Lowering Your Bills By Going Green
| November 15, 2009 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
A common misconception is that being green costs a lot of money. While solar panels are not in everyone’s price range (you don’t see any on my roof do you?), conserving is in everyone’s price range. The greenest you can be is sustainable and being sustainable is very affordable.
One way you can save money while saving the planet is lowering your electric, gas, and water bills. A lot of ways to do this are free or very cheap.
Lowering Your Electric & Gas Bills
We have cut our electric bill on average by 30%. With electricity costs going up all the time this can really help you save.
With winter well on it’s way it’s time to seal up your house. Windows and doors are key places to check. Lisa at Condo Blue’s tells us how. Cheap Like Me tells us how we can fix the problems if/when we find them.
Power strips are another way to save on your electric bill. A lot of people already have them around the house but always leave them turned on. Turning them off will stop the vampire power and end up saving you money. If you don’t have power strips they are very affordable and can be found at big box stores as well as a lot of local electronic stores. Just plug all your items into them and when not in use turn the power strip off.
Also unplugging chargers and unused items will help save on your electric bill as well. You also should of course turn off lights when not being used and replace your bulbs with CFLs when they burn out. With Christmas being here soon be sure to use LED lights Christmas lights.
Wrap your water heater in a insulating jacket and turn it down a few degrees. This can save a lot of money by helping to keep your water heating from losing as much heat and the few degrees are rarely noticeable.
When cooking on your stove (gas or electric) be sure to cover your pots. Also for pasta and many other dishes once you get it hot you can turn it down or even off if you cover with a tight fitting lid.
Lower Your Water Bill
Low flow aerators for your faucets are pretty cheap and can help save you water every time you turn it on. We have them on all of ours other than the kitchen one because we have a portable dishwasher and it needs a special aerator on the faucet. I have noticed no difference as far as using the faucets goes. Low flow shower heads will also save a lot of water. They are easy to put in and there are lots of styles for all price ranges.
Water bottle in your toilet tank can save each time you flush. Also if you are willing (at least when you don’t have guests) you can follow the if it’s mellow rule. But that can to much for many people. 
Washing dishes can use a lot of water as well. When rinsing do many dishes at once and fill your sink with water in place of leaving it running. Also if you hand wash follow the same rule when washing.
Other tips: Turn the water off while brushing your teeth and while scrubbing your hands. Check for leaks.
There are many other ways to lower your bills. What are some of your tips?
This post is for the Green Moms Carnival over at Condo Blues. Check out the other posts!
