Being Conservative?

Question

My parents arent that enthused to be energy conservative. The cost is what turns them off. I need help on how to save money and the environment cheaply. Also, gas now a days is horrible!

Answer 1

unplug phone chargers and your TV that's on your power strip.

Answer 2

Besides doing the above suggestions you can also focus on reducing your paper usage. It's easy and costs nothing to use less paper towels, tissues, & napkins. Instead use cloth like a hand towel to dry your hands, a fabric napkin to keep tidy, a handkerchief when you've got the sniffles. All these you can throw in with your laundry and reuse them! Also when disposable plates are needed then be sure to get paper and not foam. Styrofoam is not biodegradable and will do more damage than if you were to simply make a different selection at the store and get paper.

Beaware of the recycle triangle on all your products- more things are recyclable than we think.

So yeah, in a nutshell don't leave any electricity running when you don't need it, recycle your shampoo bottles along wth your water bottles, and use a towel to dry your hands next time you wash them.

As far as your parents go, if you show them through your actions your passion to preserve and conserve then they will respect that and possibly jump on the band wagon to a better environment. Be patient with them, they come from a different time when there was no importance of recycling. Creatures of habbit are difficult to change, BUT not impossible!

Answer 3

study the number's, and ratio's for the rest of your life.  If you find a way to cut nutition without harming health, (there are thousand's of cut's you can make, nutrition, clothe's, the biggie's like solar cell's, wind turbine's solar house's, you cannot do much about, rideing bus's in america is not easy, because the system is just starting to get scale, mass and worker friendly, and make take time.  Your attitude is more important right now, than your actual energy conservation.  If you get an open mind about  everything you'll start noticeing many thing's you can do to save energy and have peace.

Answer 4

Saving energy can save money too. For example: turning off the lights when you leave a room. That saves money and energy. Walking rather than driving when you can will save both money and energy. Turning down the heat in the winter or turning it up in the summer so air conditioning runs less saves both. These kinds of actions, which are basically avoiding using energy always save both energy and money.

Another type of conservation can save both energy and money, but will probably cost more now and less later. An example would be to by a compact fluorescent lamp. It costs more than an incandescent lamp but because it lasts longer and uses far less energy it will cost less to use and ultimately save money in the long term. This kind of conservation can be though of as an investment in energy efficiency. This is the type of thing your parents probably are not enthused about. There are a couple of reasons people might not want to do this. One is that the initial cost is so high that it might be hard for them to afford that initial investment. A second reason is that they might have a hard time believing that they will actually save any money. A third reason is related to risk. If you spend a lot of money on an energy saving appliance for example a refrigerator, something might happen to it before it saves enough money to have paid for itself. Convincing your parents to do this kind of thing requires very good and reliable information so that they will feel comfortable with the idea that spending a little more up front for an item, or replacing an existing item that still works fine, can actually save money in the long run.

It is often possible to buy a product that uses less energy but not enough less to every pay for the extra cost. That kind of conservation does not save money. It may be justified in some cases because it saves other things than just money, however, it is very often nearly impossible to convince people to make that kind of choice.

Answer 5

Programmable thermostats (turns the heat/AC offf at times when nobodies home), repairing air leaks, and more insulation, all pay for themselves in a short time.

Gas prices are up because the world is getting richer and using more energy.  There may be some short term decrease, but long term the price is going nowhere but up.

Answer 6

Here are a few things that my husband & I have done...You ought to show your parents this as well....

*Don't water plants or lawn on windy days...Wind causes up to 300 gallons of water to evaporate.

*Reuse rain, dish, bath & shower water...Water your plants with this. The food from dishes give the plants nutrients that are much needed, and the soap, shampoo, and condition break up the soil & doesn't keep roots restricted.

*Fix leaky faucets, they can waste up to 75 gallons of water a week.

*Unplug everything not in use.

*Bring your own bags when you go shopping

*Take family walks regularly, instead of going out...Pick up trash & cans. Turn the cans into cash & save up for cfl's & other energy saving items...

*Use homemade cleaning supplies to clean house. Stop buying harmful chemicals.

*Recycle by having yardsales...Earn money by recycling.

*Keep your highway speed at 55mph or lower...Uses less fuel.

*Cut your dryer sheets in thirds...You really don't need a full sheet. Reuse the used dryer sheet by dusting the house & the bury the cryer sheet around your plants...This helps to retain moisture for the plant.

*Live with out a/c...We do & we're ok..

*Do laundry, dishes & shower after sunset.

*Turn off the computer when not in use...

*Put a rolled up towel at the bottom of all doors to prevent heat from coming in & cold from leaking out & visa versa during the winter.

*When going out of town...Unplug everything & turn offf the water heater.

*When driving the car, at high speeds, leave the windows up & if needed, turn the a/c on low...or not at all.

*Wash your own car with dishsoap & recycled water from the shower or bath...wash your car over your lawn & not in the drive way. You are preventing water to evaporate & you are watering your lawn as well.

*Clean or replace air filters in a/c units once to twice a month.

*Lower the thermostat on the water heater to below 120 degrees.

*Wrap the water heater in an insulated blanket.

*Set fridge at 36-38 degrees & the freezer to 0-5

*Use ceiling fans rather than your ac/...

*Put aluminum foil over east & west facing windows & place a floor fan at north & south facing windows & have the air blow in your house with one & the other have it facing out.

*Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins...Make your own out of old torn or stained clothes...

*Avoidd products with several layers of packaging.

*Use mouse traps instead of pesticides

*Have your house tested for radon

*Buy products you can reuse.

*Start a compost bin...All food except meat can be composted.

*Keep your cars tires inflated to correct pressure. This prevents drag on the vehicle & uses less fuel.

*Don't accelerate up & down when driving...Use cruise control whenever possible.

*Start walking to places or riding a bike.

*Remove weeds from gardens...Cuts down of excess water consumption due to plant competition.

*Line dry your laundry

There are so many things you can do that oesn't cost anything but time & dedication...Good for you for wanting to get involved. God bless you sweetheart.

Answer 7

buy the low-energy light bulbs. they will save a ton on your energy bill and are cheap.