If you are like most, you have become accustomed to living a comfortable lifestyle with little thought behind just how much energy your habits are actually consuming. If you are living “on the grid”, then you are paying a high premium for the comforts that you have come to love and expect.

The good news is that there are many things that you can do to reduce your consumption of energy, and eliminate waste altogether, without changing your lifestyle or lowering your standard of living. Since most of our energy consumption is at home, that is where we will begin our audit to see if you are applying all the energy saving and reduction measures that are available.

What’s Cooking?

Our first stop is in your kitchen. Are all of your appliances Energy Efficient? Each appliance you use demands electrical power, and the difference between standard appliances and energy efficient appliances can equal up to $400 a year in utility charges. Would you rather be saving that money or giving it away to the utility company?

Replacing old appliances with newer energy efficient models will help bring down your energy consumption, which in turn will lower your utility bill, and at the same time contribute to helping to protect the environment.

Power Thieves

Did you know that “Phantom Power” adds about 15% to your total utility bill? Phantom power is wasted energy that most of us are not even aware of.

Home electronic devices, those comforting and enjoyable toys we all have, stereos, DVD players, TV’s, home computers, are sucking energy 24 hours a day, while we sleep, are away at work, gone on vacation.

An easy solution to stop the waste of energy through Phantom Power is to use Power strips for all of your electronic devices. When you are not using them, simply turn off the power strip, and turn off the drain of electrical consumption.

Our electronic toys do not need to be in a “stand by” mode, once you turn the power strip on the electricity is there, no need to wait for the device to “warm up”, it will come on just as fast as if the power had always been on. So why let the energy flow when it is not being used?

Placing the power strips strategically so they are easy to access is about the most difficulty you will face. Once you have figured that out, and begin to use them, you will see a reduction in your utility bill, and can feel good that you are contributing to the environment by living a greener lifestyle.

Light of My Life

Standard light bulbs are cheaper to buy than energy efficient light bulbs, but that is deceiving. Energy efficient light bulbs, compact florescent light (CLF) or light-emitting diodes (LED) provide the same light but use 75% less energy to use, and can last 10 to 35 times longer than the standard light bulb. So where is the savings?

Switching all of your lighting sources to energy efficient light bulbs will save you money in the long run, and will also contribute to reducing the amount of pollutant output that your lifestyle generates. Sounds like a win/win situation to me!

As Darkness Falls

If you are like most people, you like a little light outside at night. Light offers a sense of protection, and obviously makes it easier to see our way when we are out and about in the evening.

Solar lights can provide the needed light and not cost you a dime in energy costs. How many times have you left your outside lights on all night, and come home from work the next day to find they are still on? A total waste of energy that is adding to your utility bill unnecessarily! Shop around and find outdoor solar lights that fit your needs. They can be a very attractive addition to your yard, and will help contribute to living a greener life style!

Incorporating these simple changes will not change your lifestyle, just decrease your energy consumption.

Good News! As an incentive to encourage you to upgrade to more environmental friendly products, special offers and rebates are often offered. You can check out what is available in your area at Energy Star by entering your zip code.

Every bit counts! Learn more about new green technologies and how to live green at Definition of Green

Tags: green tips, living green, save energy

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