Sustainable Products 101

Perhaps you have asked, “How can I go green in energy use at home?” Many people have started asking this question because of concerns about rising energy costs. But going green is much more than just keeping green in the wallet.

One of the most effective ways to look at going green is to become more aware of where and how you consume energy. How much of this energy is not used effectively? Do you or others in your household leave the lights on or the television on in rooms they are not in? How many appliances or electronic devices are using energy when they are not even in use? Controlling this phantom load or standby power, such as that found in digital clocks or laptop adapters, can use as much as five watts. If eight of these electronic devices are in use simultaneously, it is the same as burning a forty watt bulb continuously. The easiest way to control your phantom load is to plug electronic devices into a power strip that can be turned off.

Another way to go green in your home is to take shorter showers or use a low flow shower head. Most homes heat water with electricity or gas. Keeping a hot water tank at 120 degrees at all times can be one of the most energy intensive appliances in a household. Electric water heaters can be made to use less energy by installing a timer. Depending on household size, it is possible that plenty of hot water can be available with the timer running the hot water heater as little as one hour per day.

Finally, using a clothes line outdoors or and indoor drying rack can also save lots of energy and lots of money. Clothes dryers use huge amounts of energy. If you don’t like the feel of line dried towels, just wait until they are almost completely dry and then toss them into the dryer for only a few minutes.

Going green can be a fun experiment to see how much money you can save. And best of all, you can feel good about helping the planet and all creatures who live here.