Happy Earth Day! I’d like to take a moment and share with you a few tips that will greatly benefit the environment, but also benefit you in terms of your utility bills. These are three steps that don’t require a lot of time or energy on your part.
For starters, change your light bulbs. They make energy-efficient light bulbs, and if you don’t know which ones they are, look specifically for the ENERGY Star label. Changing the top five most frequently used lights in your house can have a drastic impact on energy costs and the greenhouse gas. If everyone took this step, we would save $8 billion dollars in energy costs a year.
Approximately every three months, you should replace the air filter in your heating and air conditioning system. When this gets crud-covered, it makes it difficult for the air to flow and subsequently uses more energy. By regularly changing the filter and making sure it’s clean and unclogged, you will reduce energy costs and also have fresh, clean air in your house.
Apply extra insulation and ensure the home is air sealed. An average homeowner can typically save up to 20% of heating and cooling costs by making their home air tight and adding insulation in places that need it: attics, basements, etc. This makes perfect sense when you think about it – if your home isn’t properly air sealed then you let cool air leak out of the house, and run your A/C more.
These three suggestions will help save you money and help your conscious as you help the environment. The green building industry has taken great strides over the past year and look for more significant news in the coming year as EarthCraft, ENERGY Star and LEED Certifications become a more common attribute for new communities.
