I know that Halloween is today and this may find some of you a little late, but as a light and fun holiday article, I thought we could discuss “Green” Halloween ideas.  Here are some fun Halloween ideas that will help you have an eco-friendly holiday.

1) Reuse or make your own Halloween costume:

Okay, so I know this sounds cheesy but how easy, cheap and fun would it be to make your own costume?  Be a little creative.  Some of the most memorable costumes I had as a little kid were ones my mom made.  One year my mom took a clear trash bag, cut holes for legs and arms, blew up a bunch of colorful balloons and stuffed my sister and the balloons in the trash bad.  She was a bag of jelly beans.  It was hilarious and definitely won best costume on the street.  If you don’t feel like being creative, ask a friend if you could borrow an old costume they might not be using.

2) Decorate with nature:

So who doesn’t love the colorful changing of the leaves, or the brownish color corn stalks, or acorns falling off the trees?  Use these items to decorate your home for this fall holiday instead of purchasing a bunch of expensive decorations that you could have probably made yourself.

3) Walk…Don’t Drive:

Now I hope that none of you do this but walk, don’t drive your kids from house to house trick-or-treating.  Driving takes all the fun out of trick-or treating.  Not only is it good exercise but it is a time that you can spend with your children.

4) Take a reusable bag:

Take and old pillow case that you don’t use anymore (which I am sure you all have) and let your kids paint them to make their trick or treat bag?  It would be a creative, fun activity for your child to do plus you can store it away with the rest of your Halloween decorations and use it for years to come!

5) Purchase candy that has the least amount of wrapping:

So I know a lot of you are going to be passing out the candy instead of getting the candy (unless you pick at your own candy bowl…which I am sure is what I will be doing) so one way to been a little more environmentally friendly is when you go candy shopping, try to buy candy that has less wrapping and packaging.

I hope everyone has a fun filled and safe Halloween!!!  If you get a last minute party invite or are still debating on what to wear, check out the Mother Nature Network for some easy eco-friendly costume ideas.

Don’t forget, the cleanest energy is the energy you don’t waste.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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TGIF!  Time to reveal another way to save energy.  To piggy back on what we discussed last week, properly installing and using a programmable thermostat in your home is an easy way to save energy and money!  Remember that the cleanest energy is the energy you don’t waste.

Programmable Thermostat

By using a programmable thermostat in your home, it is easy to pre-program settings to regulate your home’s temperature.  Depending on your family’s schedule, the thermostat can be set to properly adjust your homes temperature as to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort.  According to the US Department of Energy, each household can save approximately 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by turning back the thermostat 10°–15° for eight hours.   By using a programmable thermostat, you can pre-set a schedule and adjust when you want to turn on and off  your heating or air-conditioning based on when you are sleeping or not in your home.

Energy star qualified programmable thermostats come with pre-programmed set-points as a guide to help setup your thermostat.

Courtesy: EnergyStar.gov

Effort: Medium

Time Required: 2 Hours

Materials Needed: Energy Star Programmable Thermostat and manual that comes with it.

Instructions:

1) Choose the right programmable thermostat

2) Have your thermostat properly installed

3) Properly set and use your thermostat

4) If you would rather not purchase a new thermostat you can still save with your manual thermostat.  You can manually adjust your thermostat before you go to bed or leave your home.

Helpful Reminder:

Turning your heating or cooling system way up or down with not heat or cool your home any faster.  It will however make your system work harder…using more energy.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Ceiling fans used in addition to your air conditioning can save energy by allowing a higher thermostat temperature setting. In the summer or warmer months, use the ceiling fan in the counterclockwise direction. While standing directly under the ceiling fan you should feel a cool breeze.  Air movement from the fan evaporates moisture on the skin and makes a person feel cooler. Therefore, you can raise the thermostat and feel just as comfortable. For every degree you raise the air conditioning thermostat, you can save approximately 3 % - 5 % in cooling costs. There is no energy savings if you use a ceiling fan and forget to raise the thermostat.

To get the full effect of your ceiling fan, in the winter or cooler months, reverse the motor and operate the ceiling fan in the clockwise direction. This causes the warm air circulating near the ceiling to produces a gentle updraft, forcing the warm air down into the room without blowing any cool air.

How Much Energy Do Ceiling Fans Use?

(Here is some useful information on ceiling fans from Progress Energy)

Fans use no more electricity than light bulbs. Typical wattage for various ceiling fan sizes are:

• 36″ = 55 watts
• 48″ = 75 watts
• 52″ = 90 watts
• 56″ = 100 watts

For example, a 48″, 75-watt fan used 10 hours a day at half speed or less would cost $.50 to $.90 a month to operate. For a 1,500-square-foot house with air conditioning using two ceiling fans and raising the thermostat setting could save about $70 to $200 over a six-month cooling season.

