Saving Energy, Money and the Planet at the Same Time

Today, I want to teach you to get started with green energy by suggesting a couple methods you can use to lower your energy bills without making any investments in technology. Just by becoming more aware of your energy usage you can lower you energy expenses and keep more money in your pocket each month and you'll be protecting the environment while your at it, it's a win win for everyone, woo hoo! program your thermostat – by programming your thermostat, you can drastically reduce your heating and cooling expenses. In the winter time, try to use layers of blankets to stay warm versus cranking up the heat. In the summer, close the blinds on the south side of your home, it keeps the building cooler inside by keeping the sun rays out thus reducing the time you have to run your air conditioners. Heating and cooling typically contribute to most dollar value on your overall energy expenses. produce negawatts - negawatt is a term promoted and introduced by Amory Lovins of The Rocky Mountain Institute, In simple terms it means by saving energy, we create a "virtual power plant ", thus not having to create a new power plant to increase electrical supply. The direct reduction in electrical demand through energy efficiency and conservation is called a Negawatt. Next time you leave your home and notice you forgot to turn off the lights, think about producing negawatts, walk back inside and turn off the lights! rnWasting electricity is not cheap in the long run, it adds up in the long run and puts a strain on our domestic electric supply and planet. So if you got bad energy habits of leaving appliances operating when your not using them, convert your bad energy habits into good ones, you'll be surprised on how much this can save you per month. understand your electric bill – I talk to many people everyday about their energy bills, and I've noticed most people have no idea how many kWh (kilowatt-hours) they are consuming each month. It seems like the last thing people want to do is really look into their bills, they just “pay the bill” without any true analysis of why it was higher this month than last. rnLet me ask you something, If you can't measure it, how can you improve? Some of my customers have impressed me by being very analytical about their electric bill. By using a spreadsheet, they keep a record of how many kWh they consume and the cost of electricity that month, it's a simple spreadsheet that you can reflect on the data and make proactive changes to lower your bill. Get organized, do more than just pay the bill every month, learn how to control your energy expenses by being a good record keeper. do-it-your home energy audit – Want to make your weekend productive? Consider conducting a home energy audit, anyone can do with the help of Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick a web application developed by Energy Star that helps you compare your household's energy use to others across the country to benchmark yourself and receive recommendations for improvement. All you need is basic understanding of your energy usage to conduct the simple energy audit, don't worry it's easy! rnDid you know that wasted electricity costs U.S. consumers over 3 billion dollars per year! Can our economy and environment afford this unnecessary expense? I think not! Here in the USA, a country in which resources have always been abundant, its easy to forget to conserve. Being conscious about your energy habits will not only help solve the energy crisis we face but will also keep more green in your wallet. What do you think? Please share methods of how you're saving energy at home...