For those with kids, you know that trying to teach them how to save money, be good citizens and be responsible can be challenging. No longer. Lets take the time to teach them all three. Here is the idea.
Along with the chores of the day, sit down with you children to go over the energy and water bill. Help them set up a breakdown of how much energy and water cost and how to save money. As they come up with a plan to save money, tell them they can keep half of the money saved.
Image your 10 year old sitting down at the library and researching different ways to save energy. You better believe that they will always close the light when leaving the room and not leaving the fridge door open. They will also learn great math skills and problem solving skills.
Here is the best part about the whole thing…..
You save Money!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Rebates and Energy Tax Credits
With all the bad economic news it can be overwhelming. Do yourself a favor. Turn off that TV and step over to the computer and learn some great ways to save some money. With the new administration the renewable tax credits are back. Rebates are all over the place, and energy tax credits are available.
Now that we know there are energy credits out there, how can one take advantage of them? You must realize that the only way to get the rebates is to spend money and buy new energy items. Some of the more expensive items are generally bought from stores that are well versed in how to get you the full rebates. Make sure you go to the place you trust.
For smaller items the government tells you what rebates you can get. Simply log onto the energy star website and search for what you are looking to purchase. Going green is about being socially responsible. Take the time to learn about clean energy, and if you are looking for a new career, why not make it a green one.
Now that we know there are energy credits out there, how can one take advantage of them? You must realize that the only way to get the rebates is to spend money and buy new energy items. Some of the more expensive items are generally bought from stores that are well versed in how to get you the full rebates. Make sure you go to the place you trust.
For smaller items the government tells you what rebates you can get. Simply log onto the energy star website and search for what you are looking to purchase. Going green is about being socially responsible. Take the time to learn about clean energy, and if you are looking for a new career, why not make it a green one.
Friday, January 23, 2009
TV- Take some time from them!
Turning your TV off can have long lasting impacts on many parts of your life. For the main purpose, saving energy. The average American watches about 4 hours of television daily. Turning off the tube even for an hour can not only save you money on your electricity bill, but can help you live longer.
Let's say that a half hour of the day is spent watching local news. Instead of watching the news, take a book or crossword puzzle for that half an hour. These simple tasks will help make you brain healthier and can add years onto your life.
If you have children at home, there is a more pressing reason to turn off your televisions. TV's have been linked with ADD(attention deficit disorder). Instead of the TV, try sitting down with a kids scrabble game with carrots as a snack. This may not only improve their vocabulary but they may even tell you what happened at school that day.
The longer you choose to turn off the TV the more energy you will save. If everyone cut down just one hour, the physical and mental affects it would have on the general public could be big.
Let's say that a half hour of the day is spent watching local news. Instead of watching the news, take a book or crossword puzzle for that half an hour. These simple tasks will help make you brain healthier and can add years onto your life.
If you have children at home, there is a more pressing reason to turn off your televisions. TV's have been linked with ADD(attention deficit disorder). Instead of the TV, try sitting down with a kids scrabble game with carrots as a snack. This may not only improve their vocabulary but they may even tell you what happened at school that day.
The longer you choose to turn off the TV the more energy you will save. If everyone cut down just one hour, the physical and mental affects it would have on the general public could be big.
Weather- Dress for it
It seems that no matter where you go, every city has the same joke about the weather, "Wait five minutes and it will change". As the weather gets colder, or hotter, it is vital that we dress for whatever the temperature outside.
Dressing for the weather is one of the easiest things that you can do to save energy around your house and office. In the winter, make sure to put on a hat, gloves and a sweater. This will help you keep your thermostat down a couple of degrees, saving you quite a bit. It will also put less stress on your car, you won't waste as much gas trying to turn your car into a sauna as you are trying to warm up.
During the summer, short sleeves are great. If you can get away with shorts, go for it. This will help keep your body temperature cool enough to not turn your air conditioner colder.
