Learning Green Lessons the Hard Way

My family has long been watching our energy usage at home, even in the area of air conditioning, which can be a touchy subject here in the deep south! It gets pretty darned hot around here in the summertime and people typically keep the air set somewhere between 70 and 72 degrees to keep things cool and comfy indoors. 

My family learned that if we kicked that thermostat up to 76 during the hottest part of the day and 74 at night when the a/c unit wouldn't have to work quite so hard, we could indeed bear it. In fact, we got used to the temperature change fairly quickly, in a week or two, so that we didn't feel hot or icky at all when the house was 76 degrees!

Then one of our two air conditioner units went kaput! Uh oh! Not in June, just when the summer is really gearing up and the humidity is through the roof! 

Well we quickly learned that by closing off the part of the house that has air conditioning during the day, we could limit ourselves to that part of the house for the most part and still stay cool. All it took was a curtain rod hung over a doorway and pretty red curtain hanging from it. In the early evening, we pull back the curtain and open the bedroom doors to allow more air flow. Ceiling fans in the bedrooms help pull the air so that by bedtime our rooms are about 78 degrees. Though it's a bit warmer than we were used to, again it only took us about a week to acclimate ourselves to the new temperature. 

image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Then the power bill arrived. We are using half the energy we were using this time last year! And we are perfectly comfortable! 

There are several lessons we've learned here and will carry with us into the future:

1. Our bodies can be comfortable at temperatures above 72 degrees.
2. Air conditioning accounts for a HUGE percentage of a home's energy usage.
3. A small amount of effort can net a large amount of savings on your power bill.
4. Ceiling fans are wonderful things and don't use nearly as much energy as air conditioners.
5. Curtains are cute in a doorway!

(Note: Don't fill all 8 of those light bulb spots on a ceiling fan! Who needs 8 lightbulbs in one room? Besides, lightbulbs create heat! Use energy saving bulbs and fill every 2nd or 3rd spot.)

Have you ever discovered a greener way of living by accident? 

10 Easy Ways to Get Greener Now (Part II)

Getting serious about going green can be difficult at times and sometimes requires us to get a little less comfortable. But other changes can be easier and don't require much of an adjustment at all. Here are 10 suggestions for simple changes you can make to get greener now:

1. Plant a fall garden, or even just one thing that's edible. What to plant and when varies depending on where you live, so if you aren't sure, try this interactive map from Mother Earth News. Just click the appropriate link to the right of the map and then click the month you want to plant for a list of seeds you should sow now. 
2. Buy local food. Go to the nearest farmer's market and save money by asking for seconds (the slightly less than perfect specimens of fruits and veggies). Be sure to ask where it was grown because many booths will have food that was shipped from other states. While you're there, look for milk, eggs, or pastured meats, too.
3. Freeze your leftovers. Too much food ends up in landfills that are already overcrowded. Save money too if you buy and cook larger quantities of meat, then slice and freeze the leftovers for sandwiches, soups, pastas and more. Leftover veggies can be frozen for a later pot of vegetable soup.
4. Re-use glass containers. Larger pickle and jelly jars make great canisters or use them to store buttons, loose change, kitchen utensils, etc. Smaller jars and bottles can be used as drinking glasses or portable water bottles. Even smaller containers can be re-used for dried herbs and spices or those miscellaneous screws and things that you find in your husband's dirty pants pockets.
5. Plant ivy. Use less electricity in the summer by planting ivy around the foundation of your house. It will block hot sunlight and keep your home cooler. 
6. Use the water while you wait for it to heat up. When you wash your face or shower, you let the water run till it's hot, right? Brush your teeth while you wait. Or capture some of the water in an old milk jug to water plants later. Get inventive with this one!
7. As the nights get cooler this fall, turn your ceiling fans on reverse. They will push the rising warm air downward and keep you comfy without turning up the thermostat. 
8. Stop junk mail. Register online at OptOutPrescreen.com to stop receiving unsolicited credit and insurance offers. You can choose to opt out for 5 years or forever. Stop unwanted catalogs by signing up at CatalogChoice.org.
9. Plug your electronics into power strips. Those electronics and chargers are drawing electricity even when not in use. This is called phantom energy. By turning off the switch on the power strip when they are not in use, you stop the flow!
10. Switch to CFL light bulbs. You don't have to switch all at once, which would be expensive and wasteful. As bulbs blow, replace them with CFLs, which use less electricity to put out the same amount of light. These bulbs cost a little more but, in addition to saving you money on the power bill, they also last longer, which means you purchase fewer bulbs in the long run and put less garbage in the landfills. 

For more ideas on how to go green without going crazy, check out the previous list of 10 Easy Ways to Get Greener Now. If you have your own easy ideas to share or any other comments, please leave them below. I always love hearing what you have to say!