Did you know that you could save $100 or more per year if you take part in a load management program with your local utility company? It is true. You work in partnership with your energy provider, who will pass on the bonus of paying less. Plus, by using less energy at peak times, you will offer a benefit to the environment. What is Utility Load Management? When you sign up for a utility load management program, you are basically agreeing to allow your utility company to oversee the power usage in your home during peak hours. While your power … Continue reading →

Creating energy saving habits is a good idea. As you know, habits can be hard to break. This means that once you establish an energy saving habit, you will get into the zone where you practice these habits automatically. Saving energy and money, too, will be effortless. Set Reminders At first, you’ll need to remind yourself and the other members of your family to practice good energy saving habits. One way to do this is to set reminders all around the house. You can do this with sticky notes or paper and painter’s tape. Some reminders that you want to … Continue reading →

This weekend has been an odd mix of Easter and Earth Day. Earth Day is a day to think about your relationship with the earth. It was a beautiful day, and we played in the garden. Since it’s a long weekend, today I am fixing things around the house. It’s my usual long weekend pastime. However, in the spirit of Earth Day I am trying to avoid using anything new. What can you do to create an Earth Day spirit in your home management? Change the way you light your home. From LEDs to CFLs, there are acronyms galore when … Continue reading →

Rechargeable batteries can be a wonderful way to practice green living. By using rechargeable batteries there will be less waste in the land fills. As beneficial as these types of batteries are, there are some times when they are not recommended in the home. Take a look at the following areas where you should use single-use or disposable batteries. Smoke Detectors For safety reasons, use one time use batteries for smoke detectors. These batteries can sit idle for longer periods of time. Smoke detectors use very little battery power over a longer period of time, so you won’t save a … Continue reading →

We hear a lot in the media about what we should and should be doing in our homes. Governments are trying to get people to do the right thing. They are always trying to encourage recycling and composting. The Australian government has offered rebates for getting insulation, or solar hot water, or solar panels – all ideas aimed at helping the environment. So here are some questions for you. 1. How often do you take reusable bags instead of getting plastic bags at the supermarket or for other shopping? We try and do this, so we also keep reusable bags … Continue reading →

After almost a year of preparation, we are finally getting ready to make our older home more energy efficient with a good size home energy efficient renovation. I admit that I am both excited and a little bit scared. It all started by getting a professional energy audit done. You can usually get energy audits done through your local energy company. In our case, however, we took it one step further by hiring a certified company to come in and do a major energy audit of our home. This involved attaching a large fan to the front door to pressurize … Continue reading →

Eco-friendly reusable bags are everywhere. What’s more, they are now available in a rainbow of colors and bold, dramatic prints that make them more attractive than ever. The collapsible and durable bags can carry about 35 pounds and hold roughly two times the amount of items as traditional grocery bags. Unfortunately, some health experts are warning that the popular reusable bags are not as good for humans as they are for the environment. According to food safety experts, who have conducted numerous tests on reusable grocery bags, the environmentally friendly totes can become a breeding ground for bacteria. Tests show … Continue reading →

If you are sick of bugs in your house, your garden, and your hard you will be glad to know that you can get rid of most of the bugs yourself. An added perk is that you can do it naturally. Even more interesting for some is knowing that the bugs will suffer as they die. Mix two tablespoons of liquid soap such as dish detergent or Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castille Soaps (preferred)to kill garden pests on contact. Don’t get carried away or you may kill nearby vegetation. The soap disrupts the cell membranes of the bugs and dehydrates them. … Continue reading →

The little things that you do around your home can make a big impact in how much energy you can save. if you want a greener home, concentrate on the following six areas. 1. Conserve hot water. You can conserve hot water by taking shorter showers, washing your laundry in cold water and lowering the thermostat on your furnace or water heater. 2. Replace your blinds. If you have traditional metal blinds on your windows, you’ll save money when you replace them with wood or fabric. This is because blinds will suck up the heat and the cold from outside … Continue reading →

Yesterday morning, there was great anticipation in our household while we expected a large arrival. I had just signed up for our local RecycleBank (http://www.recyclebank.com) program, and we were awaiting our new large recycling container, complete with RDIF chip. Through the RecycleBank program, our household will be rewarded for recycling. The amount of recycling that we do is directly related to the number of rewards. The literature that I received said that good recyclers could earn hundreds of dollars worth of rewards in a year. The RecycleBank website and the literature about the program doesn’t go into great detail about … Continue reading →