There are a lot of reasons to cut down on your energy consumption this year. Doing so will not only reduce your carbon footprint – it also saves money and resources.
Being environmentally responsible doesn’t have to come at the expense of modern comforts; Soft Energy Paths author Amory Lovins wrote in 1977 wrote that “People do not want electricity or oil … but rather comfortable rooms, light, vehicular motion, food, tables, and other real things.” If we can achieve these wants through sustainable, then what’s stopping us?
1. Replace all of your lightbulbs (Even that pesky entryway light that you need a ladder to reach)
The EPA reports that if every American home replaced just five of their most often-used bulbs with ENERGY STAR certified lighting, we would collectively save $8 billion annually on energy costs. We’d also be quashing the release of greenhouse gases equivalent to that of almost 10 million cars.
2. Reduce Phantom Loads
A phantom load is the term applied to energy that an appliance expends when it isn’t really turned on. It’s an easy solution – just unplug the device when it isn’t in use. You can even plug devices into a power strip, which you can turn off each night, enabling you to save money, energy, and time. The Department of Energy estimates that, in the average American home, “75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.”
3. Change Your Laundry Routine
Wait until you have a full load of laundry before heading to the washing machine. In most cases, a low-temperature setting will clean your clothes as effectively as a high setting. Save that high temperature for the moments when your child takes a mud bath by accident. If you can hang clothes dry, then opt for that; if not, always make sure to clean your lint trap to maximize efficiency. Remember that dryers typically account for 12% of a home’s energy consumption!
4. Man the Thermostat
NRDC recommends the following to minimize energy consumption: “Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees or less during the daytime, and 55 degrees before going to sleep (or when you’re away for the day). During the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees or more.”
5. Develop Good Habits
Turn the lights off when you leave the room, shut down your computer or laptop at night, don’t preheat the oven an hour before you put your dinner into it, and avoid those half-hour showers. By steering clear of these bad habits and adopting sustainable ones, you’ll be fostering a healthier future for our planet and lightening the load of your monthly bills. If you need, put a post-it note beside light switches and on your desk to remind you – they might annoy you, but they’ll also keep these sustainable habits at the forefront of your mind!
By sticking with these tips, you can enhance energy efficiency in your home, save money, and foster a healthier planet. It just takes a few simple changes in your normal routine.