Green Savings at Home

Politicians frequently come up with mixed ideas to save us money and energy: temporary elimination of gasoline taxes, billing the energy companies for part of their vast profits, crying for an increase in petroleum production, stating they are all for alternative fuels, and an assortment of others.

Rather then depend on the election-year promises and statements of politicians, usually empty with exaggerated outcomes, there are steps each of us can be taking to both save money on energy costs as well as reducing our dependence on resources that are in short supply.

Many corporations and organizations have created web sites dedicated to such efforts. Here is a sampling from Slightly Creaky’s new Think Green page (coming in July).

Energy Savers (http://www.energysavers.gov/). From the US Government. “On this U.S. Government Web site you can find information to help you save energy in your home, business, vehicle, or industrial plant. The links on Energy Savers take you directly to resources available across Federal agencies for homeowners, contractors and builders, building managers, realtors, state agencies, drivers and fleet managers, and industry managers.”

Energy Saving Ideas (http://www.hribar.com/energytips.htm). From Keller Williams Realty, Carlsbad, California. Surprisingly, this commercial site has a huge amount of great ideas for energy savings in the home, work, and on the road.

California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center (http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/index.html). “Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency are two sides of the same coin. Most people think they mean the same thing, but they don't. Energy conservation means reducing the level of energy use by turning down a thermostat, or turning off a light, or turning up the temperature of your refrigerator. Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one. In this section, you'll find both energy conservation and efficiency tips for your home, office, school, car or truck, and other areas. You'll learn how to get your home ready for summer or winter. You'll learn how to be prepared in case the power goes out. And you'll learn some interesting facts about energy.“

99 Energywise Ideas For Saving Energy (http://www.pnm.com/customers/99_ways.htm). From PNM Resources, Albuquerque, N.M. “Insulating your house, putting in storm windows and installing weather stripping can go a long way toward making your home more energy-efficient. Weatherizing is like buttoning up your coat in the winter: It keeps the warm air in and the cold air out. Examine the following tips and see if they won't help make your home a cozier place.”

Powerful Money Saving Ideas (http://www.energyright.com/tips.htm). From the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Did you know that in most cases a family’s third largest energy expense is from heating water? So if you’re not heating your water the energy right way, you could be sending money down the drain.”

Reduce Your Energy Usage. Increase Your Savings (http://www.directenergy.com/EN/Alberta/MMC/Pages/CUS/EnergySavingIdeas.aspx). From Direct Energy Marketing Limited. “We’ve compiled this list of energy saving ideas to make your home and business more energy efficient and comfortable. Most of these ideas are easy to do and take only a few minutes to perform.”

46 Energy Saving Ideas (http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060910/NEWS/60911008/-1/news33).
From our Hudson Valley, NY newspaper: the Times Herald Record.) “This home energy audit won’t replace having a professional energy auditor come to your home, but it will reduce your impact on global warming.”

For more links to web sites about energy savings and the environment, visit the Slightly Creaky Think Green Page, coming in July