Goal For The Green

     It’s that time of year again when we spring forward.  Only this year, we really got a jump on it, an entire two weeks earlier.  It turns out we can thank President Nixon for the idea.  He signed it into law back in January 1974.  It’s Indiana’s first time of jumping on board in thirty years. Not the whole state though.  It seems most of the state doesn’t want to be on it. Only the population hubs came onboard, so that they are in sync with Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville.  So, most of Indiana and Arizona are the only states that stick to Standard Time.  Studies have shown in the past that DST saves energy, in many cases increases productivity at work, and may be a factor in reducing crime rates.

     The longer days don’t just mean we have to get up earlier.  It is a great time to make some adjustments around the house that can help save money.  Here are five things you can do to get started.

     Open your shades, curtains, or blinds during the day to let the daylight in.  It helps reduce both heating and lighting costs.

     Reset the timers on interior lighting and HVAC sytems to coincide with your daylight work hours and hours of operation.

     Adjust your outdoor lighting to come on when you need it.  Especially in areas of walkways and parking.

     Change your timeclocks and security systems to reflect the longer days and seasonal holidays.

     Keep anything with a photocell clean, so the lights come on only in response to darkness, instead of when the photocell is dirty.

It’s not that hard to do anymore. We hear about some aspect of “green” almost daily.  Support for the idea, has become almost second nature.  But what does it all mean?

The goal to living a greener lifestyle, is to become more energy smart, earth smart, health smart, and water smart. In other words, to strive to minimize our use of non-renewable energy, water, and other natural resources.  We make it a goal to create a healthy indoor and outdoor environment for our families. To save money and energy, we make it a point to use products that reduce harmful effects on the environment, and are preferably bio-degradable .

Creating and maintaining a healthy indoor environment is most important to anyone who suffers from allergies.  Regardless of their needs, the savvy customer knows that there are dehumidifiers, that reduce mold and mildew, and air purification/ventilation systems that can ease their symptoms.

Another way to green-up your lifestyle is to check with your power company about signing up for Green Power. Green Power is electricity that is renewable and non-polluting from sources like the wind and sun. The more Green Power we use the less harm we do to the environment, while also investing in renewable resources.

Did you know that your power company may also have a program that entitles you to a free energy check-up?  They come out and check to see where energy is escaping from your home.  If you are planning a home improvement project, they can also help you find a contractor.  The contractors are pre-screened, and can help you with your roofing, heating, cooling,windows, doors, gas fireplaces, insulation and water heaters.  They are required to participate in ongoing training on energy saving options that will help you lower your energy bills.   You may be doing yourself a favor if you check and see what your power company can do for you.

Personal Loan Online The right comparison search can take days when you have to do it all yourself. Use the best loans brokers and they will do the comparisons for you and do it quickly and efficiently. Finding the right personal loan online is so much easier than working through the telephone directory.

Here is a list of five inexpensive things that will help you save energy and money.

1. Compact fluorescent light bulbs: It is a fact that if every American household converted five regular light bulbs to five fluorescent bulbs, the energy saved would be equal to taking a million cars off the highway for a full year.  How is that for an ah-ha moment?

2. Outdoor Solar Lights: They don’t burn any electricity or use any CO2.

3. Programable Thermostats: A difference of just 2 degrees can reduce a homes CO2 emissions by up to 9% over the course of a year.

4. Air Filters: If you change the air filters in your heating and cooling system at least twice an year (Spring and Fall) of can knock off 2% of your homes CO2 emissions a year.  There will be less dust and chance for allergies and sickness as well.

5. Electric Hot Water Blankets: This small investment (about $18) can save you 41/2% on your power bill.