With the awareness by the media of Earth Days, even an hour, there is a whole host of things one can do to expand knowledge and become more earth-friendly and energy-conscious. There are a lot of lists and items to take positive steps to move more into the world of Green. Here are some points that may be useful depending upon one's own current conditions.
Let your freezer do its thing. It has been my understanding that the more "stuff" that was stuffed into the freezer that it had to work that much more to produce cooling. It has been suggested that just the contrary is correct. The emptier the freezer the more it has to work. One idea is that if there is empty space, and it will not be filled soon with food items to be frozen, fill empty milk containers about 2/3 full with water and let it freeze ice. Do not fill completely. The freezer space will be occupied and the ice will help to maintain the cooling of the compartment and the items therein.
Fill holes and stop drafts. Cooling and heating bills are affected by how tight or how well the container, the living space, is seal and/or insulated. Don't spent dollars on wasted energy that has been created and dispensed into the home, only to escape to the outside through cracks and drafts from ill-fitting fixtures and structure components.
Take control of the thermostat. A setting of a few degrees on the thermostat will make a big difference on the total utility bill. Make the setting a little higher in summer and a little lower in winter and the dollars saved may help offset any discomfort of the actual temperature realized.
Turn lights office. Get into the habit of turning lights off when not used. The notion of turning lights off is applicable to such little things as small night lights. A recent visit from a family member who is an electrical engineer brought new light, to use a pun, on just how costly it is to run a lot of little night lights when one thinks money is being saved.
Unplug chargers. It is interesting to discover that running electric chargers and power strips there is still quite a measureable amount of power being consumed. If not needed, turn them off. Remember, power used has a bill attached.
Unplug appliances. Some electric appliances obviously need constant power feeding to them such as the refrigerator and the deep freeze. But there is a host of other items such as blenders, toasters, microwaves, coffee makers, and the like, that need not be constantly connected. In fact, not only do they draw electricity, they could be a hazard in the case of an electric storm power outage.
As the world thinks "Green," more and more habits must change. Let common sense offer a few suggestions as adjustments are made. Remember that if energy is consumed, it is costly; if it is consumed unnecessarily, it is foolish and not helpful in the effort to conserve energy.
St. George REALTOR® Jim Coleman is Associate Broker and Partner/Owner of ERA Brokers Consolidated. He Specializes in Residential, Investment and Commercial Real Estate, holding National Designations of Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Resort and Second Home Property Specialist (RSPS) and Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) and the new NAR Green designation. You can contact him by e-mail at Jim@RealtorJimC.com. Call: ( 435 ) 674-0600; or write: Jim Coleman, 201 East St. George Boulevard, St. George, Utah 84770. This and other columns are available at www.RealtorJimC.com/articles.