Many thanks to Direct Energy for sponsoring today’s story and letting me share 11 Tips for an Eco Friendly Home and live a more eco-friendly lifestyle! All opinions are 100% my own.
Over the past couple years we have made some upgrades around the house to go green and eco-friendly. In this post I am going to share my top 5 earth friendly tips, so you too can do your part.
11 Tips for an Eco Friendly Home
- Using dishwashers and washer/dryers at night will keep the house cooler, reduce strain on the power grid during the peak usage hours of 4 PM and 6 PM and reduce the chance of an emergency!
- Your living room typically has multiple active light sources available. Make sure your lighting is energy efficient by switching traditional bulbs to CFLs or LEDs.
- Replace your old, inefficient appliances with new, efficient, Energy Star® appliances. Old appliances tend to run inefficiently.
- Replace the showerhead in your bathroom(s) with low flow showerheads. These showerheads regulate the flow of water, assuring you a more efficient shower.
- Change your air filter every 1-3 months. Clogged air filters increase your energy costs. Even though smart thermostats will send out reminders, YOU still have to do it.
- Be sure your air return vents aren’t being blocked by furniture or carpets.
- Insulate and seal your duct work. Make sure that all your heated and cooled air gets circulated in the right places.
How to Save Money The Smart Home Way
- Unplug energy sucking devices when they are not in use. Common energy wasters include your computer, printer, DVD player, phone charger and any electronics attached to a power strip. Unplug these electronics at night or when you are away from home.
- Reduce waste at home by paying your bills online and reusing plastic shopping bags after you go to the grocery store to line trash cans instead of throwing them away.
- Install a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats offer you climate control, the convenience of programming away from home, and more.
- Make sure you have a strong Wi-fi signal from your smart thermostat and smart devices. Because you can remotely control your smart thermostat via the internet, periodically check the signal strength in the network settings on the thermostat’s control screen.
Out of the eleven tips, I like number 10 & 11. About nine months ago we installed a smart thermostat and connected it to our home WiFi. I was able to check, program, or retrieve usage on my home computer. Surprising, I was about to lower my gas and electric cost by over 15%. Now I am looking to switch electric providers, so I can deepen my savings, especially before the Summer months.
About Direct Energy
At Direct Energy, we are committed to helping our customers build a smarter home, and thus cut down on their energy usage – saving the customer time and money. Currently we’re offering the opportunity for anyone to learn more about creating a smarter home by visiting our Facebook page. For customers living in Alberta, Canada we offer the Comfort & Control Plan, and for those in Texas we offer the Meridian Savings Plan.