Small costs for considerable savings, here are six things that won’t cost you a lot but the savings can be substantial.
- Change a light bulb; the ordinary incandescent light bulb remains the most favorite, yet over 95% of that electric current is turned directly into heat instead of light. People usually associate CFL (Compact fluorescent Light) with the one squiggly design, but the truth is they now have lots of styles and sizes. These can be pretty expensive if you look at it in terms of the entire house so try to do it one room a month. The initial investment can seem daunting but once it is done, your electric bills will definitely reflect the change within the first few months and they last an average of 5 years. As for Duval County, JEA actually has a program called “green partners” that will not only take your used CFL light bulbs; but you can often get up to $1.50 off your next CFL purchase. Check your JEA website for more information on this program.
- Change your filters; we change our filters every month due to the number of animals that live with us, but six times a year is good. You could probably find the “permanent” filters at your local home improvement store so that you can just wash instead of replacing them every month.
- Washing machines; heating the water is where 95% of the energy is used. Washing only in cold and when you have a full load can save you a bundle. Washing in hot water is considered less efficient and uses as much electricity annually as keeping your refrigerator door open 24 hours a day for a solid year.
- That’s a wrap; for about $25.00 you can purchase a wrap for your hot water heater called a tank blanket. This can be found at almost any home improvement store and can save around 10% on your heating costs.
- Fix that leak; some scientists actually believe that water will be our next big crisis. I don’t know about that but I do know that a faucet drip however small can account for hundreds of gallons of wasted water a year. Let’s say your small leak dripped 15,140 drips every day which is equal to one gallon of water, now what if 3 of your faucets dripped? At this point you might want to remember that you pay for the water in your home twice, once when it enters and again when it leaves.
- Dryers; These are energy drainers, if you absolutely cannot use a clothes line outside because of allergies or neighborhood rules then here are some other ways you can save. String a line in your garage or use a few well placed hangers, if you plan your wash accordingly you can keep all delicates drying on hangers inside, this can save 2 to 3 loads a week on your dryer. When you do use your dryer, clean the lint screen before each use.
