earth week 2

Energy.  Being more energy efficient.  This can be both easy and difficult. 

We actually made a few energy efficient upgrades in the past couple of years.  The first was our new dishwasher.  We had been without one for the first 2 years living in our house.  While we got used to washing everything by hand, it sure was nice to pass off some of the dish washing duties to our trusty, energy efficient dishwasher.

{not sure if this is the exact model but you get the gist}

Following the dishwasher we took the plunge to upgrade our air conditioner.  It was as old as our house and acted about two times older than that.  It ran constantly and our bills were high.  Enter our new {and HUGE} heat pump.

The great thing about this machine is it serves as not only our cooling source in the summer but as our heat source for much of the fall, winter, and spring.  When the temps bottom way out, our gas furnace kicks on, otherwise we can use electric heat much of the year.  We have noticed major improvement in our bills.  While it was a big chunk of change, we have seen the cost benefits and even received a nice tax rebate the year we bought it.

Over the past few years we have worked to switch out the light bulbs in our home to more the LED and CFL light bulbs. 

Their marketing ploy is they will last much longer than the regular light bulb and I have to say since using them, I have not had to replace one bulb.  There are few drawbacks in my opinion.

1) They aren't always as bright as the old light bulbs and I think our family room is a little on the dark side because of that.

2) They look a little funky but guess that's part of their charm.  I have, however, seen newer options that look more like the traditional light bulb.

3) It is difficult to find energy efficient bulbs that are truly compatible to be on a dimmer.  They are expensive and don't really dim --- more like off to super bright.  But even with those draw backs we have gone the more energy friendly route in terms of lighting at our house.

Speaking of lighting, something super easy to do is turn off lights and appliances in a room you aren't in or using.  That was something my parents always taught us.  And it saves money too.  And turn off that computer.  If you can, unplug it too.  Saves a lot of energy and money towards electricity.  I cringe at the thought of how many computers remain on at my workplace all day and all night.  Even though they're in sleep mode, they're still on.  I make sure to shut down my work computer at the end of each day.

Other energy efficient options include choosing a water efficient faucet, shower head or toilet.  Lowes has several options {click here}.  Speaking of Lowes, they have great discounts on energy efficient appliances this time of the year.  We took advantage of this opportunity two years ago when we bought our dishwasher.  Our next hope for an energy efficient appliance:

With all of the laundry I'm doing lately, I am awaiting the day to invest in a new washing machine.  I can dream, right?