Energy Prices May Drive Us Green!

In these days of rising gas and food prices, it’s natural to look around the house for ways to save a few dollars. Going green at home in many small ways will not only save you money, but will help save the planet. People often think that the initial costs of energy-efficient or green home devices are too overwhelming. In fact, such changes often pay for themselves quickly, or are virtually cost free.

Here are some simple ways to go green without going broke around the house:

1. Insulate your water heater. If it was built before 2004, you can save as much as 10% on your annual water-heating bill by wrapping the tank in an insulating, fireproof blanket.
2. Tune up your furnace. Getting your furnace serviced every two years not only reduces the amount of carbon dioxide it emits, it also cuts your heating bills by up to 10%.
3. Lower the temperature. The Alliance to Save Energy estimates that you can take 5% off your heating bill for every degree you lower your home's temperature during the cold season.
4. Pad those pipes. You can cut heating costs just by insulating exposed hot water pipes in and under your home.
5. Weather-strip your doors. Putting weather-stripping around your exterior doors will net you around $30 a year in energy savings.
6. Wash your clothes in cold. That uses 50 % less energy than washing them in hot water. They also shrink less, wear out more slowly, and with today’s detergents, get just as clean.
7. Don't use permanent press. Employing the regular setting instead of the permanent press setting on you washing machine will conserve five gallons of water per load. (This is one that I haven’t been able to do for my clothes, but it works on other things that I launder – I just have to remember to make the switch!)
8. Watch your water flow. Save two gallons by turning off the water when you brush your teeth for two minutes.
9. Fix that leaking faucet. That constant drip, drip, drip isn't just grating, it's also wasting water -- 2,700 gallons a year to be exact.
10. Check your toilet tank.  Adjust to eliminate leaks and you can salvage 200 gallons of water a day.
11. Go florescent. By switching five incandescent bulbs for compact florescent light bulbs you can save 50% a year on your lighting bill, according to one source. If every household in the country did this it would eliminate the same amount of greenhouse gas as removing 8 million cars a year from the road. I can testify that the little bars on my electric bill dropped significantly in the year-to-year, month-by-month, comparison after I switched over half the bulbs in my home.
12. Park the car: As oil and gasoline prices continue to push new highs, some city and suburban dwellers may consider trading in their car keys for walking shoes and bus passes. Check out the Mountain Line website for City of Flagstaff bus routes and remember that more frequent service and additional routes will be coming soon.
13. Buy local produce. Shipping produce can drive up prices and compromise taste. Buying foods in season from local farmer's markets and roadside stands not only improves quality, but cuts cost. What it does for the earth: Helps keep gas-guzzling trucks off the road. Visit our local Flagstaff Community Market each Sunday morning from 8 a.m. to noon.

     

14.  Install a programmable thermostat. Homeowners can save more than $100 a year on their energy bills by installing a programmable thermostat. What it does for the earth: If one out of every 10 U.S. households used programmable thermostats, it would eliminate 17 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, according to the Energy Star Action Guide.

     

15.  Choose Energy Star appliances. Energy Star appliances use up to 50% less energy compared with other home appliances. Using them saved American consumers $14 billion on their utility bills last year. What it does for the earth: Last year the use of energy-efficient appliances cut greenhouse gas emissions as much as removing 25 million cars from the road.

     

16.  Pay bills online. Some companies are starting to charge additional fees for processing paper bills. Paying online allows you to bypass these fees and minimizes the chance of identity theft by eliminating the paper trail most thieves use to access financial information. Most banks will allow their customers to pay on line at no charge. Even if the bank then mails the check instead of doing an electronic funds transfer – they do it more efficiently, on cheaper paper, and at no postage cost to you! What it does for the earth: Not only does it eliminate clutter, you can also save trees!

If you are in the market to buy a home, recycle! There are plenty of "used homes" in the Flagstaff real estate market right now and buying one of these homes rather than building a new one saves energy. Contact Team Heitland at RE/MAX Peak Properties to buy or sell a home in Flagstaff!

Ann Heitland, Associate Broker with RE/MAX Peak Properties, is EcoBroker^® Certified.