Making changes in your life to become more environmentally friendly is a worthwhile goal, but it can be a challenge at first to overcome to the costs of some eco-friendly options. Fortunately, there are many ways to lead a sustainable life while also saving money. This means that you save the planet while increasing your savings at the same time! Here are four inexpensive ways to be eco-friendly.
Don’t Let Your Energy Leak
The Department of Energy estimates that a fifth of energy consumption comes from heating and cooling your house. While it is understandable that you want to feel comfortable in your home, there are ways to do so while lowering your monthly energy bill as well as your environmental footprint. Much of your energy consumption is wasted because of the gaps and cracks that let the cool or hot air escape your house. To avoid this you can insulate you house to seal the air leaks, which will save you energy and money.
Install Solar Panels
Although in the short term solar panels can be costly, they are well worth it when it comes to saving on your electricity bill in the long run. Solar roofing will allow you to take control of your electricity expenses, especially as the electricity rates increase nationwide at an average increment of 6% a year. You will soon see returns on the money you spent on solar panels, because you will be guaranteeing a lower cost on your electricity expenses. You can contact a local roof repair contractor and asked about local saving and financial support you can get when getting solar panels installed.
Don’t Waste Energy on an Empty House
Investing in a programmable thermostat will allow you to regulate the temperature of your house based on the times that your family is in the house. It is a waste of energy and money to pay for a cool or warm home when there is no one home. Programmable thermostats will pay for themselves very quickly by cutting your electricity bill potentially in half. You should also consider lowering the temperature you keep your house at, as this will save you money and energy as well.
Use Hot Water Sparingly
The Department of Energy states that water heating is one of the largest energy costs in your house. Hot water accounts for about 12% of your utility bill; so to lower your energy expense, try to use less hot water. You can turn down your water heater’s thermostat, buy a more efficient water heater, or insulate the pipes and heater.
*Thank-you to Dave Smith for this great guest post!*
Too bad I live in an apartment so I don’t think I could get solar power here.
i wish i can get solar power…i try to save energy any way i can..
We live in a teeny tiny town & we have our own energy supply. Unfortunately, the cost just keeps going up, up, up. There are just two of us at home now, rarely more than 2 lights on at a time, tv rarely runs until the evening & sometimes not then. Trying to find ways to knock that bill down is challenging.
I feel the initial cost is a bit expensive (solar panels) but if I could afford the initial out of pocket, I would do it in a heart beat.
I agree that weatherizing the home to keep cold air from coming in is so good. Also, the best item I have is a programmable theromstat! Saving money on heating costs is so important, and turning down the heat when not home is such a good idea.
When I move into my own home, I’m going to look into some of these ideals.
I think installing solar panels would be a great idea! We are very conservative with our hot water and making sure that we turn lights off when not in use as well.
We really started to be more aware of the energy that we have been using in our home. Little things like turning off lights, installing new windows, etc., save us quite a bit of money in the long run.
It really does!