Over the past few months my wife and i have made small changes to make our apartment and home life greener, as in better for the environment, our expenses and our life, We watched many shows on HGTV, Discovery, TLC, History and others to get ideas on what we could change and do for ourselves. Since we do not have a lot of money, we had to make these changes over time but we are now seeing the results of our efforts. Our electric bill is down 20%, our trash is down to one third of what it was a year ago, and we have not suffered in our comfort level or undue work to make these changes.- Here is what we did, the cost, and the effects it has:
- Changed to compact fluorescent bulbs - total of 15 bulbs = $52. electric savings $10 a month = $120 for the year. $120 * 7 years = $840 - 52 (price of bulbs) = 788 net savings.
- I bought a KVM switch for 4 computers. (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) to allow one monitor, keyboard and mouse to be shared with 4 computers. Cost of KVM $60. Now I use 3 less CRT monitors and save on electricity and desk space. Electric savings = $8.00 a month = $96 for a year. $96-60=$36 net savings forst year and $96 each year after. When I buy an LCD monitor, the savings will increase as LCD monitors use LESS energy than CRT monitors.
- Using recycle bins. Waste Management company in our area (Rochester NY) collects more than just the "#2 or #5" plastics. They will pick up all hard plastic (no bags or wraps), glass, metal, cardboard, paper, and newspaper. No styrofoam products. We used to throw much of this away since we were told by the community office that they only took #2 and #5 plastics. When i asked the recycling collector, he told me the list I gave above. They are glad to see people recycle and are quite friendly. Maybe it is job security but the bigger picture is a sustainable planet environment. Anyway, we use our in-sink disposal to grind food scraps that the dogs don't get to eat, so only true "garbage" goes into the trash bin. We also bought a second trash can to put bags in and toss our cans & bottles into for deposit returns. fast and easy to do.
- Installed a programmable thermostat to manage indoor climate. Our community maintenance was willing to install this for free but it is easy to do yourself. This saves money on energy bills by maintaining a constant temperature range. We went with a 7-day model for $60 but there are cheaper models with fewer features as low as $30 at many hardware/home improvement stores. The basics of saving energy use here is that you set up a schedule for the week, weekend and vacation days. Once the schedule is set, the thermostat automatically keeps the home at the set range. So when you are home, you set it to "living" temps and when you are not home (work period, vacation) you can set it higher or lower (wider range) since humans are not home to feel the temperature. Pets do not seem to mind an extra 5-10 degree range increase and you will save a little more on your energy use. Since we just installed ours today, I have yet to see the actual savings for us, but I have heard other people report they saved 5-10%. As long as i see the $60 I spent for the thermostat in energy savings, I will be happy.
- Along with the new thermostat, we use fans to move air around the room for cooling. This doesn't use much energy and allows you to set the cool side about 5 degrees warmer while maintaining the same comfort level.
- Running our dishwasher and laundry washer with only full loads saves us on water (yes, our apartments charge for water use and sewer.) and on electricity. We give our meal plates to the "pre-washers" when we are done with a meal and then rinse the plate/bowl. When we have enough to fill the dishwasher, we run it overnight. We also use the air-dry setting (no heat) to save on energy. Doing laundry in the evening to late-night also reduced the price of the energy we use because it is off-peak use.
- We tried filling a half-gallon milk jug with water and out it in the toilet tank to save a half-gallon per flush, but since some things took 3 or 4 extra flushes to get the waste down, we took it out. It was using more water and less power per flush. This is a good method to try for a month and see if it makes a difference in your water and sewer use. Try a smaller bottle, like a 1-liter or 20oz bottle. Every little bit helps.
- Replace your standard shower head with a newer unit. Standard shower heads use more water and they are usually the basic unit in most apartments and homes (and motels). By replacing it with a newer model, you will use less water. Don't worry about loss of water pressure. By restricting water flow, they actually increase the pressure for times you want to use it. We bought and installed a hand-held model with 5 settings, including low-pressure, high-pressure, free-flow, turbo-massage, and rainfall. We use rainfall as a temporary "off" while washing because it lowers water use until you need it to rinse.
That is all we have done so far but we encourage our neighbors and friends to try some of these changes and see for themselves how easy and inexpensive it is to live life a little greener. Please feel free to provide comments or suggestions. You can find more ideas at the following TV network sites: HGTV.com, Discovery.com (Disc, TLC, PlanetGreen), DIYnetwork.com, RochesterHomepage.net, and more.
Live a greener life!
