Goal For The Green

More than 90 percent of American homes are expected to see an increase in their winter heating costs because of rising residential energy prices, according to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Saving money and staying green throughout the winter months is tough because of colder temperatures. The flurry of holiday travel and visiting out-of-town guests doesn’t make it any easier. Take on the challenge and keep energy consumption down with the following tips that help reduce environmental impact and your expenditures.

Make It Automatic

The goal is to build systems into your daily life that make conservation nearly automatic. For starters, make it a habit to always turn off lights when you leave a room or the house for the day. Model this practice for your children and any visiting guests to adopt as well. By establishing clear “house rules” for energy usage, your January energy bill will be less likely to make you faint.

Invest is simple, affordable gadgets to help you automatize your energy usage. Lowe’s home improvement store recommends stringing fewer holiday lights. Also, use a timer to automatically shut lights off overnight and during the daytime. Timers are reasonably priced and available at a range of hardware and department stores for anywhere between $10 – $30.

Quick Fixes

During busy weeks of shopping and holiday errands, empty your car out fully each time you come home. According to Energy.gov’s holiday energy tips, driving with an extra 100 pounds of cargo can increase your gasoline expenditure by almost a dime a gallon. Energy.gov also recommends switching from traditional holiday lights to LED lights, claiming that the latter only costs $0.27 for 12 hours of festive light. Traditional electric lights cost almost $10 for the same amount of burning time.

The Long Haul

Paying attention to costs and conversation during the holidays is a good start, but savvy, eco-conscious homeowners know that good energy saving systems are worthwhile year-round. Once the craziness of the holidays dies down, put long-term strategies into place, such as installing storm windows that can significantly reduce your heating costs.

Visit www.electriccompanies.com to learn more about living in one of the deregulated states that allow homeowners to make informed choices about an energy provider that’s best for your budget and your green lifestyle. Choosing your own provider equates to big savings in the long run. You’ll also trust where your energy is coming from and make smarter choices about how to use it efficiently in your own home.

Just when you thought you had this month’s budget under control, here comes the electric bill. You’re not sure if the rates increased or your attention to shutting off lights decreased, but you’re not thrilled with the super-high bill either way. Rather than going off the grid or vowing to use only candles at night, you can make some simple switches around your home that can cut down on the amount you’re forced to shell out for electricity every month.

Image by Flickr user remcovandermeer

Chill Out with Laundry

The way you do laundry may be piling up charges on your electric bill. If you have a hot water heater that’s fueled by electricity, switching to cold water loads only can help you cut back and save some cash. Regardless of how your water’s heated, you’ll save money in general if you only use your washing machine if you have a full load. To conserve even more energy and cash, go au naturel when it comes to drying the load by skipping the dryer and hanging the clothes in a well-ventilated area or outside.

Switch the Light Bulbs

Retiring the old-school incandescent bulbs in favor of energy-efficient light bulbs can improve your lighting as well as your electric bill. The more light bulbs you replace, the more you can save. Energy.gov estimates that replacing 15 of the incandescent babies with their energy-saving counterparts can cut down on your bill by about $50 per year.

Choices include the spiraled compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use up to 35 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and LED bulbs, which use up to 75 percent less energy and last 25 times longer. Switching any light bulb off when you’re not using it, of course, will also help cut down your bill even further.

Mind Your Modem (and Router)

Like your entertainment center, your modem and router are two of those sneaky little things that can be using up electricity even when they’re not officially in use. Shutting off your modem and router after every Internet session might not be all that feasible, but switching to an energy-saving modem-router combination can be. If you still have a cable Internet connection, you may be fueling both a modem and a router.

Switch to a DSL connection, with services from sites like http://www.dsl.com, and you can instantly cut your energy in half with a single small appliance that combines a modem and router into one. Connect even deeper with savings if you opt for a specialized DSL modem-router designed to be green.

Plug in the Surge Protector

Any electrical appliance you leave plugged in is constantly gobbling electricity, even if it’s not turned on. This counts for your TV, DVD player, stereo and anything else with a plug attached that happens to be sticking into your wall. Surge protectors can be savvy energy savers since you can shut down the electricity flowing to all devices connected to the protector with the simple flip of a single switch.

Surge protectors can be particularly helpful for shutting down electricity-eating entertainment centers and desks stocked with computers, printers, scanners, MP3 players and smartphone chargers.

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a zone model (urban planning) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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