7 Steps to Make Your Home Eco-Friendly

March 16, 2010

We recently joined a group of D.C. residents for an energy-efficiency workshop at Greater Goods, a store located on U Street that sells eco-friendly products for the home. Our instructor, Cindy Olson, is a lifelong environmentalist who now helps businesses go green through her work as a consultant with Eco-Coach.

Here are some of the tips she shared to help us reduce our carbon footprint at home:

Measure your energy use

If you don’t measure it than you don’t know how much energy you’re using and you can’t reduce it, Cindy told us several times during the workshop. To find out how much electricity your appliances, electronics and lamps are using, she suggested using a kilowatt meter that you can plug into the outlet. Once you get a baseline reading, you can take steps to reduce that usage, such as using CSL light bulbs or plugging your electronics into a smart powerstrip you can turn off when you leave the house.  Cindy said the powerstrips in her home have reduced her electricity usage by 15 percent. To keep a constant eye on your energy use, there also are several computer programs – some of them free– that will do it for you.

A kilowatt meter

Manage your appliances

Many of the appliances in our homes could be made more efficient by keeping them in good working order or by simply using them differently. A good place to start is by checking the seal on your refrigerator to make sure no air is escaping. Cindy also recommends keeping your refrigerator full to avoid cooling wasted space and to let things cool before putting them in the fridge, as hot items take more energy to cool down.  Keep your energy use to a minimum by setting the refrigerator temperature to 38 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer temperature to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.  Regular maintenance of your home’s HVAC system and cleaning out your air vents on a regular basis will help keep your home more comfortable year-round.

Change your light bulbs

By now, most people have either done this or heard about this one, but according to Cindy, it’s a no-brainer that makes a big difference.  Incandescent bulbs produce more heat than light, carry a heavier carbon load and burn out sooner, too. A typical incandescent light bulb, for example, lasts only 1000 hours yet produces 45,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions. A florescent bulb, on the other hand, lasts 10,000 hours and only produces 1,000 lbs. of CO2; an LED is the best yet, producing only 150 lbs. of CO2 for a lifespan of 60,000 hours.

Use less hot water

There are several small changes you can make right away to use less hot water and save energy. Begin by setting your hot water heater to around 120 degrees Fahrenheit and insulating it with a blanket to keep that heat in. When doing laundry, consider washing your clothes in cold water, which cleans just as well as hot water, without the extra energy load.  When it comes to washing dishes, let the machine do it for you. Although washing by hand seems like it might be more eco-friendly, your dishwasher will do a more efficient job as long as you run it only when full. If you do need to wash pots and pans by hand, consider using a dishpan filled with soapy water to avoid letting all that hot water escape down the drain. (You also can apply the same concept to the process of taking a shower by turning off the stream while lathering up.) If you prefer not to change your daily habits, you might also consider purchasing a solar hot water heater.

Hang your clothes out to dry

After your HVAC system and your refrigerator, your clothes dryer is the biggest energy hog in your home. Using the sun and wind to dry your clothes can save 1,400 lbs of CO2 per year, according to Cindy.

Weatherize your home

Weatherization Items

Many cities and counties offer free home energy audits to show you where your home is leaking air. Once you know where the problem spots are, there are several small steps you can take to reinforce the envelope of your home, such as installing weatherstripping, covering your windows with shrink wrap sheeting, insulating your hot water pipes and plugging gaps around outlets.

Take control of your HVAC system

Setting your thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter can translate to a big difference in energy use without dramatically affecting your comfort level. Also consider installing ceiling fans for use in both summer and winter. Turning the fan on counterclockwise it the winter, for example, will re-circulate warm air downward from the ceiling, where it tends to otherwise collect.