7 Simple Items to Help Live Greener and Reduce Your Bills

Spring is here, Earth Day is coming up and I find myself not just spring cleaning but looking for ways to simplify our lives, save money and be better at living green.  Paul Taylor from www.babysittingjobs.com is our guest contributor on the topic this week and has a lot of great things to stay about being greener and how it doesn’t take a lot to make a big difference. Let’s get started-

There are many ways you can practice a greener and healthier living. Although some of the
products you can buy to promote this greener lifestyle may be damaging to the pocketbook, not
all of them are. In fact, there are a few items you can add to your home to help you develop a
plan for reducing your energy wastes. They may seem like small investments, but they could
provide a great deal of waste reduction.

1. CFL or LED – We don’t expect our lights to be a major source of wasted energy until you
calculate the amount of bulbs in the house that may be in use regularly by yourself or family
members. These CFL or LED light bulbs can reduce the amount of power required for your
lighting needs by using 88-percent less power for the same light. They also live far longer than
regular incandescent bulbs.

2. Power Monitors – A great way to develop a strategy for how much energy your home loses
throughout the day would be to use electricity monitors. These adapters fit on any power socket
and allow your electronics to be plugged into them. They monitor the kilowatt hours that are
being used by the socket. You’ll be amazed at how much power is being consumed when you’re
not around.

3. Motion-sensing Switches – Many office buildings and schools are utilizing motion-sensing
light switches inside restrooms and other popular locations. These switches ensure that the lights
go out when they are no longer in use. We try to remember to turn off the lights as we move
about the house, but sometimes we simply forget. These easy to install devices remember for us.

4. Water Timers – Water timers can come in a wide assortment of styles and expenses. For the
most part, less than $30 at Home Depot can get you an outdoor water timer that regulates how
much water you are using to keep your plant-life alive. Many of us have a tenancy to over-water
sometimes and this is nothing more than wasteful. These timers also work exceptionally well in
areas that suffer from water restrictions due to droughts.

5. Rain Barrels – Technology has turned the rain barrel into a solar powered watering system for
your garden. While some of these units can be somewhat expensive to buy, they could save a
great deal of water usage from your house’s water fixtures. At any rate, you could use the water
stored in the rain barrel prior to turning on the faucet, saving you several gallons.

6. Shutoff Switches – Along the lines of the power monitors and water timers above, these
shutoff switches will turn off the power to a socket once a specific setting has been reached.
Most of these timers will operate by clock and will shut off once a specific time has been
reached. Even appliances that are turned off are still utilizing power in some fashion. This will
ensure that everything is shut down completely.

7. Other Solar – There are a great many devices you could replace or install around the home
that operate off of photovoltaic power. Water pumps for outdoor ponds, garden lighting, cell
phone chargers, and even units to power your lights can be installed for a relatively low cost.

Living greener doesn’t mean you have to turn into a vegan that specializes in tofu recipes. Many
of us are as carnivorous as you can get. However, we can live greener in order to promote a
healthier existence for all. Reducing the amount of wasted energy, water, and trash is only the
first step to caring for each other as a species and protecting our planet.

Author Bio:

Paul Taylor started www.babysittingjobs.com which offers an aggregated look at those sites to
help families find sitters and to help sitters find families easier than ever. He loves writing, with
the help of his wife. He has contributed quality articles for different blogs & websites.

 

 

*Image from thriftysue.com

Comments

  1. momssmallvictories says

    These are great ideas! Motion-sensing switches would be great because I’m always telling certain little boys to turn off the light after he leaves the room.