Dressing for the heat or the cold will help you save a significant amount of energy, and quite a bit of money. Check the weather in the morning and plan accordingly.
Dressing for the weather is one of the easiest things that you can do to save energy around your house and office. In the winter, make sure to put on a hat, gloves and a sweater. This will help you keep your thermostat down a couple of degrees, saving you quite a bit. It will also put less stress on your car, you won't waste as much gas trying to turn your car into a sauna as you are trying to warm up.
During the summer, short sleeves are great. If you can get away with shorts, go for it. This will help keep your body temperature cool enough to not turn your air conditioner colder.
Dressing for the heat or the cold will help you save a significant amount of energy, and quite a bit of money. Check the weather in the morning and plan accordingly.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Coffee- Make it at Home
When talking about ways to save money and energy, coffee is generally not always at the top of the list. However if you are like most people who do a lot of commuting to and from work, it should be. Many people like their store bought coffee from the local fast food place. In fact in many ways it is convenient and easier to buy than to make it.
Here are some things to consider. Making the coffee at home, or at work can save you a ton of money throughout the year. It saves you money, not only on coffee, but on your gasoline mileage as well. As we know the more stops you make the more gasoline you waste. You also waste a cup of coffee into a landfill. All that trash needs to be transported somehow. It all comes back to energy.
Try this new habit for the New Year, make your coffee and home and bring it in a thermos. If you work in an office, see about making some coffee for the whole place. Getting people to chip in will also form camaraderie. Less stop, more money in your pocket, more energy saved, and less cups to the landfill, not bad for one good habit.
Here are some things to consider. Making the coffee at home, or at work can save you a ton of money throughout the year. It saves you money, not only on coffee, but on your gasoline mileage as well. As we know the more stops you make the more gasoline you waste. You also waste a cup of coffee into a landfill. All that trash needs to be transported somehow. It all comes back to energy.
Try this new habit for the New Year, make your coffee and home and bring it in a thermos. If you work in an office, see about making some coffee for the whole place. Getting people to chip in will also form camaraderie. Less stop, more money in your pocket, more energy saved, and less cups to the landfill, not bad for one good habit.
Gas Mileage- 3 Ways to Save
Doing regular car maintenance can save you a bundle of money on your driving costs. A car that is running unchecked can end up losing you 10 to 15% off your gas mileage. When the weather gets colder it is especially important to stay up on all the important aspects to make your car happy.
Energy savings for your car is as simple as FOI, Filter, Oil, Inflate. Remember that acronym and you and your car should be in good shape.
The first part of ensuring the best gas mileage starts with your tires. Making a weekly habit of checking and making sure that they are properly inflated will save you a lot of money long term. This may not be the easiest thing to remember to do, especially when it is very frigid outside. The solution is to take your car to the business that changes your oil. Most places will gladly fill your tires for you regularly.
The next part of saving gasoline is to make sure that your air filter is working properly. Under the hood of the car your filter’s job is to clean out the dust and irritants that may enter the engine from driving. These pollutants can greatly decrease the efficiency of your engine and making your gas mileage plummet. A new filter can cost around 10 dollars; it will definitely pay for itself.
The final and most expensive regular maintenance to make sure to do is, oil change. All cars need to have their oil changed regularly. As we hold onto our cars longer, the frequency of these changes may shorten. Older cars should have their oil changed every 3 months or 3000 miles. Newer cars can go much longer, but make sure to check your manual.
Energy savings for your car is as simple as FOI, Filter, Oil, Inflate. Remember that acronym and you and your car should be in good shape.
The first part of ensuring the best gas mileage starts with your tires. Making a weekly habit of checking and making sure that they are properly inflated will save you a lot of money long term. This may not be the easiest thing to remember to do, especially when it is very frigid outside. The solution is to take your car to the business that changes your oil. Most places will gladly fill your tires for you regularly.
