More Green Moves Around the House

So in my haste to post some of the environmentally friendly moves I’ve made around the house, I forgot a few keys. Silly me. So here are some more:

Adjusting the thermostat. Did you know that you can save 3 to 5 percent more energy for each degree below 68 degrees Fahrenheit you set your thermostat in cold weather or for each degree above 78 degrees you set your thermostat in warm weather? We definitely didn’t go higher than 68 degrees with our thermostat during the winter, although admittedly we didn’t turn it down as low as I would’ve liked because I discovered that my office (where I sit all day) is the coldest room in the house. And I have dreadful circulation. Let me tell you, trying to type when your fingers are white and numb is no fun. And I’m not exaggerating there.

Turning off lights. Sometimes I forget. But whenever I think of it, I wander through the house turning off lights that don’t need to be on. Want to take it a step further? Install motion sensor lights. (Photo: massdistraction)

Shutting off the water. I turn off the water when I’m brushing my teeth, washing my face, or anything of that nature. I cringe whenever Conservative Boy leaves the water running at full force while he shaves every other morning, but it’s baby steps here. At least he shuts the water off when brushing his teeth now.

Installing faucet aerators. To reduce how much water gets used for things like Conservative Boy's shaving, I bought an aerator for the bathroom faucet this weekend. Talk about a cheap and easy project. It cost a couple of bucks and screws onto the faucet in a minute.

Saying no to bottled water. My friend Rachel reminded me of this one. That’s what my trusty SIGG water bottle is for. And I’m a big fan of those crazy inventions called water fountains and drinking glasses. The only time I buy bottled drinks of any kind is when I’m at a sporting event where I can’t sneak my own bottle in or on the road when I desperately need a soda to stay awake.

Taking shorter showers. I just started consciously working on this one this weekend. I've been timing my showers and so far have made it out in under five minutes. (Of course, there hasn't been any major leg-shaving involved yet, so I have a bit work to do on this front.) Sometimes it just feels so nice to stand under that hot water for a while … but I’m trying to wean myself off of that habit.

Speaking of showers, we have a leaky tub faucet that hasn’t been fixed yet and I feel really guilty about that because it’s been going on for a couple of weeks and it’s pretty bad. So that’s near the top of my list of home repairs. I’ve been catching all the dripping water in a bowl and using it to fill Walker’s water bowl (when he was here last week) and water plants. I can’t keep up though, so there’s a full pitcher on the counter and the bowl in the tub is full again. Since I can’t bring myself to dump it out, I either need to get a repair going pronto or get a big bucket for storing all that wasted water in so I can use it for other things—maybe washing the car or watering the plants outside (once they’re actually planted).

Shutting off my computer. This goes along with the whole concept of phantom loads. But shutting off your computer each night saves a lot more energy than putting it in sleep mode; and contrary to popular belief, turning your computer on and off each day isn’t harmful to it in any way.

Replacing the HVAC filter. For a more energy-efficient HVAC system (and better air quality), you should replace the filter at least every three months. And when your system is working the hardest (like through the winter), monthly replacement may be necessary. I missed the boat on that one but did finally replace ours this weekend. Better late than never, right?

More soon!