Save Energy Gain Weight (in your wallet) this 2008

The new year is almost upon us which means Americans will soon be sitting down to plan their new year’s resolutions.  Whether it’s eating right exercising more or cutting out a bad habit these resolutions at the beginning of the year give us a “fresh start” to make a change that will be beneficial to us.

One resolution that is good any time of the year is taking steps to save energy.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the average American family spends $1300 each year on energy bills often more than they need.  With temperatures dropping this is all the more true as heating and air conditioning accounts for about 56 percent of energy use.

Some of the actions that can be taken to save energy may seem like common sense.  Things like turning off the lights when leaving a room or keeping doors and windows secure in the heat or cold.  Other actions to take the sting out of electricity bills may not seem as obvious. 

For example that morning shower may not seem like much of an energy drain but some families actually spend more of their energy bill on heating water than they do on heating or cooling their homes.  The simplest way to avoid falling in this trap is to use less water either by being conscientious or by installing low-flow shower heads.  By the same token energy costs can also be cut when doing laundry.  Switching the temperature setting from hot to warm can cut energy use per load in half.  It’s also advisable to lower the thermostat on water heaters to 120 degrees.

Another way to save energy is through the heating and cooling of our homes particularly when we are not there.  During the winter resetting a programmable thermostat from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day such as when the family is away at work and school can reduce the heating bill by up to 10 percent according to DOE estimates.  It’s also important to ensure homes are properly insulated and that windows and doors are prevented from leaking air.

Windows can play an important role in our energy use.  Windows facing the south provide maximum winter heating and it’s helpful to close curtains and shades at night and open them during the day to allow natural heat into the home.  During the hot summer months windows facing east and west allow the greatest amount of unwanted heat so it’s important to keep those windows covered by shades during the day.

Finally appliances such as dishwashers washers and driers and refrigerators are major players in our energy use.  Those in the market for new appliances such as these should look for products that are energy-efficient.  While the energy-efficient products may be more expensive in the short-run investing in one of these appliances can mean greater savings down the line.

In addition to saving energy another new year’s resolution that is advisable any day of the year is recycling.  While for some the only thing they’ll recycle this year is last year’s resolutions others have made recycling a high priority.  In fact according to the Environmental Protection Agency 32.5 percent of all waste in the United States is recycled.  That’s almost twice what we were recycling 15 years ago. 

Some products such as paper aluminum cans and plastic bottles are commonly recycled but other products we may not even think of are a better fit for the recycling bin than they are the landfill.  Many gifts given over the holidays require batteries but once the batteries run out of power they shouldn’t end up in the trash.  Electronic devices such as cell phones and computers also contain toxic materials that are better left to the recycling experts.  Several electronics stores recycle or can provide information on where to recycle these electronic devices as well as batteries. 

As we take down our Christmas trees (which can also be recycled) and start the new year off right these are just a few ways to save money conserve energy and re-use waste.  Regardless of the resolution we choose on January 1 we should remember these conservation tips on all 365 days of 2008.