I understand that electricity/heat are one of the major bills of the household.  I know that pretty well because our heat bill usually creeps up to $400 during the harsh winter months.  We are currently in that part of the year so I want to get some ideas on how to cut back on our electricity; not only to save money but to be green.  Here is a short list that I compiled to get you started.

1. Obviously turning off the lights is first and foremost.

2.  Do you really need the TV on all night while you are on Facebook too?  Pick up a book instead.

3.  Pack your freezer/fridge so it’s full.   If there is a lot of space, fill milk jugs with water and fill the voids.

4.  Use a toaster oven for your smaller baking needs.  It costs a fourth as much to operate a toaster oven than a stove.

5.  Set your thermostat to a lower temperature during the day when you are gone and at night.

6.  Hang your clothes outside.  It costs approximately $0.35 to dry a load of clothes.  If all Americans would use the clothesline or wooden drying racks, the savings would be enough to close several power plants.

7.  Change all of your light bulbs to Compact Florescent.  This is a pretty visual statistic: If every American home replaced just one light with a light that’s earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year, save about $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to those from about 800,000 cars.

8.  Christmas time is now over, but with the holiday season, some of us like to decorate with lights!  Here is an energy calculator if you are wondering how much those lights add to your energy bill each month.

9. Change out the air filter on your heater.  This will keep your furnace running at it’s top efficiency and the furnace will last longer.  It also will cut back on energy bills.

10.  Open windows instead of turning on the air conditioner.  Also keep the area around the air conditioner clean so that air flow is better.  Good maintenance will help the longevity.

Do you want to take this even further?  Why not do some of these steps at work?  Turn off your computer while you are away from your desk.  Turn off lights in rooms that aren’t used often.  Change out any inefficient lights and use fans to circulate the heat and air conditioning.   I would like the company I work for to become more green.  I am thinking about making a suggestion to them on simple changes.    Did you make any changes at work?  Are they a green company?  If so, what are they doing to reduce their impact?  Please leave me a comment below.    Thanks for visiting!