Best Eco Stuff

Keeping an eye on your energy use isn’t just the green thing to do – it’ll save you money, too, and who doesn’t love that? We’ve all heard about switching from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents, which last longer and use much less energy, but there are so many more things we could all be doing to cut back on energy use. And, guess what – they don’t involve back-breaking labor or sitting around in the dark. They also don’t require you to spend a ton of money up front. Here are 8 cheap, easy ways you can save energy right now.

Clean your a/c filter. A dirty filter is less efficient. Check it regularly, and once it gets dirty you can either replace it (if it’s really bad) or clean it. Just hose off all the dirt and dust, allow it to dry and stick it back in.

Seal up those doors and windows. You’ve probably already got weatherstripping around your windows and doors, but check for cracks around the frames that might need to be caulked. Also, plug those cracks around the garage door if you have one – they’re a major source of leaks. Weather stripping on garage doors is often neglected and as it ages, it can crack and become less efficient. Keep an eye on it and replace it as needed.

Zap phantom power. Many electronics continue to draw power from electric outlets even when they’re turned off. Sounds crazy, but it’s true – and the money it adds to your electric bill adds up. Did you know, for instance, that a Playstation 2 game console uses more energy in a year than an average-sized refrigerator, even when not in use? Put things like your stereo, cell phone charger and iPod charger on a power strip and simply turn on the strip when you want to use them.

Put outdoor lights on timers. Admit it – how long are your outdoor lights on in the morning between dawn and the time you remember to turn them off? Putting them on timers will ensure that you’re not wasting precious energy when there’s absolutely no need for it.

Use the ‘sleep mode’ or ‘hibernate’ function on any electronics that offer it. Many people like to leave their computers running all the time because they use them often. But, it’s not like jolting your PC out of sleep mode is all that difficult or time-consuming. If you’re not going to use it for at least another half-hour, let it hibernate and save energy, or turn it off all together.

Let hot foods cool down all the way before putting them in the fridge. How many times have you put a still-warm casserole dish in the refrigerator after dinner? Anything warmer than room temp will heat up the fridge, making it work extra hard to keep your food cold. And, since refrigerators are usually the biggest energy hog in any given home, you want to keep its energy load down any way you can.

Use the right size pans for your stovetop burners. It might seem trivial, but when you use a small pan on a big burner there’s a lot of energy going to waste. This might seem okay in the winter when your kitchen is freezing cold, but it’s certainly not an efficient way to heat your home, and it’s definitely not smart in the warmer months.

Put on a sweater. Let’s face it – we’re so spoiled. We’re used to being able to control the temperature of a room to the point of keeping it 65 degrees in the summer and 80 in the winter. There’s no need for this. A sweater, some thick socks and perhaps an extra blanket during the winter will do the trick just fine, and it won’t be a total waste of energy and money.