burned or dried on. Reduce dishwasher energy usage by manually air drying dishes. In your oven, make sure the over door seals are in good condition. Do not preheat oven unless necessary and thaw frozen foods so they will cook faster.
Laundry Energy conservation
Wash full loads only, but do not overload. Wash and rinse in cold water instead of hot water. Clothes dryers are at the top of the list for energy consumption so try to conserve energy by drying loads one right after the other. Clean the lint filter after each load. Another trick is to put a dry towel in with each load. It should help clothes dry faster.
Home Energy conservation
Turn off home office and entertainment equipment when not in use. I am guilty of not doing this one. Most electronics still use electricity even when turned off. Make sure you unplug appliances when on vacation.
Central Air conditioning conservation
Install seven day programmable thermostats to control air conditioning usage. Set your thermostat as high as comfortable. Use fans whenever possible. Change your filter once a month.
Water Heater conservation
Turn down your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. Insulate your water heater. Wash dishes in a sink instead of using running water. Install low flow shower heads and faucets. These can reduce your water usage by half. You can also install timers in the shower to shorten the amount of time in the shower. I am really guilty of this waste. I am known for taking super long showers so this would be a hard task for me to do.
These are just a few suggestions to aid your quest to go green. Feel free to include any other tips for conserving around the home in the comment section.
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