Graph Of Energy Consumption And Tips To Reduce It

Image courtesy of Kids Energy Page @ DOE.gov

This graph shows how the average American uses energy in their homes. Heating our houses is almost half of all energy consumed in American households. Here are some tips to reduce your heating costs.

• Buy a programmable thermostat to make sure your heat is only one when you want it to be. Here is a guide from the governments energy star website about programmable thermostats. You also might want to check out this consumer guide from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division of the Department of Energy.
  


• Use other ways of keeping yourself warm like blankets, socks, slippers, long johns, pants, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, and even a pet. All of these most people already have and can wear multiples of.
  


• Fire places and wood stoves can be a great source of heat, but very expensive to install. If you have one already, chords of wood are not very expensive and can usually last all winter. Or if you have a friend with land, ask to chop down some trees and cut them up during the summer to let them dry out for the winter. If you don't have either, maybe invest in a wood stove. The ones I've seen online are close to $2000, so check around your local stores to see if there is anything cheaper.
  

Get Rid Of Junk Mail And Be Green

I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one that hates getting "preapproved" credit card offers and inserts in your mail? They usually get thrown away, shredded, or recycled. Well if you want to stop this excess mail, go to these two sites, here and here, and follow the steps.

Another thing to reduce your mail intake is to pay your bills online. Most banks, cable, satellite, and phone companies will allow you to pay all your bills online. Some banks will even auto pay your bills for you. Just make sure that you have e-mail notifications sent to you so that you don't forget to pay.

Solar Powered Lanterns

Today I have a home improvement tip to help add a little pizazz to your walkway. A company called Solar Illuminations makes many different solar powered lights for use outside. They have a huge catalog with many different sizes and types of fixtures to choose from. A small pagoda like light that comes with a spike to stick in the ground would be a great addition to any walkway leading up to the front door, or even as a lighted path to a garden or pool in the backyard.

These lights will charge in the daytime and light the way at night with no extra electricity usage. It's a great idea for a house trying to go green.

Six Free Things You Can Do To Make Your Appliances More Effecient And Save You Money

There are some things that you just have to use. Generally they are large appliances and there is just no way around it. So here are six free things you can do to make your appliances more efficient which saves you money.

• Fill your dishwasher completely. As long as the dishes were somewhat clean, your dishwasher should take care of the rest.


• Make sure you clean out your dryers lint trap every time you use it. Another thing to do every week is check the dryer pipe that heads outside of your house. Make sure there isn't a bunch of lunch in there as this doesn't allow the dryer to clean your clothes all the way and can cause a fire.


• When you go to make a sandwich or cook dinner, take everything you need out of the fridge or freezer at once instead of opening and closing the door multiple times.


• Keep an inventory of your fridge and freezer. This will allow you to open the door, grab exactly what you want, and close it.


• Wash your clothes in cold water. It works just the same.


• Reuse your lunch bags from day to day. If you have a nylon insulated lunch bag, use that.