Sustainable Living & Sustainable Lifestyle
A simple look at how you can save money and the environment by adopting some green tips and becoming more energy efficient.
A simple look at how you can save money and the environment by adopting some green tips and becoming more energy efficient.
Being green has never been easier. There are so many ways in which you can start to help the planet and help save you save money at the same time. We thought that rather than knock up some article preaching about the benefits of green energy we would create a simple top ten green tips list that, as promised, will help stop the amount of money leaving your pocket each year.
Almost half the energy use in the home is wasted energy. Approximately 46 per cent of energy is lost through poor loft insulation, letter boxes, cracks in the floorboards and the windows. So by changing not only your habits but by applying a few simple methods can help you reduce the energy you use.
Green Tip #1: Try and use a slow cooker more often rather than a conventional oven. They use far less energy over the long run. For example, an electric oven will use 2.7 pounds of Co2 over a period of an hour whilst a slow cooker pot will only use 0.9 pounds of CO2 over a seven hour period, plus they are perfect for creating lovely stews and chillies, great for those long winter days!
Green Tip #2: Using a laptop will use 75 percent less energy than a standard desktop computer. Always make sure that you switch them off when not in use.
Green Tip #3: Turning your thermostat down a degree or two could save 2,000 pounds of Co2 and around 3 percent of annual heating costs. Encourage the family to start wearing jumpers and cardigans, it works!
Green Top #4: Try using fewer lights in the house, especially when they aren’t in use. I am the first to admit that I forget all the time and it needs to be more habitual but in doing so this can reduce the direct lighting amount by 45 percent. You could also try using timers.
Green Tip #5: In the same vein as point four, start using energy efficient bulbs, yes they are slightly slower at brightening up but switching to compact fluorescent bulbs saves 300 pounds of Co2 per year and also 60 percent less energy. Think of the money that can be saved, worth it for a few seconds until they brighten.
Green Tip #6: Use a cold water wash cycle when doing laundry. By turning a washing machine down by 10 degrees can save around a bundle per year. It also makes little difference, if any, to the quality of the wash.
Green Tip #7: Contact your local government to see if there are any grants available to get proper insulation, most energy is lost through poor insulation.
Green Tip #8. Make sure that your water heater is properly insulated, this will save 1,000 pounds of Co2 per year. It also won’t to work as hard when making water hot.
Green Tip #9: Making sure that your car tires are correctly inflated will save you on gas money. Mileage can be improved by 3 percent if this is carried out and each gallon saved means 20 pounds less Co2.
Green Tip #10: Instead of using the car why not use public transportation or if the weather is nice why not invest in a bike or try running to work. Not only will you be fitter and healthier, leaving the car at home will save money.
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Michael Wood is a keen blogger whose work can be seen on such blogs such as the Green Energy Watcher. Michael worked for gas and electricity company Southern Electric for nearly a decade and is interested in green topics including green technologies and energy efficiency tools.
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