Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22nd for the last 45 years to provide awareness on climate change, sustainability and energy efficiency. It’s about a movement to consciously take action on a daily basis to reduce our negative effects on our environment. Consider the impact you could have on our planet by integrating “green living” into your daily life, starting in your home.
To celebrate Earth Day, here are 5 home improvement ideas that will help you “go green” and save green.
1. Fix Leaks – Do you have an old, leaky faucet? The sooner you repair or replace it, the sooner you can start saving water and money. According to the EPA, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons annually nationwide.
2. Install a Programmable Thermostat – A new programmable thermostat allows you to set your home at different temperatures for different times of day, so you aren’t paying to heat or cool your home when no one is there. An added benefit of smart thermostats is you can control them remotely using a simple application on your smartphone.
3. Replace your HVAC Filter – Changing out your air filter regularly will keep your heating and cooling system running as efficient as possible, reduce energy consumption and save money.
4. Upgrade to LED Lights – Swap out your old incandescent lights for ENERGY STAR qualified LED lighting and you’ll consume 75 percent less energy. In addition to being more energy efficient, LED lights last up to 50 times longer than incandescent lights and up to five times longer than fluorescent ones, saving you time replacing burnt out bulbs.
5. Go Geothermal – Besides being the most efficient heating and cooling system on the market today, geothermal heat pumps reduce carbon dependence and can provide a cleaner, greener, more sustainable environment by using earth’s thermal energy to heat and cool your home. A geothermal system capitalizes on the earth’s free energy in the ground and doesn’t burn any fossil fuel or emit pollutants into the air.
