You won’t catch a Smart Cookie choosing between paper and plastic (it’s cloth or canvas for us), buying bottled water (our reusable metal containers are filled at home) or tossing recyclables in the trash (we wait to spot a blue box). For us, going green is a no-brainer.
So why – according to the Canadian Green Home Index (CGHI) – do 83 per cent of us agree and acknowledge there’s room to improve and make our homes more sustainable? It’s time to meet your full green potential – not just to save the planet but your money, too.
And it’s not about shelling out big bucks to install solar panelling or invest in brand-new appliances (although if you can, great). There are plenty of practical, simple and small changes you can make right now to start saving.
A good example lies before your eyes. When you are done reading this online, you may leave the computer and monitor on. Left running continuously, these can consume close to $150 worth of electricity a year. To maximize energy savings with a laptop put the AC adapter on a $10 power strip that can be turned off manually or – better yet – automatically.
CGHI reports only 11 per cent of the population turns off lamps not in use. No wonder lighting can consume 15 per cent of your home energy bill. While compact fluorescent light bulbs cost more off the shelf than their incandescent cousins, they last 10 times longer and use 66 per cent less energy – a savings of $30 over the lifetime of each bulb you switch out.
Replacing a manual thermostat with a digital programmable model could cool your heating bill by 10 per cent. They cost between $50 and $100 to install and you’ll see the payoff in less than a year. Program the device to drop degrees automatically at night and when you’re at work during the day; the thermostat will also maintain a more precise temperature than your old one.
Tiny cracks and gaps in your walls can mean huge losses in both heat and money. Buy a few tubes of sealant - about $8 a pop - to apply around your windows and save $140 a year. Plugging leaks and weather stripping is easy. These one-time DIY jobs could translate into multiple savings.
Get touchy feely with your hot water tank to determine if it’s wasting energy. A warm tank means heat lost. Insulating it costs $35 or so and could save you around $150 a year – a three-month ROI that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.
If you need help implementing any of these green ideas in your home ask the staff at your local hardware store to walk you through it. Just know all five Cookies made one or more of these changes themselves. If we can do it so can you.
Once you’ve done the dirty work it’s time to clean up. Before you whip out the Windex consider this: according to bankrate.com, Canadians dished out more then $275-million on household cleaning products in 2008. You can save hundreds by making your own green-friendly products at home.
All-purpose cleaner can be made by mixing ¼ cup lemon juice with ½ cup pure soap and 4 litres water – a savings of $2.85 per 500 ml compared to the average store-bought brand. To do the tub and tiles combine a cup of baking soda with two tablespoons of lavender. With a difference of about $3 per 500 ml you’ll be erasing the grime - but not your savings.
Angela Self will be writing for Globeinvestor.com weekly. She is one of the founders of the Smart Cookies, a group of five women who specialize in personal finance. They are hosts of a self-titled show on the W Network and the authors of The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making More Dough. Find out more about them at Smartcookies.com
