Timely, Practical Energy-Saving Tips -- Terra Wellington's Balanced Living

Lower your utility bills and be kinder to the Earth.
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Originally Published September 15, 2005 -- Your Wellness Guide

Timely, Practical Energy-Saving Tips
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More conscious consumer ideas:
Simple Living -- New Tools and Trends
Celebrate Earth Day Everyday
'Less Is More' Becomes New Way To Happiness

With energy and fuel bills either projected to climb or to be unpredictable in the coming months, the once-fringe ideas of conscious consumer, sustainability, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient suddenly become more necessary for all of us -- perhaps, hopefully, even for the long-term.

So, as we round the corner out of summer and into fall and winter, I’ve compiled a bit-seasonal, bit-year-round list on simple ways to lower your utility bills and at the same time be kinder to our Earth and your community.

Go Energy Star -- If you have the budget, install new heating, cooling, and other home appliances that have the Energy Star rating, the government’s seal of approval. Homes with Energy Star can reduce energy costs by up to 40 percent. For more information, www.energystar.gov.

Apply Weather Stripping -- For about $10.00-20.00 you can replace the weather stripping around the edges of an exterior door. This will reduce drafts and improve the insulation in your home.

Program Your Thermostat -- This will be hard to do if you don’t have a programmable thermostat. So, if you don’t have one, install one. It can be one of your home’s best energy investments. Program your thermostat to make your home comfortable when you’re at home, then save energy when you are away from home.

Source: Energy Star

This dishwasher has the Energy Star rating sticker. If you are looking for new appliances this fall or for the holidays, purchase those with the Energy Star rating to save on utility bills.

Change Out Light Bulbs -- While I am a big fan of daylight bulbs and dimmers, there are areas in your home where you can save electricity by replacing standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and save 75 percent on electricity. A great place to start is to put CFLs in your outdoor overnight lamps.

Use Natural Light -- As warmth during the day becomes an issue during fall and winter, heat up your office and home naturally by allowing sunshine to enter your living space. And, you will also feel better due to the brightness and spectrum of the sun’s rays.

Switch to Cold Water Washing -- Unless there is a real need to wash in warm or hot water, wash your clothes in cold water. Most of our clothes aren’t dirty enough to warrant the warmer temperature anyway. And, don’t feel you need to buy cold-water detergent either. Most detergents work well in cold or hot water.

Turn Off the Lights -- You can almost hear your mother now...but turning off your lights when you are not in a room saves electricity. It’s simple and doesn’t cost you more than a little personal energy.

Insulate Your Home and Get Paid -- The statistics show that 46 million U.S. homes are underinsulated. To remedy this situation, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 gives consumer tax incentives for properly insulating your home to save energy. For information see www.simplyinsulate.com

Change Your Air Filter -- Just call the first of the month “Change Air Filter Day” and replace your old filters with new ones. You don’t need expensive filters. The 59 cent Home Depot ones work just fine, especially if you are changing them out every month. This reduces the energy required to make your heating and cooling systems function at peak performance.

Automate Your Washing -- Today’s washer and dryer appliances have a number of simple, energy-efficient features that often go under-utilized. Adjust the water level to match your load size. Take advantage of the automatic drying feature to avoid overdrying your clothes.

Check Out This Website -- For additional energy-saving ideas, check out this website by my friends at the Alliance to Save Energy. www.ase.org

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