Double Your Savings: Save Money and the Planet at the Same Time

Just about anything you do to reduce your electric bill will also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions you create. Here are some simple steps that will lower your electric bill and your carbon footprint at the same time, with very approximate savings:

Set air conditioner thermostat 3 degrees higher.
kWh savings: about 900 per year
$ Savings: about $100 annually
Carbon emissions avoided: over 900 pounds

Replace your five most frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
kWh savings: about 500 kWh per year
$ Savings: about $75 annually
Carbon emissions avoided: over 500 pounds

Wash clothes in cooler water.
(90% of the energy a washing machine consumes goes to heating the water)
kWh and $ Savings: compare approximate costs of the following using an electric water heater:

Warm Wash, cold rinse 2.3 kWh/load $0.17/load
to
Hot wash, warm rinse 6.3 kWh/load $0.47/load

Washing your clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot will avoid about 500 lbs. of emissions annually.

More Easy Savings:

Fill up your washing machine and dishwasher every time you use them.
Using full loads means fewer washes, which saves you money on water, electricity, and soap, and helps the environment too.

Joke Submitted by TURN member Gerald Dickinson:
Q: What did the dryer say to the next load of laundry?
A: You should go online.


Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible.
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for six months out of the year. You'll save about 2-4 kWh/hr and about $0.19 - $0.30/hr every time you don't use the dryer.