Green Day-Light Savings Time

By Donna Cosola, Contributor to Colleen's Blog

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2AM on Sunday, November 4, and clocks should be set BACK one hour.  One of the biggest reasons we change our clocks for Daylight Savings Time is that it reportedly saves electricity because less would be used for lighting and appliances late in the day.  While the amounts of electricity saved per household are small, added up they can be very large.  Here are some tips to help you continue to save even more energy in your household this fall!

Use Timers

Put a timer on your hot water heater, especially if you’re not home for hours at a time on a regular schedule.  There’s no need for your hot water heater to keep running 24/7.  Also, if you’re going away for a few days, turn your hot water heater off altogether.

Keep the Heat In

Check your weather stripping and insulation to keep your heating costs low as the weather gets colder.  Look for cracks in your windows, and check that door seals are tight.  If necessary, check around windows and doors with a candle or a light piece of thread to determine where drafts are.  There are many inexpensive fixes, such as using self-stick foam, plastic film or shutters, shades and blinds.  For your insulation, take a ruler into the attic.  If your insulation measures shorter than 12 inches, you need more.

Rethink Your Lighting

Change your bulbs to CFL energy-saving bulbs.  Now that it is getting darker earlier, we will need more lighting.  Solar accent lights are a great addition for the outside of your home.  Have an LED flashlight ready for evening walks.  The batteries last virtually forever and you can get versions that plug into the wall.

Lower Your Thermostat

Stock up on sweaters and blankets.  Wearing more layers means you won’t have to turn your heat on quite so high.  Also, turning down your thermostat a few degrees overnight and turning it up again in the morning can cut between five and ten percent off your heating bill.

These are just a few green tips for saving energy this fall and winter.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net