Go Green Without Going Broke in Seattle
How Can I Save the Environment Without Going Broke?
Though many of us in Seattle have heeded the call to live a greener life, we’ve found that what’s good for the environment can sometimes be hard on the wallet. But our friends at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance have put together a list of ten ways to go green without going broke.
1. Insulate your water heater
If it was built before 2004, you can save as much as 10% on your annual water-heating bill by wrapping the tank in an insulating fireproof blanket.
2. Tune up your furnace.
Getting your furnace serviced every two years not only reduces the amount of carbon dioxide it emits, it also cuts your heating bills by up to 10%. Living in Seattle climates, we use our furnaces to an extent.
3. Lower the temperature
The Alliance to Save Energy estimates that you can take 5% off your heating bill for every degree you lower your home’s temperature during the winter.
4. Pad those pipes
You can cut heating costs just by insulating exposed hot water pipes in your home.
5. Weather strip your doors
Putting weather stripping around your front and back doors will net you around $30 a year in energy savings.
6. Wash your clothes in cold
That uses 50 % less energy than washing them in hot water. Use a detergent that cleans well with cold water washes. Some machines wash in hot and rinse in cold.
7. Don’t use permanent press
Employing the regular setting instead of the permanent press setting on your washing machine will conserve five gallons of water per load.
8. Watch your water flow
Save a gallon of water per minute when you’re doing the dishes by restricting the water flow to a stream the width of a straw. Save another two gallons by turning off the water when you brush your teeth for two minutes.
9. Fix that leaking faucet
10. Check your toilet tank
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