Effort: Low if already have ceiling fans, Medium to High if installing Ceiling Fans

Time Required: 5 minutes if already have ceiling fans, 2 hours if installing ceiling fans

Materials Needed: Ceiling Fans (preferably Energy Star) and directions and materials that come with it

Instructions:

1) How to select a ceiling fan: Fan sizes typically range from 34″ to 56″ in diameter. The size of the fan depends of the room dimensions.  Below gives a general idea of the size ceiling fan for the size room it is located in.

• 36″ fan for rooms that measure up to 9′ X 12′
• 48″ fan for rooms up to 12′ X 15′
• 56″ fan for rooms larger than 12′ X 15′

2) Installing a ceiling fan: Follow the directions that come with the fan.  The following Do-it-Yourself website is also a helpful tool.

Helpful Reminder:

Adjust your thermostat when you have your ceiling fans running.  For each degree you lower or raise your thermostat (depending on the season and which direction your fan is rotating), you’ll reduce heating or cooling costs 3 % to 5 %.

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Energy Is Our Future-Don’t Waste It!

It’s Friday…let’s talk about a way we can save, conserve and maintain energy for our future generations.

Wash Laundry with Cold Water

Using hot or warm water to wash your clothes consumes much more energy than using cold water.  According to the U.S. Department of energy, using less water and using cooler water can both reduce the amount of energy used to wash clothes.  A large percent of energy in the home is wasted on heating water to wash clothes.  Approximately 80-90% of the energy used for washing laundry is for heating the water…only 10% is the electricity used to power your washing machine.

By washing 4 out of 5 loads of laundry in cold water, you could (Ref):

• Save $60 or more annually.
• Reduce your CO2 emissions by 72 pounds in one month.
  

If every household in the United States washed 4 out of 5 loads with cold water, together we could:

• Save $6.7 billion per year
• Reduce about 50 million tons of CO2 emissions (that is equivalent to removing 10 million cars from the road)!

Effort: Low

Time Required: None

Materials Needed: Cold Water Laundry Detergent of your choice

Instructions:

1. When you do a load of laundry, set your washing machine on the “cold/cold” setting.
2. In a situation where it is necessary to wash in warm or hot water (heavy stains), set your machine to “hot/cold” or “warm/cold.”  This will use cold water in the rinse cycle.

Helpful Reminder: Set you “favorite” cycle on your washing machine to a cold/cold setting so that every time you go to do a load of laundry you hit the favorite cycle button and it automatically washes with cold water.

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Energy Is Our Future–Don’t Waste It!

This Friday blog series will aim to raise awareness concerning the importance of energy efficiency. Throughout this series we will discuss issues linked to energy consumption and energy savings.

Clean Energy Insight realizes that the cleanest energy is energy that you don’t waste. Conserving energy is more than just about saving money…it helps to reduce adverse environmental and social impacts related to the creation and consumption of energy.

So while we are talking about reducing CO2 emissions, energy costs, clean energy and the how much energy is consumed, let’s talk about ways that we can save, conserve and maintain this energy for our future generations.

Cleaning or Replacing Air Filters on your Air Conditioning Unit

Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer).  If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool…wasting energy. A clogged or dirty air filter can increase operating costs of an air conditioning unit by at least 10%.  A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure. (www.energystar.gov)

How to Change or Clean your Air Conditioning Filter:

Effort: Low
Time Required: 5-10 minutes
Materials Needed:

1. Broom or vacuum
2. Water hose/spigot access
3. Replacement filter (if needed)

Instructions

1. Locate your filter. They can usually be found in the wall behind a metal grating.

2.  If the filter is near a very dusty or dirty area, sweep or vacuum the floor.

3.  Make sure that the system is turned off before you touch any part of the filter.

4.  Pop or slide open the panel door.

5.  Slide the filter out.

6.  If it’s a disposable filter, carefully measure the length and width of the filter.

7.  Go to the hardware store and buy filters that are the same size. (Go to step 10.)

8.  If it’s a replaceable filter, take the filter out to a solid, clean surface outside and spray it down thoroughly with water. Do not use detergents, since this can actually make the dirt stick to the filters.

9.  Let the filter air-dry outside.

10.  Put the filter back in, making sure to line up any guide arrows correctly.

Helpful Reminder:

Each month when you go to pay your electric bill, replace or clean your air conditioner’s filter.