In the home
- Low flow shower heads can reduce your water bill by $250 a year. I’m not talking about the ones that barely dribble out and take 20 minutes to rinse the shampoo out of your hair. The low flow shower heads have really come a long way in the last few years, not just with design but also with price, they start at $5! There’s no excuse not to get one at that price!
- Wash your laundry in cold water. Nearly 90% of the cost to run the washer is due to hot/warm water, so reduce energy costs by washing only necessary loads in hot water.
- Insulate your floors… Now this one may not be as easy as the others, but there are still simple cost effective things you can do if you have hardwood or tile flooring throughout the home. Add area rugs and runners wherever you can, this will help reduce heating and air conditioning costs. If you already have wall to wall carpeting, is there adequate padding underneath?
- Switch out your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. I did this one last year and noticed a significant decrease in my energy bill! The best part? the light bulbs last longer then a regular light bulb so you won’t have to replace them as often.
- Replace weather stripping around your doors and windows, if you can do it yourself, it’s not too expensive and will pay for itself within a few months. Have you seen the infomercial for the Double Draft Guard? I bought one for my front door and it made a world of difference in the cool draft coming in.
- Where’s your air conditioner? If it’s in the direct sun light, don’t be surprised if it never stops running during the summer. Since moving it, or building an enclosure can get pricey, you can plan a tree, or build a trellis, or even one of those pop up tents to shade the unit can reduce energy costs during the summer.
