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Energy Savings: Save Money and Energy in your Home
I stopped to buy some gas for my car yesterday and was shocked to see how much higher it climbed. In a matter of a few days gas prices went up on average (in my area) about ten cents per gallon. Not only have the gas prices started to rise but the cost of electric, which is based on a per kilowatt hour (kWh), has also increased. There are a number of things I have already started to do to help save energy and reduce the amount of money I will put out over the long term.
For starters I replaced all of my incandescent light bulbs in my house with compact fluorescents or CFLs for short. They last longer and use less energy. The cost of CFLs have come way down in price and in my area are near comparable to the traditional bulbs we have been used to. Make note though that if you have lights on a dimmer switch, you need to buy CFLs that are made to handle that specifically as well as motion sensor lights (which I talk about in a moment). They cost about the same, maybe a few pennies more, but the savings are well worth it. The US Department of Energy has estimated on their website that one bulb can save you as much as $34 per year in electrical costs.
This may cost you some money up front but not too much, and that is exchanging your exterior lights, that are always on at night, to motion sensor lights fitted with a CFL. They only use electric when they detect motion in the area to turn on and since you are using a CFL, there is some savings there as well. Most motion lights have various settings that allow you to have them turn on to motion, turn on from dusk to dawn, or work of the light switch. So you have some options there if you do not feel comfortable with having your lights off at night.
You can cut down your air conditioning costs in the summertime by installing window coverings specially made to block out the sun. You don’t have to put them over every window, only the ones that get the most sun. By reducing the amount of sun that enters the house in the warmer months, the less work your AC will have to do.
Finally, although it won’t help you reduce your electric bill in the short term, eventually it will pay off, and that is to plant a tree. Planting a tree in the right spot so that it shades your home in the summer and restricts cold winds in the winter will go a long way to reducing your AC bills when it’s hot and heating bills when it’s cold. Trees require a lot of water to grow, so when you first plant them make sure you give them a lot of water on a daily basis, until it gets to the size where the rain can take care of the rest. If you want to tackle two problems with one tree, plant a fruit bearing tree and when the tree starts producing fruit you can donate it to your local soup kitchen to help feed the needy.
These are just four of the many items that I have started with to cut my energy costs and help save my family some money in the process, and if you are into the “green” movement, all of these items will also help reduce your carbon footprint, which is the amount of greenhouse gas (in this case carbon dioxide) you emit into the environment.
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