As technology becomes increasingly prevalent in our society’s day-to-day routine, people often forget about simple ways of helping our planet by staying energy efficient. Great Plains Communications would like to share just a few steps you can take to make sure your home is energy efficient this Earth Day, April 22, 2015.
1. Be sure to turn off all lights, appliances and electronics when not in use.
This could mean unplugging your phone charger when not charging a device, turning off your porch light when not in use and unplugging your toaster when you’ve finished making breakfast. Each of these might be a small act, but eliminating multiple devices has the power of being very effective in the quest for energy conservation.
2. Switch your light bulbs to energy-efficient compact fluorescents and LED bulbs.
By making the switch, you could reduce your home’s energy use by around a third, to as much as 80%.
3. Wash clothes in cold water.
According to Consumer Reports, your clothes will come out just as clean using cold water as they would using hot. Even your whites will end up cleaner than ever with cold water. Not only will you end up with a pile of freshly washed clothes, but you could end up saving an extreme amount of energy. In fact, 90% of energy you consume when running your washing machine is produced just from heating up the water for hot or warm loads.
These are just a few ways to make your home more energy efficient, saving you money on monthly bills and helping to reduce your carbon footprint. There are many ways to go green this Earth Day, and Great Plains Communications wants to know how you plan to do so. Let us know what echo-friendly activities you have planned for tomorrow in the comments below.