14 Ways to Cut Your Home’s CO2 Output and Save $$Green
1) Shed new light- Install compact fluorescent bulbs. The Greenlite 23-watt minispiral ($5, www.greenliteusa.com) is as bright as a 100-watt incandescent bulb.
2) Give your floors a Brazilian -Opt for bare floors or area rugs.
Annual CO2 savings (if you leave 800 sq. ft. uncarpeted):about 4000 pounds.
3) Rain in the fridge -Older ones are carbon sluts and account for 20% of your homes output. Set it to 37 degrees and your freezer near 3 degrees.
4) Adjust the temp- Lower your thermostat a couple of degrees in the winter and raise it a couple in the summer-you will burn a lot less fuel. Annual CO2 savings: about 900 pounds.
5) Audit your appliances - Find out how much juice your appliances suck with the Kill-a-watt monitor. ($25, www.p3international.com). For further tips on saving energy and the most efficient appliances go to www.energystar.gov.
6) Heal panes - Install double pane windows. In northern climates look for a U-factor of .35 or lower(U factor is a measure of how well a window insulates) Annual CO2 savings: about 3,000 pounds.
7) Get airtight - Seal drafty windows and doors with non-toxic AFM Safecoat calking compound ($15 for 2 tubes, www.afmsafecoat.com). To find out where to jam the stuff, ask your utility co. to do a “blower door testâ€쳌. They will use a giant vacuum fan to lower indoor air pressure so the higher outdoor pressure will flow through any leaks. Annual CO2 savings:up to 1700 pounds.
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9) Trash less - Aim to recycle at least half your garbage. Annual CO2 savings: about 2000 pounds.
10) Pick a filter holiday – Replace or clean the air filters you use in your furnace and AC every 6 months. Annual CO2 savings: up to 350 pounds.
11) Pimp your water heater - Wrap it in outerwear made just for appliances and it won’t have to work as hard to keep you in hot showers. Try the Frost King jacket ($16, www.frostking.com) Annual CO2 savings: up to 1000 pounds.
12) Bamboo’s the Bomb! - This treelike member of the grass family sucks up four times more CO2 when it grows than trees do. (Laminated bamboo flooring@plyboo.com).
13) Educate yourselves about Green financing - EEMS and other energy efficiency financing options create better borrowers and reduced risk for the lender. There are many new innovative new products that offer incentives for buyers to buy Built Green and Energy Star homes and to finance the energy retrofits of existing homes.
14) Educate yourself about Xeriscaping - Xeriscaping is actually a combination of seven common-sense gardening principles that save water while creating a lush and colorful landscape..
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