Community Answers

1. 

   1-7-09

   Bombshell says:

   Most people seem to think that green living and being environmentally conscious will lead to higher bills. However the opposite is true in many cases.

   For instance if you are reliant on a car, then replace as many journeys as you can with a bike ride or a walk.

   The impact? You save a lot of money on your bills as your high petrol bill falls right down.

   Similarly with green living around the home – only using the electricity you need, only warming the water or putting the heating on when needed and so on – can save hundreds of pounds off energy bills too.

   So green living and saving money can definitely go hand in hand with a little common sense.

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2. 

   1-9-09

   Popo says:

   Here are five tips that go beyond turning off your lights:

   Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs): They use a third of the energy of regular bulbs, each costs $1.60 a year to run vs. $4.80 for a standard bulb, and they last up to six times as long.

   Before buying any appliance, consult the FTC’s Appliance Energy Database, which ranks devices by energy efficiency (ftc.gov/appliancedata). Replacing a 10- year-old fridge with an Energy Star model would save enough power to light the average household for nearly five months. Possible savings: $100.

   Fix the fridge. If you close the refrigerator door on a dollar bill and can easily pull it out, you need a tighter seal. Check the manufacturer’s Web site for instructions or for an authorized repair shop. Possible savings: $15 a year.

   Drive nicer. Rapid acceleration and braking can lower your gas mileage by 5 percent around town and 33 percent at highway speeds (which is like blowing 15 cents to 96 cents a gallon). Also, observe the speed limit. When you drive faster than 60 mph, you get less mileage for your money (up to 23 percent less, or 67 cents a gallon).

   Buy a Human Power Generator MkIII ($497, windstreampower.com, 802-658- 0075). Only for the truly dedicated. This stationary-bike-style generator could replace your gym membership. The more you pedal, the more money you can shave off your energy bill. While you’re slimming down, your wallet will stay plump.

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3. 

   1-11-09

   Nunitak says:

   You can not only save $$$ on your utility bills (gas & electric), but you can also reduce fire hazard in your home AND make a contribution to reducing global heating gases (your furnace will work less to heat your home and your local power plant will spew less GHG corresponding to your reduced power consumption).

   The two easiest things to do are:

   1. Switch to LED House Lighting, uses about 1/15th the power of regular light bulbs. LED lights generally have 30x the life span or more. Halogen lights are a fire hazard if you have these (they get very hot). Fluorescent lights are better than regular, but not as great for saving power as LEDs.

   2. Improve your home insulation. There are many options here, you can learn much by exploring the topic, seeing what is available. Start with the simple things that fit your budget. Putting a big fan in your open front door, facing out, and running it on high speed will enable you to go around your house and locate incoming cold air leaks (shut all the windows first). You can use tissue paper to check for breezes from cracks, wall outlets &c. Plugging leaks also helps to keep bugs out of your house.

   These and other things you can do are scattered through Nunitak’s Weather Blog. All previous articles apply. Some items are found in the Blog Roll, scroll down the left margin.

   The Big Number 3:

   Install an attic fan to reduce your air conditioning cost during summer. You can even get one that runs off a solar panel. The advantage there is when your electric power is out following a summer storm, etc., your house will stay reasonably cool even though you cannot run your A.C.

   Many more ideas in blog, also bigger projects….

   Nunitak’s Weather Blog–?cq=1

   Just keep thinking about it, too. Do you have a frigid North Wind during Winter? Trees planted on the North side of your house will help as a windbreaker; along the South side, tall trees (deciduous) will let sunlight warm your house in winter and provide shade during summer. The North side trees should be Evergreens…

   Plus, the trees can be good looking ones….they help recycle CO2 and increase your privacy, reduce erosion from flood or heavy rains.

   Many other ideas will come to mind once you study this a little and get a handle on it.

   A flex-fuel car or hybrid contributes also to “green living.” There is further info on this available from the blog once you delve into it.

   If you share and show your neighbors what you have done and it spreads, and they do the same, the savings will multiply and help to reduce our oil imports, lessen the money for terrorists, curb air pollution.

   New appliances you buy save power if they have the EnergyStar rating, especially refrigerators and air conditioners.

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