From Guest Blogger Anita Ginsburg: Six Ways You Can Save Money By Going Green
When people think about going green, they may not completely understand just how much money can be saved by making more environmentally-friendly choices. You might be surprised to know just how much money can be saved while bettering the environment at the same time. Simply by reducing your water use and energy consumption, you can help to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions and fight against the pollution of the planet while protecting your wallet at the same time.
Dry lines
Drying your clothes on a line instead of using a dryer machine can be a very subtle way to cut back on the monthly energy expenditure of your household. Most dryers generally consume an equal amount of energy, regardless of the model, so this can be a viable strategy for just about any home.
Cut back on meat
Another one of the simple ways that you can go green while saving money is by cutting back on the amount of meat that you consume. The meat industry is one of the world biggest sources of greenhouse gas emission. Hypothetically, if you were to decide not to eat red meat just a few times a month, then it could potentially be just as beneficial to the environment as choosing not to drive for multiple months. Because of the rising prices of meat, you’ll naturally be saving money on groceries as well.
Reselling gadgets
Choosing to resell your electronics instead of just dumping them all out is one of the simplest and most lucrative ways to help the environment. Instead of taking all of your light bulbs and throwing them into the trash, you can have a nice little side income by putting them up for sale online. In addition to light bulbs, your smart appliances (like phones, tablets, and laptops) can be put up for sale as well.
Solar power
Using solar power for homes is one of the most effective ways to help the environment and save money. The cost of solar power equipment has been lowering for some time, making it more accessible than ever. In addition to the affordability of solar power equipment for the home, there are also highly attractive incentives and tax credits to be gained as well.
Collect Rain Water
If you happen to be in an area that makes it feasible, then rain barrels can be one of the more creative ways to cut back on your water bill. Essentially, a rain barrel works by collecting precipitation at downspouts. If you want to, you can take a hose and attach it to the barrels and use that to water your garden. Depending on the area that you live in, you might be able to get rain barrels for free. Some states don’t allow you to do this, so it’s important to check with local laws and regulations.
Turn off your idle electronics
The most powerful consumers of energy in the household are any electronics that are left on when they’re not in use. The easiest way to cut down on the passive energy sapping of idling electronics is to simply unplug them any time that you are not using them. If you want to avoid the labor of having to manually unplug every single one of your manual electronics, then you can save time by buying a power strip and using it to turn things off simultaneously.
Going green and saving money is much simpler than people assume. You don’t have to commit your entire life to being completely electricity-free and protesting fossil fuel consumption. It’s just an exercise in moderation. You will have much more spare change in your wallet and you’ll be doing the planet a great service at the same time.
To determine how much power my appliance use when turned off but not unplugged I bought a watt meter. I figure that if I unplugged everything when it is not in use, I would save less than $1 per month. Thus, at least in my house, unused appliances in their idle state use very little power. Individual results may vary.
Home Depot has easy to use watt meters available; they are not unduly expensive. One simply plugs it into the all and plugs an appliance into it. The instructions are easy to follow. I suggest that everyone who is interested get one, use it, and figure out exactly how much you would save by unplugging unused appliance. The amount of power they use while not operating will, in many cases, be far less than generally stated, but some may use more than one would expect.
It would be interesting if many people did the above and posted the results here. I believe that you will find that the statement, “The most powerful consumers of energy in the household are any electronics that are left on when they’re not in use.” is greatly inaccurate.
It has been my experience that many, but probably not most, environmentalists are not very knowledgeable. Many do not know which appliances use the most power. For example, some do not understand that the amount of power used by an electric can opener is trivial and that electric heaters gobble up huge amounts of power. When it was discovered that refrigerant gasses were destroying the ozone layer, many environmentalists asserted that we should immediately do without refrigerators and air conditioning. They were unaware that we had refrigerators and air conditioning years before the ozone-damaging refrigerants were even invented.
The above said, using a clothes line instead of a clothes dryer can save large amounts of energy and should definitely be considered. Some of the other suggestions are also good. Meat is not an essential part of the diet and people who eat large amounts of meat would probably be more healthy if they cut back.