analysis: Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly for Summer

Maintain your air conditioner

Notes:

• Give your HVAC or window unit a pre-season checkup before hot temps hit. Get started with easy air conditioner maintenance, like replacing your air filters. Then remove any leaves or sticks from your outside condenser unit.
• If you have a window AC unit, remove it and blow out any dust or debris from the vents.
• If needed, contact a professional HVAC service provider to do an annual inspection of your entire system. The cleaner and more maintained your cooling system, the less energy it uses. That’s important because your cooling system is the biggest energy user in your home.
• QUESTION?
  show me some air conditioning maintenance tips
• What comments can you share?

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Build a composting bin

Notes:

• Composting is super eco-friendly. Recycling coffee grounds, eggshells, and grass reduces landfills and their methane emissions. It also enriches the soil and helps it moisture.
• Plus, adding compost to your lawn or garden makes a rich, chemical-free fertilizer. With compost bins, you’ll also have less rubbish to put out for collection each week.
• QUESTION?
  why you should be composting at home

  view some ideas –

  view: composting binview: composting bin for kitchen

  What comments can you share?

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Turn down your hot water thermostat

Notes:

• Take advantage of the hot temps and turn your hot water tank’s thermostat down. Most tanks come preset at 140°F, but households can operate just fine with a lower water temp.
• This is especially true during the summer months when hot showers are less desirable. So, crank your tank’s thermostat to 120°F. The tank’s lower temp will also lower its energy consumption and save you money throughout the year. 
• QUESTION?
  what’s the best temperature for my water heater?

  view some ideas –

  view: water heater blanketview: water heater monitors

  What comments can you share?

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Switch to LED bulbs

Notes:

• Swap out your incandescent or fluorescent bulbs with light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs). LEDs use about 70% less energy and last about 25 times longer.
• Another benefit of LED bulbs is they produce less heat when switched on, so they won’t add to the cooling bills during summer months. Replace your external lighting with LEDs too.
• QUESTION?
  show me the evolving styles of LED lighting (same win – internal page)

  view some ideas –

  view: LED light bulbsview: decorative LED light bulbs

  What comments can you share?

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Take showers not baths

Notes:

• Skip the bathtub and conserve more water. The average bath uses between 35 to 50 gallons of water. Compare that to the 25 gallons for a shower.
• And if you don’t already have them, install low-flow showerheads for all your bathrooms. These devices reduce the flow of water to cut waste.
• Next, lower your water usage even further by taking shorter showers. Use a simple kitchen timer in the bathroom and tell your kids to end their shower when it goes off.
• Four to six-minute showers are doable. Make a game out of it, and your kids will be more motivated to cut their shower times.
• QUESTION?
  what are the best ways to conserve water

  view some ideas –

  view: low flow showerheadview: monitor water usage

  What comments can you share?

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Replace old appliances

Notes:

• Got an old refrigerator or hot water tank with one foot in the grave? If so, they’re using too much electricity. Today’s newer appliance models are much more efficient. So replace any dead or dying appliance with a more efficient ENERGY STAR certified model.
• The average homeowner spends around $2,000 in energy bills annually. Running a home full of ENERGY STAR products lowers your energy consumption. And you can save around 30% on your energy bills each year.
• QUESTION?
  show how life can be simplified with automated gadgets

  view some ideas –

  view: kitchen refrigeratorview: freestanding ranges

  What comments can you share?

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Install ceiling fans

Notes:

• Ceiling fans reduce cooling costs by circulating air throughout your home. Good circulation lets you raise your thermostat an average of 4°F and still feel the same comfort level. Look for high-efficiency ceiling fans.
• The number of fans to install depends on the size of your home and your budget. Just ensure that you fit the fan size with the room size. Follow ceiling fan sizing guidelines to get the maximum benefit. And if you already have enough ceiling fans, make sure they’re rotating counterclockwise.
• QUESTION?
  how to size a ceiling fan

  view some ideas –

  view: ceiling fans w/ lightsview: ceiling fans w/o lights

  What comments can you share?

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Use a clothesline

Notes:

• Clothes dryers use loads of energy, and they heat up your home. Install a clothesline and use solar and wind power to do your drying. And get your kids involved.
• Hanging out laundry is a chore that instills a work ethic and makes them appreciate what goes into having clean clothes. They’ll likely wear fewer items, and you’ll use less water washing each week.
• QUESTION?
  why should you use a clothesline to dry clothes

  view some ideas –

  view: rotary dryer clothes lineview: clothesline

  What comments can you share?

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Dump single-use plastics

Notes:

• Plastic bags, straws, food containers, and other single-use plastics are filling our landfills and polluting the oceans. To reduce your own contribution, use sustainable alternatives like cloth grocery bags or reusable storage containers.
• Stock your cupboards with sodas in aluminum cans. And leave the bottled water at the store.
• Instead, bring home a few reusable water bottles and a faucet-mounted filter for your kitchen sink. For cooks outs and birthday parties this summer, throw the ultimate sustainable party by saying no to disposable tableware and yes to eco-friendly materials like bamboo or paper.
• QUESTION?
  what are alternatives to plastic bags that are just as easy to use

  view some ideas –

  view: cloth grocery bagsview: paper table cloth

  What comments can you share?

Bio:
Morgen lives in the beautiful mountains of Utah. She loved all things sustainability and is an advocate for our amazing planet and all that it has to offer. You can find more of her work at https://hendersonmorgend.contently.com/