ChristineTen Easy Ways to Save Energy and Money at Home
January 15th 2008 04:54
These green steps for your home are super easy: Not only that, but you can get the products for free, and you’ll save money by having them. Who could ask for more!
1. Replace all your light globes with fluros. You can get these free in NSW and ACT through the Enviro Saver Program www.envirosaver.com.au . In fact, you can go on-line and book a free energy assessment for your home. Fluros are also often given out free at shopping centres through various programs. By replacing 10 halogen lights with fluros, you can save around $130 a year
2. Turn off stand by lights on appliances. Even just turning off the stand bys on your computer, printer, scanner etc, can save you $30 a year, let alone the TV, stereo, DVD, video etc
3. Install a water efficient showerhead. These are also free from www.envirosaver.com.au . By installing a 3 star showerhead a family can save $240 a year!
4. Buy food grown locally and organically. You’ll be reducing pesticide use, keep the soil healthy for generation to come, and you’ll also save fuel spent on transport. Oh, and you’ll be supporting local farmers too!
5. Turn down the air-con thermostat. You won’t notice 1 degree, but it will reduce around 10% of your energy consumption!
6. Turn off your second or bar fridge until you actually use it. This can save you up to $120 a year on your energy bill.
7. Re use your grey water (washing etc) on the garden
8. Use gentle home cleaners. Avoid phosphates, bleaches, petroleum based solvents, glycol ethers, acids, dyes and perfumes. Non toxic cleaners work just as well and help keep our homes healthier and safer for everyone. You can also use things in the kitchen for cleaning, like lemon juice and bicarb soda, and refuse plastic packaging altogether.
9. Replace your plastic shopping bags with boxes or strong reusable non-toxic bags. If you often forget your bags, buy one that folds down into a purse size that you can always carry in your hand bag. You can line your garbage bin with newspaper like we did before bin liners were invented. If you compost all your organic waste, and recycle the plastics and paper, you should only have a few unrecyclable items in your garbage bin anyway… so no need for plastic bags.
10. If you don’t have a half flush button on your loo, place a brick inside the cistern so it only refills to half full. Every full flush is around 10 litres, so saving 5 litres every time someone pees is a great way to save both water and money.
Stats on savings are from The Cool Aid Carbon Diet Program run by Neco http://www.neco.com.au/
And for the full list of what’s on the Carbon Diet, go to
Really Long Link
1. Replace all your light globes with fluros. You can get these free in NSW and ACT through the Enviro Saver Program www.envirosaver.com.au . In fact, you can go on-line and book a free energy assessment for your home. Fluros are also often given out free at shopping centres through various programs. By replacing 10 halogen lights with fluros, you can save around $130 a year
2. Turn off stand by lights on appliances. Even just turning off the stand bys on your computer, printer, scanner etc, can save you $30 a year, let alone the TV, stereo, DVD, video etc
3. Install a water efficient showerhead. These are also free from www.envirosaver.com.au . By installing a 3 star showerhead a family can save $240 a year!
4. Buy food grown locally and organically. You’ll be reducing pesticide use, keep the soil healthy for generation to come, and you’ll also save fuel spent on transport. Oh, and you’ll be supporting local farmers too!
5. Turn down the air-con thermostat. You won’t notice 1 degree, but it will reduce around 10% of your energy consumption!
6. Turn off your second or bar fridge until you actually use it. This can save you up to $120 a year on your energy bill.
7. Re use your grey water (washing etc) on the garden
8. Use gentle home cleaners. Avoid phosphates, bleaches, petroleum based solvents, glycol ethers, acids, dyes and perfumes. Non toxic cleaners work just as well and help keep our homes healthier and safer for everyone. You can also use things in the kitchen for cleaning, like lemon juice and bicarb soda, and refuse plastic packaging altogether.
9. Replace your plastic shopping bags with boxes or strong reusable non-toxic bags. If you often forget your bags, buy one that folds down into a purse size that you can always carry in your hand bag. You can line your garbage bin with newspaper like we did before bin liners were invented. If you compost all your organic waste, and recycle the plastics and paper, you should only have a few unrecyclable items in your garbage bin anyway… so no need for plastic bags.
10. If you don’t have a half flush button on your loo, place a brick inside the cistern so it only refills to half full. Every full flush is around 10 litres, so saving 5 litres every time someone pees is a great way to save both water and money.
Stats on savings are from The Cool Aid Carbon Diet Program run by Neco http://www.neco.com.au/
And for the full list of what’s on the Carbon Diet, go to
Really Long Link
| 74 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
