Did you know that during winter months, 61-81% of energy use in the home is wasted? Winter brings unique challenges to environmentally conscious clients who also want to save on their bills. Here are some eco-friendly tips to protect the environment and your wallet!
Keeping Warm
One of the easiest ways to reduce your bills is by keeping a tight leash on your thermostat, a difficult plan when winter brings freezing temperatures to your home. However, there are other ways to stay warm and be environmentally conscious by using less energy - layering up, sealing heat escapes such as doors and windows in your home with caulking, and using firewood to heat your home if you have a fireplace.
It’s sweater weather! Take full advantage of your coziest sweaters to warm up instead of turning up the heat and saving energy and money. Looking for a bonus star on your environmentally responsible card? Choose clothing made of natural fibers like wool, cotton, linen, and different ethically harvested furs and fleeces to keep warm without promoting the production of synthetic fibers containing plastics and other pollutants.
Efficiency
Use better lightbulbs, appliances, and upgrading your HVAC system are good ways to keep the temperature stable in your home. Winter is notably dark and that means lights stay on longer. LED lightbulbs or CFL lightbulbs can save you 25-80% of energy use and saves you money in the long-run. While these bulbs are more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, you’ll be saving between $30 and $90 in electricity costs over the bulb’s life.
Staying Ice-Free
As soon as the snow starts to fall and roads ice over, everyone is quick to reach for a shovel and some road salt, but did you know that these seemingly harmless crystals are dangerous to the environment? Road salt melts ice and eventually mixes with the water as it flows down drains, sending toxic chemicals into the water supply. It also impacts plant life, concrete quality, vehicles, animals, and much more. When choosing a greener alternative, choose instead the revolutionary and non-toxic products of Green Ice Melt by The Green Earth Deicer Company.
