25 Inexpensive Tips to Make Your Home Green

Some of the best things to do to been earth friendly are using biodegradable plates and utensils for parties where you plan on throwing them out. And speaking of food, I your refrigerator is in a sunny spot move it. The compressor will work a lot less and you will save energy and money.

Another hint on food is to but larger quantities and not the single use. It saves on the amount of packaging that has to be thrown away. And another intelligent idea is to use refillable bottles and not throw away bottles for your water. Save the landfill.

Make sure that the temperature in the fridge and freezer are optimal. That means somewhere between 37 and 40 degrees in the fridge and 0 – 5 degrees in the freezer. You’ll get good results and save energy. While you’re at it, make sure that the seal around the unit is good and secure.

You can recycle things that are not recyclable by finding another use for them. In other words if you have containers that you can’t get recycled you might be able to find something else to use them for like storing nuts sand bolts or such.

Change the filter in your HVAC unit on a regular basis. It will give you cleaner air and use less energy and save on repairs to the main unit over time. And while you are working on the HVAC, consider using a new programmable thermostat. They are more accurate and will save you about $180 each year.

Standard light bulbs use a lot of electricity and are not too environmentally friendly. Consider replacing them with the better compact fluorescent bulbs, which will pay for themselves in about half a year.

Go find your water heater and put an insulated cover on it. It will perform better and save you a lot of money over its life and make you happier with it. And also consider dropping the temperature from 140 down to 120 which saves money and your body won’t notice the difference. Low flow showerheads will save water and also money for you.

Consider using bamboo in place of wood around the house. Cutting boards, flooring, paneling etc because bamboo in a lot more earth friendly than wood is and is more sustainable since you can re-grow bamboo in 6 years as opposed to 50 to 100 for a mature tree.

Control the amount of sun coming into your home. Let less of it in on hot days to stay cooler and more of it in on cold days to stay warmer. It’s amazing how much of a difference this can make.