What are some ways to make my house more eco friendly and save money?

Question

What are some ways to make my house more eco friendly and save money?

Answer 1

A few ways you can save money around the home are;

Installing CFLs in your home can reduce your annual electricity bill by 14% and last 6 to 8 times longer than incandescent bulbs. They are now widely available in many styles and designs for as low as $1.50 a bulb.

Insulation, you could consider installing cavity wall insulation or roof insulation. 25 - 40% of heat is lost through the walls and 25% through the roof. Installing both will signifigantly reduce your annual heating bills and you should beable to recoup the cost within 2 to 3 years. This will save about 2-3 tonnes of Co2 per year. The cost is about $750, but grants are available.

Purchase local produce and use tap water not bottled, not only does this support the local economy it also reduces the  carbon emissions from food transport, which accounts for about 19% of all emissions.

The average household wastes $76 in stand-by a year, turn your appliances off when not in use.

Reduce your heating thermostat by 1 degree can reduce your heating bills by 10% per year. Reduce your hot water tank thermostat to 50 degrees, each 5.5 degree reduces you hot water heating cost by 13%. Put a thick insulation jacket on your hot water tank (about $20), this prevents heat loss from your tank and can save about $20 a year in hot water costs.

Also check out all the tips at this page which are free;

http://howtosaveenergy.blogspot.com/2007...

Energy Saver

http://howtosaveenergy.blogspot.com

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Answer 2

You can turn stuff off.

If you leave a room, turn the lights and other things off.

If you go out for the day, turn everything off.

Wash your clothes only when the washing machine is full.

Wash your dishes only when the dishwasher is full.

Turn your thermostat 2 degrees up in the summer and 2 degrees down in the winter. You won't even notice a change.

Recycle. In the long run, it will save you money. If the packaging company has to make completely new packages, it will cost more than if they use recycled material.

Hope this helps, and try as hard as you can to save the planet.

happy earth day!

Answer 3

The first two things that came to my mind were buy and use compact fluorescent lights (CFL's) and a programmable thermostat.  Both these things might cost you upfront, but will save energy and energy cost in the long run.

Check out Consumer Report's Greener Choices "20 free ways to save energy."  It's a fantastic resource of simple things you can do to cut your energy bill.  I highly recommend!  I put the link below.

Answer 4

If you live in a temperate country, plant deciduous trees in your lawn instead of evergreen ones. During winter it sheds its leaves, so more light can get inside your house and you can save several minutes of electricity each day before turning the lights on. During summer when the leaves are fully grown it cools down the surrounding area and you can save electricity for air conditioning.