Easy Eco Friendly Home Improvements: Saving Green While Making Your Home Green

In times of rapidly rising fuel and home energy costs, coupled with current trends toward leaving a smaller carbon footprint, most people are looking for easy ways to make our homes more eco friendly. I have applied a few easy and generally cost effective home improvements to my own home which have made a big impact on my energy bills.

My first step toward saving energy was to replace all of my standard light bulbs with twisty compact fluorescent lights. These light bulbs use significantly less energy to operate and have a significantly longer life span.

Another great way to make an impact on energy bills is to invest in a programmable digital thermostat. By setting your thermostat to high temperatures in the summer and cooler temps in the winter while you are away, your heat and air will run less, saving you money and requiring fewer resources from the environment. Another great tip I use is dark window covering during the summer. When the sun starts to beat on my windows, I close my curtains. This helps to keep the heat out, and my air conditioner runs less.

Ceiling fans are another way to save on energy and resources. Home Depot recently ran a commercial for ceiling fans stating that running a ceiling fan will save 40% in cooling costs. Keeping air circulating will keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This saves you money and keeps the environment happy.

Energy is not our only resource that needs to be conserved. Water is also a focus. When my 15 year old washing machine took its last breath, I decided to replace it with the new high efficiency front loading washing machine. This washer has saved me $20 a month on my water bill, and has cut down the amount of detergent needed by more than �½. While the price tag was a bit frustrating initially, the energy star rating assured me I would save money on my electric as well as water each month.

I have also invested in a water saving shower head with a temperature control. I purchased a Road Runner Lower Flow Shower head from www.evolveshowerheads.com. This shower head saves “8 gallons of water for every 5 minutes of shower.” This shower head has a built in thermometer set for 95 degrees. The shower never runs until the temp reaches the designated 95 degrees, then it begins to trickle signaling it is ready for use. This saves some major water and ultimately some major dollars too.

These are just a few easy eco friendly home improvements to consider. Once you start to think green you’ll never go back.