Although a large percentage of the population wants to help the environment, many homeowners feel that going green and frugalgreen and frugal is simply too complicated or time-consuming.
While it’s not difficult to understand why many people feel that way, thanks to lots of innovations over the last decade, doing your part for the environment is now easier than ever.
If you want to see just how simple making green improvements can be, here are four simple but effective changes you can make in almost no time:
Unplug Your Appliances. Even though the following tip is going to seem extremely simple, research has shown that it definitely works. You might have heard the term energy vampires?
If you have a TV or any other electronics in your home that continue to glow after they’re turned off, it’s because they’re still consuming electricity.
By actually unplugging these items when you’re not using them, you’ll help the environment by consuming less energy. And since research has found this strategy can help the average house cut $200 a year off the energy bill, you’ll also help your wallet.
Recycle Used Electronics. You probably already know that you can recycle things like newspapers or plastic bottles. What many homeowners don’t realize is they can also recycle larger items, such as electronics.
You obviously don’t have to get rid of any of your electronics just for the sake of recycling, however.
But when the time comes for you to replace one of the electronics in your house, simply drop off the old one at a local recycling center instead of sticking it in the trash.
This act alone helps reduce about 5.5 billion pounds of electronics that Americans currently throw away each year.
Switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. When people seek help at alcohol rehab centers in Florida, one of the lessons they learn is that small changes to their lives really can make big differences.
The same is true for making homes more eco-friendly. Although switching to compact fluorescent bulbs is as simple as unscrewing the existing ones and putting CFLs in their places, this swap means each light in your home will consume about 75 percent less energy than before.
LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs are also very efficient. Switching from incandescent lighting to these relatively new technology bulbs can be rather expensive, so to ease the pain, a good strategy is to make the switch individually as the old ones burn out.
Get an Energy Audit. Since every house has unique features, investing in an energy audit will allow you to see what changes around your home will have the biggest impact on your total energy consumption.
In almost all cases, fixing problems identified in an energy audit will result in financial savings and lower utility bills.
If you want to tackle a major green project, you should definitely do just that. But if you’re currently short on time, that doesn’t mean you have to be excluded from going green. As the above options demonstrate, you can help the environment and reduce your monthly energy bills in a fairly short amount of time.
About the Author:
Michelle is a blogger and freelancer. She’s written about almost every topic under the sun, and loves constantly learning about new subjects and industries while she’s writing. In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.
