Low-Cost Ways to Go Green:
- Adjust Your Thermostat: Get into the habit of adjusting the temperature of your home before you leave. By adjusting just a few degrees, you will conserve energy AND reduce your monthly bill. Energy.gov suggest a difference of 10-15 degrees will help you save 5% to 15% on your bill (Mother Earth will be pretty happy too).
- Start a Compost Pile: You can start collecting your organic waste in a pile or container. This waste decomposes over time and becomes a great fertilizer for your lawn or garden. Compost Piles will also reduce the amount of trash you produce!
- Use Low-Flow Showerheads: How efficient is the water in your home? Installing low-flow showerheads can cut your water usage in half! Most standard showerheads use 5 gallons of water per minute, compared to a low-flow that has a flow rate less that 2.5 gallons per minute.
- Seal Your Windows: One great hack to up the efficiency of your home is to stop air leaks! If your windows are really drafty, you could even add weatherstripping around the frames. Sealing gaps and cracks in your home is an easy way to lower your energy costs.
- Save Water: The average homeowner could cut costs with small changes to how they use water. When you brush your teeth or shave, be aware of the running water. Showers typically uses less water compared to baths. You should also avoid running small loads in your washer. One full load vs. two small loads is much more eco-friendly.
- Replace your Lightbulbs: Halogen bulbs, compact fluorescent laps, and LED bulbs are more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs. Plus, they last longer, which means less time changing out burnt out lightbulbs for you (winning!).
- Unplug Unused Chargers: Bet you didn’t realized your unused battery charger was sucking energy out of your house, huh? According to Energy.gov, when not in use the average charger uses 0.26 watts of energy and 2.24 watts when charging your phone. That may not sound like much, but collectively over time, these chargers can be responsible for 10% of your energy bill! So, take the extra 2 seconds to unplug your charger.
- Don’t wash with Hot Water: When picking your waters temperature, go with cold or warm. Treehugger.com reports 90% of the energy used by your washer is used to heat the water – not actually run the machine. This means using cold or warm water can help you conserve energy!
- Add Insulation to Your Attic: Adding insulation is a great way to seal leaks and improve your AC bills! While pricing varies on size and area, HomeAdvisor.com gives the average price of this for $1,356.
- Add Solar Panels: Arizona is the perfect place to add solar to your home! While the panels can be pricy, they are becoming more popular. These panels can help you save money on your energy bills and remove your footprint with fossil fuel!
- Install a Storm Door: A storm door adds an extra layer of protection from the weather year-round. These doors have low-emissivity glass and/or a protective coating. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, these doors can help reduce energy loss up to 50%. Best part? You can find a storm door for as little as $75.
- Perform an Energy Audit: You can hire a professional energy auditor to come to your home and evaluate the inefficiencies. They will do a full inspection and identify the areas that need improvements.
- Replace your Appliances with Energy Star Products: Energy Star products meet energy-efficient specifications set by the EPA. These appliances use 10-50% less energy that the standard appliances and help reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.