The next part of saving gasoline is to make sure that your air filter is working properly. Under the hood of the car your filter’s job is to clean out the dust and irritants that may enter the engine from driving. These pollutants can greatly decrease the efficiency of your engine and making your gas mileage plummet. A new filter can cost around 10 dollars; it will definitely pay for itself.
The final and most expensive regular maintenance to make sure to do is, oil change. All cars need to have their oil changed regularly. As we hold onto our cars longer, the frequency of these changes may shorten. Older cars should have their oil changed every 3 months or 3000 miles. Newer cars can go much longer, but make sure to check your manual.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Turn off Lights When Leaving Room
If you are like most people, the last thing on your mind when leaving the room or the house is “turn of the lights”. Not that it is not on your mind, but most of us are very busy and many times, it may just slip our minds. However, when leaving a room or house, please turn off the lights.
This rule may not be a hard fast rule. Turning off and on the lights shorten the length of your bulbs. It may depend on what type of lights you are using. According the Department of Energy, if you are using an incandescent bulb, you should turn off the lights every time you leave the room. This is because these bulbs spend about 85% of their energy on heat, and a very small part on lighting.
If you have a fluorescent bulb, try to turn off the lights if you are leaving for more than about 15 minutes. These lights tend to be more expensive; the energy saved by turning them off will not offset the energy used in expense and travel to get more.
In general, when you are leaving for the day, make sure that one of the things on your mind is to turn off all the lights. Not only is this a great habit, it will also save you some money.
This rule may not be a hard fast rule. Turning off and on the lights shorten the length of your bulbs. It may depend on what type of lights you are using. According the Department of Energy, if you are using an incandescent bulb, you should turn off the lights every time you leave the room. This is because these bulbs spend about 85% of their energy on heat, and a very small part on lighting.
If you have a fluorescent bulb, try to turn off the lights if you are leaving for more than about 15 minutes. These lights tend to be more expensive; the energy saved by turning them off will not offset the energy used in expense and travel to get more.
In general, when you are leaving for the day, make sure that one of the things on your mind is to turn off all the lights. Not only is this a great habit, it will also save you some money.
Quit Smoking - Save Energy
It does not matter how tall or short you are, rich or poor, overweight or thin. If you have ever tried to quit smoking that you know it is extremely difficult. By now everyone knows the inherent dangers of smoking. We all know about all the harmful chemicals that are added. Not only do these chemicals damage your body, they are also addictive. We are going to come at the reason to quit smoking for an entirely different reason.
If you quit smoking you will have a lot more personal energy. You will also end up saving a ton of money on your energy bill! Stay with us. Cigarettes have an extreme amount of pollutants. These pollutants have a very bad effect on your air quality. If you are a smoker who smokes indoors, than all of the fans, air conditioner, refrigerator and any other electronics that you have work a lot harder and are less efficient.
The more dirt you have in your house, the more you have to vacuum. The more cleaning you do the more you waste energy. In the winter, the best way not to waste energy when you go inside is to dress for the weather. If you need a cigarette in the winter you will be wasting unnecessary energy when you come back in and have to warm up.
The bottom line is this. Smoking is very bad for you. It is also very bad for you house. This New Year, do yourself a favor and save tons of money doing it. Quit!
If you quit smoking you will have a lot more personal energy. You will also end up saving a ton of money on your energy bill! Stay with us. Cigarettes have an extreme amount of pollutants. These pollutants have a very bad effect on your air quality. If you are a smoker who smokes indoors, than all of the fans, air conditioner, refrigerator and any other electronics that you have work a lot harder and are less efficient.
The more dirt you have in your house, the more you have to vacuum. The more cleaning you do the more you waste energy. In the winter, the best way not to waste energy when you go inside is to dress for the weather. If you need a cigarette in the winter you will be wasting unnecessary energy when you come back in and have to warm up.
The bottom line is this. Smoking is very bad for you. It is also very bad for you house. This New Year, do yourself a favor and save tons of money doing it. Quit!
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