Going Green & Saving Some Green

Photo Source: http://tinyurl.com/hxbh7k5

How do you go green to help save the environment and also save yourself money? Here are a few tips to help you save and go green at the same time:

Don't heat an empty house! Use a programmable thermostat and set it to decrease the temperature when you are not home. We keep our house at a consistent 70 degrees F and decrease to 68 degrees F when we are not at home.  If we decide to open all the windows for some fresh air (especially during the warmer winter/spring days) we make sure to decrease the heat so the furnace isn't competing with the fresh breeze.

Unplug It / Turn it Off. Do you keep your appliances and electronics plugged in when not in use? Don't - they are sucking up energy.  Make sure you turn your home computer off instead of letting it simply go into sleep mode.

Clean Up. Keep your refrigerator coils, dryer, and furnace filters clean.

Switch Out Bulbs. Lighting is one of the easiest and most beneficial places to start saving.  There are literally thousands of ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures available everywhere, as well as ENERGY STAR qualified CFL bulbs.  Now, I’m not saying you need to replace every light fixture in you house, or that you need to replace every bulb, because that would be expensive.  What I am saying is that you should start with the 5 lights in your home that are used more than any other.  If you can buy a new ENERGY STAR fixture, great!  If not just replace the bulbs –  research suggests you can save up to $65 on the year by simply starting with the 5 most commonly used lights.  Imagine what you could save by change all of them.


Cancel Printed Subscriptions. Chances are you are already reading your local news and favorite magazines online, so why not save your home from the added paper clutter and go green at the same time? Some subscriptions may be cheaper or even free for the online version.

Recycle.  Cut down on the garbage in your can by recycling! Create a recycling sorting station in your home/garage. Many local Cities also participate in curbside recycling programs that make getting rid of your recycling as easy as your weekly garbage collection.  Even if your City doesn't participate in a program like this, there are many grocery stores and schools that have newspaper/paper recycling bins in their parking lots.


What ways have you and your family gone green? Share your comments and ideas with us!