Join us this year in adding a few more Energy conserving activities to your life. How many of these will you do in 2018? Let us know…..
- Hang a clothes line…
- Conduct a home energy efficiency audit to diagnose areas for improvement…
- Unplug and tune-in to Nature…
- Go reusable — water bottle, coffee or tea mug, food containers, shopping bags and diapers, napkins.
- Buy fresh produce and bulk goods — it’s healthier, produces less packaging and usually costs less.
- Install a programmable thermostat and set it comfortably high in summer and comfortably low in winter — enjoy a cozy sweater!
- Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When washing clothes or dishes follow load guidelines — only run when the machine houses a full load.
- Air dry dishes rather than using heated drying cycle.
- Wash clothes with cold water — it not only reduces energy used for hot water, but it’s better for your clothes.
- Commit to walking or biking — it’s good for you and good for the earth.
- Shift your use off-peak — do laundry and other high-energy activities in the morning or at night when demand on the grid is low and energy is cheaper.
- Upgrade to more efficient compact fluorescents, or better LED light bulbs — they use less energy and last longer.
- Plant deciduous vines or trees to shade south facing windows in summer to reduce cooling needs.
- Record your monthly energy use and look for places to reduce.
- Shorten the supply chain — source locally and simplify your needs.
- Instead of driving, chaperone a walking or biking bus to school for your kids and their friends.
- Buy with foresight — preference quality, durable goods that are slow to wear out and can be fixed if they break.
- Make it a “car-party” — up the efficiency of your ride and spend time with friends by carpooling.
- Cook or cure with sun — build a solar oven or dehydrator, or use the dashboard of your hot car.
- Recycle — clothes, batteries, motor oil, light bulbs, scrap wood and metal, furniture, Mother’s day wrapping paper!
- Dust off refrigerator coils to save energy by improving its efficiency
- Set computers and monitors to power down when not in use.
- Buy higher efficiency Energy Star label appliances.
- Rethink travel — uses conference calls or web meetings to reduce employee travel.
- Turn off lights in unoccupied areas — install timers or motion sensors to help.
Going Deeper (Energy)
- Tap into alternative energy sources — solar, wind, micro hydro, human, animal (horses pull plows, chickens turn beds, sheep mow lawns).
- Go solar thermal — use the sun to heat the water for your home, pool or sun-tea.
- Get grounded — use the constant 58 oF of the earth’s crust as a heat exchanger to help heat or cool your home.
- Replace old conductive single pane windows with high-efficiency double pane alternatives.
- Install solartubes or skylights to bring in the sun’s mood-enhancing rays instead of using electric lighting.
- Add additional insulation to your attic or crawlspaces to reduce your home’s heat loss and gain.
- Install insulated blinds on windows to reduce heating and cooling needs.
- Seal the cracks — reduce unnecessary heating or cooling losses from your building.
Thanks to the Transitions US for most of this list.
Additional Resources (Energy)
sustainableroguevalley.org 