«
»
Unplugging will save energy and money as well as reduce CO2 emissions.

Green House: Eco-fy Your Abode While You’re Away

Wondering how to save some green while one vacay? Eco-fy your home before you travel – it’ll pay off big time come bill time. Follow these simple tips from Greenista Girl Brianne to give your home a much needed rest while you’re away.

  • Unplug all those electronics. No one will be watching that TV, using the radio, or surfing the web. All of your cable boxes and Internet modems can be shut off too. Leave the DVR on if you must.
  • Turn off all your lights. Worried about people realizing you’re not home? Use solar lights or lanterns to keep the house illuminated without wasting energy.
  • Close all blinds and add thick curtains to keep the sun out while you are away.
  • Your air conditioner is one of the biggest energy users in the house. If possible, set it to a temperature high or low enough that it will only come on to keep air flowing.
  • Your fridge is also a huge energy consumer! While turning off a fridge is easier said than done, you can set temperatures to 38°F(fridge)/-5°F (freezer) to use the least energy needed to keep food cool.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by Google Images

Recycle this!
  • email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Mixx
  • Blogplay

Tags: , , , ,

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 5:38 am and is filed under Dwell. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

As long as they are plugged in, your computer and other electronic devices continue to use electricity – even when they are turned off or in standby mode. A computer uses up to 10 watts when it is turned off but still plugged in.

One Response to “Green House: Eco-fy Your Abode While You’re Away”

  1. Jerry Jodice says:
    July 21, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    Great ideas. Apparently, “Vampire Energy” is one of the biggest energy wastes in every home — the clock on your microwave, say, or that little red light that tells you your TV is NOT on, to name two.

    But it seems computers (and the printers and speakers and other peripheral devices that go with them) are particularly vile. According to the International Energy Agency, the U.S. spends almost $11 billion annually on electricity lost to “Vampire Power.” A computer left on continuously uses 70 to 250 watts — nearly as much power as an energy efficient refrigerator.

    Wow.

    Papa Don’t Pitch, but I can’t help myself: we sell these really cool EcoStrip energy-saving power strips. They work like a normal power strip/surge protector with one important difference: when your computer is turned off, power is shut down to connected peripherals, eliminating the drain of “vampire” electricity.

    To atone for the pitch, if you use coupon code FRIEND at checkout, you can get 25% off this or anything else at http://LetsGoGreen.biz.

    Night!