Save Money, Lower Your Carbon Footprint

Adapted from Low-Cost / No-Cost Energy-Saving Tips for Your Home distributed by Cascade Natural Gas, 2009 and from Bright Ideas: A helpful guide to managing energy use in your home Pacific Power, 2009.

Looking for ways to go green? What about ways to save money? I'm here to share some of the experience I've gained from my site focused on home energy efficiency. This experience will come in handy as we approach another month of cold temperatures, two months of moderate temperatures, and a month and a half (or longer, if you decide to stay in Walla Walla after your service year) of very hot temperatures. The very best and most simple thing you can do is to be willing to change your expectations about basic comfort. It is unreasonable, for instance, to expect to enjoy wearing only your boxers in an 80 degree house when the temperature outside is below freezing. Most of us are capable of adjusting to atmospheres that are slightly cooler or slightly warmer than we're used to. Stay tough and you'll lower your environmental impact while saving money in the process!

The Kitchen

• Set your refridgerator to between 37 and 40 degrees and your freezer to 0 degrees. These temperatures will maintain the balance between food safety and energy efficiency.


• Keep refridgerator coils clean and unobstructed. You might ask your landlord to tackle this one.


• Only run a full load of dishes if you use a dishwasher. This will reduce your hot water energy use as well as the energy used by the appliance.


• Use your dishwasher during the coolest part of the day in the summer. You will avoid heating the home when you want it to be cool.


• If you have two oven compartments or a toaster oven, use the smallest whenever possible.


• Use a crock pot! This is an efficient, easy-to-use appliance that is great for a busy schedule and is almost fool-proof for the novice chef (...he said from experience!).

Bathroom

• 5 minute showers, once a day. No exceptions. It might sound harsh for those of us who enjoy our time in the shower, but longer showers waste water and energy and tend to dry out your skin. You might even notice your body lotion costs go down!


• Ask Michael (Me!) for a low-flow shower head. They are free and available to all Cascade Natural Gas customers with gas water heating.


• Hold your landlord accountable and get those leaky faucets fixed.

Laundry/Utility Room

1. Wash clothes on cold setting whenever possible. There are even cold water-specific detergents that maximize the cleaning potential of cold water loads.


2. Run only full loads.


3. Hang clothes whenever possible instead of running the dryer.


4. Clean out the lint filter for max efficiency.


5. Set your water heater temp at 120 degrees or lower. Water heating accounts for the second highest energy cost in your home after heating and cooling, up to 30% of your bill!

Heating and Cooling

• As mentioned, set your thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter. A change of 5 degrees can reduce your energy bill by up to 25%!


• Ditch the space heater. It uses too much energy and isn't as effective as a blanket, hat and sweater.


• Turn down your heat when you are sleeping. You body needs to be slightly cooler when you are sleeping.


• Turn down your heating/cooling when you are out of the house.


• Close blinds over sun-exposed windows in the summer. Keep sun-exposed blinds open in the winter.


• Plug up drafty windows and doors with cloth and towels. It's a simple measure that can improve your comfort and cut down on heat waste.


• Ask your landlord for a programable thermostat. This will automatically adjust the temperature according to your daily needs. If your feel comfortable purchasing one for yourself, progammable thermostats are easy to install and cost as little as $25 (which could easily pay back for itself in one month).

Lighting/Wall Outlets

• Make it a habit in your household to turn out lights when you are not using them.


• Install Compact Florescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) in every socket. They use 25% or less of the energy used by an incandescent (oldy) bulb. While slightly more expensive, they last 4 times as long and may be available for free through your utility company.


• Unplug your unused chargers. Laptop computer, cell phone and game console chargers draw enery even when they are not charging your device. Helpful tip: keep your chargers plugged into a power strip, and turn off the power strip when nothing is being charged.


• Consider unplugging your TV/entertainment system when it will not be in use for an extended period of time. TVs are notorious for drawing energy when not in use.

For any additional questions about how you can increase the energy efficiency of your home or are interested in having an in-home home energy efficiency assessment, call the Sustainable Living Center, 509-524-5218, or e-mail mespinoza@sustainablelivingcenter.com.